THE Bowls Queensland Men’s and Women’s State District Sides Championship is the showcase event for lawn bowlers from all over Queensland, with 380 men and 280 women taking to the greens next Wednesday.

Selectors from the 20 districts across the state have selected the top 18 men and 14 women to compete non-stop over four days for the honour and glory of representing their district.

The men play for the Harry Wright Memorial Shield, which commenced in 1943 for one year and resumed in 1950, and the women will play for the Val Woodward Perpetual Shield.

Gold Coast district men, rated as one of the strongest districts in Australia, has won eight of the past 10 shields since 2000 and will be trying for their fifth consecutive win this year.

Gold Coast Ladies District has won the shield for the past two years and going for a three-peat next week.

With such a big event over four days, each side will play three matches of 18 ends each day – Wednesday to Friday – with the finals on Saturday.

The Gold Coast district selectors have chosen a strong line-up of top available bowlers and should go close to winning again with the Sunshine Coast side as the big danger.

This massive event can be compared to playing a full season of district pennants (nine home-and-away matches) in three days with finals on Saturday only this is against all districts in Queensland.

The selected men’s side for the 2011 championship is:

Phil Jordan, Paul Petersen, Brett Tynan, Neville Jenkins, Rodney McAlpine, Nigel Smith, Max Jaffray, Sean Baker, Scott DeJongh, Dean McWhinney, Stephan Wood, Graeme Shillington, Keith Farrelly, John Balzarolo, Mark Thatcher, Darren Mullens. Reserves: Ian Hughes, David Cooke. Manager: Geoff Williams.

The selected women’s side for the 2011 Championship is:

Valerie Jackson, Valerie Young, Charlie Harkness, Rachelle Matthias-Harkness, Ann-Maree Peart, Susan O’Toole, Gail Waitai, Sue McKenzie, Sally Hickman, Lyn Cuthbertson, Christine Hoad, Christina Pavlov. Reserves: Anne McCllure, Margaret Pickering. Manager: Dot Powell.

The sides’ championship will be preceded by the Bowls Queensland annual awards night at the Kedron-Wavell Services Club. The awards night will look to honour the best club bowlers from across the state, while also giving Queensland’s smallest clubs a chance to shine. Since 2000, 13 players have been elected to the Hall of Fame.

They are Artie Booth, Keith Poole MBE and Stan Coomber in 2000, Ron Marshall in 2001, Clive White in 2002, Edda Bonutto, Greeta Fahey, Audrey Rutherford and Rob Parella in 2004, Eileen Smith in 2006, Robbie Dobbins in 2007 and Diana Cunnington and Kelvin Kerkow OAM in 2008.

The Bowls Queensland State Championships start on the following Monday, May 9, with men’s and women’s triples followed by the singles starting on Thursday, May 12, and concluding on May 21.

Another busy month for the state’s bowlers before June and the winter bowls season kicks on in earnest with non-stop major tournaments on the Gold Coast.

The Professional Bowls Association (PBA) qualifying is on this weekend at Tweed Heads Bowls Club with men and women vying for qualifying spots for the national PBA finals at Warilla later in the year.

Play starts at 8.30am tomorrow at THBC and continues all day on Sunday.