Image: Stoke Thunder Skip Peter Hodson
The top of the table Stoke Thunder is changing its winning formula for the second week of Bowls3Five.
James Pugh will sit out Stoke’s double-header at the New Lynn Bowling Club in Auckland tomorrow night (Tuesday, October 30), with the experienced Lloyd Bellis to replace him as the Thunder’s lead.
Stoke skip Peter Hodson has joked Pugh has been stood down because he left his bowls at the team motel ahead of round two.
“We’ve told him he’s been suspended for one week for not remembering his equipment,” Hodson said.
Bellis has a lengthy history in indoor bowls and has also won club and centre titles outdoors.
He comes into the Thunder line-up as a straight swap.
“He’s a lead here, at the club and in Nelson rep circles, who is very steady,” Hodson said.
It means former Blackjack Kirsten Edwards will continue to play as Stoke’s number two, which worked to great effect in their week one wins over the Royal Oak Rockets and Point Chevalier Pirates.
Hodson was surprised the Thunder was the only team which did not have a female lead in the opening two rounds but he expects that to change this week.
“I know at least one other team that’s going to alter its line-up,” he said.
The Thunder will square off against the Woodend Jets to open the third night of the inaugural televised league, before facing the Gore Rams in a top of the table match-up to cap the evening’s action.
“In some ways it’s going to be a bit of a benefit because we’ll be able to get out on to the rink and have an hour’s worth of game time before having a bit of a breather and get out there for that second game,” Hodson said.
Gore lead Ashleigh Jeffcoat hopes it has the opposite effect.
“It could also back-fire a wee bit, because they’ve been on and then they’ll have that break and be sitting around,” Jeffcoat said.
The Rams are planning to stick with their trio of Jeffcoat, Caleb Hope and Sheldon Bagrie-Howley for the entire competition and will not be tinkering with their line-up.
“The only reason I’m leading is because Caleb and Sheldon play pairs a lot together,” she said.
“We did it for that reason and it’s working quite well.”
Ashleigh Jeffcoat has joined Gore from Waikato, but has quickly gelled with Hope and Bagrie-Howley after going through a short induction.
“On Tuesday night we had our team meeting and there was a lesson in [how to say] ‘purple’ and ‘Gore’,” Jeffcoat said.
The first Auckland derby will be sandwiched in between Stoke’s two matches, with the Royal Oak Rockets to face the Point Chevalier Pirates, while the Stokes Valley Vipers will have the night off before their double-header on Wednesday.
Day 3 matches (all broadcast LIVE on SKY Sport 2):
Stoke Thunder vs Woodend Jets – 7:05pm
Point Chevalier Pirates v Royal Oak Rockets – 8pm
Stoke Thunder vs Gore Rams – 9pm
-ENDS-
For more information contact Bowls3Five media manager Brenton Vannisselroy on 021 039 0471
