De la Mare snubbed for Melbourne - Dorey banned

DAN DE LA MARE will have to wait at least another five years to realise his dream of playing bowls at the Commonwealth Games. The 19-year-old, who last week escaped a representative ban recommended by the Bowls Guernsey chief executive, Garry Collins, has not made the association's final cut for next spring's Games in Melbourne.

De la Mare, who along with Matt Le Ber is the current British pairs champion, said he was disappointed but not surprised at his omission.

'I had a letter but my mum seemed to know anyway. She had been told we'd get over it; we are young enough to go another time,' said de la Mare.

'It's been and gone. Maybe next time,' he added.

Fellow youngster Craig Dorey has also been ignored by the bowls selectors who have put forward six names for consideration by the Commonwealth Games selection committee.

What's more, Dorey is banned from playing any outdoor bowls until such time as he has paid for a British Isles championship trip for which, he claims, Bowls Guernsey knew he was unavailable.

'I think I gave them eight months' notice and they still went ahead and booked my ticket.'

Dorey added he was 'gutted' not to be going to Australia. 'On this year's and last year's performances I deserve to be seriously considered.

'It seems to have evolved into a clique to be considered,' he added.

In the absence of the unavailable Gary Pitschou, the Guernsey number one, Matt Le Ber gets the nod for the singles.

Len Le Ber, his father, is nominated for the pairs with fellow Vale Rec stalwart Dave Trebert.

The proposed triples combination is the Merrien family of Paul, Ian and Alan.

'The selection committee had no option: players not giving 100% and not playing in representative games don't fulfil the minimum standards.'

De la Mare and Dorey were both omitted from Guernsey's Le Quesne Trophy inter-insular team, but for different reasons.

The Bowls Guernsey supremo said that following an initial short-list of 11, those players had been reviewed over the summer.

'The Commonwealth Games format has now changed from four-bowl pairs to two-bowl pairs and two-bowl triples instead of fours. This change has produced different thoughts on how to select the team,' he said.

'The Bowls Guernsey council created new criteria, insisted on by the Commonwealth Games Association, to give a guideline to what players should be achieving over the summer.'

De la Mare, despite being a national champion and a player of undisputed quality, had not matched those criteria said Collins.