There will be 224 players involved in the six-day tournament, which will be based at Echuca but involve most of the Campaspe region’s clubs in a hosting capacity.
Campaspe picked up the hosting rights for the event when the Mornington Peninsula Bowls Region decided not to push forward with the event because of COVID concerns.
Pat Schram, who has taken the lead role in co-ordinating the tournament, said a dinner on Saturday evening would launch the tournament and it would culminate with the finals on Thursday.
Connolly will this year be bowling with Kath Wastell, having last year won the pairs tournament in tandem with Rhonda Armstrong from Smeaton.
Grimshaw will again skip her rink, which includes another high-achieving Deniliquin skip in Jo Bovell.
Pat Schram said there would be 20 Campaspe-based pairs involved in the sectional play, which includes 100 partnerships.
She is playing with younger sister Dawn Molony, 12 years her junior, who is fresh off a premiership win with Highton in Geelong.
“She is in her second year. She won a grand final on Wednesday and she is playing in another one on Saturday. She could go one better than me this year,” Schram said.
Schram was a member of the midweek Echuca team that won a thrilling last-bowl grand final last week against Moama.
Leica Roney is playing with Lee Beattie from Shepparton East.
The pair has played together before, with Lee an Echuca resident who travels to play with the Goulburn Valley association team.
State representative Anne Draffen, from Ballan, will be among the competitors to watch.
“There are some good bowlers entered, including Elizabeth Pearce from City Oval in Ballarat and Melanie Allen is coming from Murrumbeena Park,” Schram said.
Another Deniliquin Division one skip, Linda Harris, will play with Mathoura’s Chris Taylor from Mathoura in the pairs.
Marilyn Stephenson, a top 10 national bowler, is playing with Merrilyn Rehe in the pairs.
Campaspe premiership winning Rochester skip Kaye Barker will lead a team in the fours event, while Liz Easther from Rich River is also stepping up for the carnival.
A combined team from Echuca and Moama involves Michelle Cunnington, Rhonda Gallagher and Deana Hogan from Moama, along with Dawn Molony.
Robyn Tooley has also entered a foursome, while among the Moama entries is Stephenson’s rink of Margot Brennan, Colleen Maslen and Merrilyn Rehe.
Teams which win their section on Sunday and Monday will advance to the knockout stage, for the pairs on Tuesday and the fours on Wednesday.
"There are four teams in each section and they play each other to decide who goes through,“ Schram said
The fours are at Echuca and Moama, while the pairs are at Mathoura, Rich River and Rochester.
"There will also be consolation tournament at Lockington for those who don’t make it through to the knockout stage,“ she said.
The two finals will be played on Thursday morning at Moama, and will decide the women’s country carnival champions.
∎ Seven Campaspe women and just the one male bowler have been included in the Bendigo Campaspe Goldfields squads to compete in the region sides championship at Moama, which start the day after the women’s carnival, on Friday, April 8.
There are 14 regions represented at the event, with the two Bendigo Campaspe Goldfields teams playing at Echuca on Friday and at Moama on Saturday, then returning to Echuca on Sunday.
There are two sections of seven teams, with six qualifying matches to be played.
In the women’s team are Moama trio Cass Millerick, Marilyn Stpehenson and Mary Anne Spizer, along with Echuca’s Pat Schram, Leica Roney and Kerryn Evans. Rounding out the seven is Pam Limbrick from Mathoura.
Kevin Anderson has pulled out of the team because of his Ultimate Bowls Championship duties, with Moama skip Brad Campbell the only Campaspe-based member of the team.
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