Tasmania will take part in bowls’ showpiece television event, the Bowls Premier League (BPL), with the Tasmania Tridents once again competing in a ten-team competition for BPL#19.
The BPL is the sport’s made-for-television, showpiece event. Staged biannually, at Queensland’s Club Pine Rivers in November and New South Wales/Victoria border club Moama in February, the event was designed to change people’s perception of our sport. The BPL is the Twenty20 of bowls – it’s fast, it’s loud, it attracts the world’s best bowlers, and it appeals to non-bowlers who once upon a time may have seen bowls in a different light.
It is Bowls Tasmania policy that Tasmania Tridents players must be resident and playing pennant in Tasmania. As part of its rotation policy to expose the top Tasmanian players to one of the highest profile competitions in Australia, dual Commonwealth Games gold medallist and world champion Rebecca Van Asch will join Ulverstone’s Rob McMullen and Taelyn Male, with one-time Australian Jackaroo Mark Strochnetter assuming the coaching duties again for BPL#19. The only change is Michael Sims who is unavailable due to work commitments and his place has been taken by Taelyn Male who did not play in BPL#18 also due to work commitments.
The three-pronged Tridents moniker was chosen to represent the three regions of Tasmania and the three Tasmanian players that will carry the state’s hopes on the national stage.
Tasmania has long wanted to be part of the BPL competition to promote ourselves on the sport’s biggest stage. The provision of a pathway for bowlers in the state to progress their bowls and aspire for greater rewards has been limited in the past; the Bowls Premier League now provides that vehicle for which we can now showcase the tremendous talent that we have in our state.
Teams for BPL#19:
Adelaide Pioneers: Scott Thulborn, Wayne Ruediger, Katelyn Inch (Coach – Les Carter)
Moreton Bay Pirates: Alex Marshall MBE, Dawn Hayman, Ryan Burnett (Coach – Ellen Falkner)
Gold Coast Hawks: Brett Wilkie, Nathan Rice, Kelsey Cottrell (Coach – Mark Thatcher)
Melbourne eXtreme: Ali Forsyth, Matt Flapper, Kylie Whitehead (Coach – Kelvin Kerkow OAM)
Melbourne Pulse: Barrie Lester, Gary Kelly, Ellen Ryan (Coach – Jeremy Henry)
Moama Steamers: Ryan Bester, Aron Sherriff, Cassandra Millerick (Coach – Kevin Anderson)
Perth Suns: Cody Packer, Blake Nairn, Kristina Krstic (Coach – Bill Brandsma)
Sydney Lions: Ben Twist, Aaron Wilson, Karen Murphy AM (Coach – Steve Glasson OAM)
Tasmania Tridents: Taelyn Male, Rob McMullen, Rebecca Van Asch (Coach – Mark Strochnetter)
Tweed Heads Ospreys: Aaron Teys, Corey Wedlock, Chloe Stewart (Coach – Wayne Turley OAM)
The event will be shown live on Fox Sports, Kayo and Sky Sport NZ from 4pm-10pm AEST each night from 20- 23 February 2024, with additional Rinkside Live live-streaming through Facebook during the daytime rounds.
BPL#19 SCHEDULE OF PLAY – Click HERE
BPL#19 TASMANIA TRIDENTS TELEVISION SCHEDULE – COMING SOON
BPL#19 TASMANIA TRIDENTS LIVE STREAMING SCHEDULE – COMING SOON
BPL#19 CONDITIONS OF PLAY – Click HERE
TASMANIA TRIDENTS MERCHANDISE – Click HERE
BPL#19 RESULTS – COMING SOON
If you aren’t lucky enough to be at Moama to watch our very own Tasmania Tridents in action at BPL#19, you can follow every game they play and see how they are going, end by end, using the new Bowls Now app.
