Sherriff rewarded for good year

Ettalong Memorial Bowling Club's Aron Sherriff has been rewarded for an outstanding year during the Bowls Australia's Awards Night in Melbourne on Monday, February 20.

The Australian superstar captured two of the night's major accolades while state and national teammate Natasha Van Eldik secured the third.

After Van Eldik edged out Cabramatta's Karen Murphy to be crowned Female Bowler of the Year, Sherriff claimed the first of his trophies when he was announced as the Male Bowler of the Year.

Moments later the 26-year-old was back on stage after securing the International Bowler of the Year award over Van Eldik and last year's inaugural winner Mark Casey.

Having ended 2010 by claiming the World Champion of Champions title, the world number five continued his rich vein of form on the international stage in 2011 with a dominate display against New Zealand at the Trans Tasman.

This was followed by a performance at the Moama International series that assisted the home nation secure an overall victory against England and Scotland.

The performances assured Sherriff of a position in the Australia v South Africa test series, with the Australian contingent producing a whitewash of the series.

The team dropped only four of the 24 games played against one of its fiercest rivals, after the Springboks ended Australia's gold medal hopes twice at the Delhi Commonwealth Games.

The defining moment in Sherriff's year came at the 15 nation biennial Asia Pacific Championships where a powerful showing on the international stage saw him skip his fours team to gold and his triples to silver medals, in the process ensuring Australia of the overall winners' and overall men's trophies.

In a testament to his outstanding year, Sherriff secured 44 votes to finish 27 clear of his nearest rival, as voted by his peers.

Media Release, 20 Feb 2012 Aidan Davis, Bowls Australia