Maitland will compete at the NSW Country Challenge in Canberra this weekend and after a temporary split, following the closure of the Rutherford bowling centre in December 2006, the crew has combined for another roll.

And there is no fear of being rusty and hitting the gutter at Tuggeranong Bowling Centre against the best bowlers in Country NSW after qualifying as the second placed team in the Northern Zone behind Gosford.

“We never go in over confident but we would be disappointed if we didn’t finish in the top two,” Maitland team member Wayne Johnston said.

“In the past Maitland has always been there or thereabouts.”

Johnston said Maitland has won the NSW Country Challenge up to six times during its 30 year existence but there have been no gold medals in the past decade.

Johnston – along with Phil Brinkley, Murray Herd, Richard Grzazek, Donald Walton and Peter White – want to change that in 2009.

“We feel better than we have ever before,” Johnston said.

This same team has finished as high as second at previous NSW Country Challenge events and boast impressive individual records – 15 perfect games between them and an average of 200 plus each.