THE Australian Jackaroos, headlined by former Shoalhaven Heads bowler Karen Murphy, have completed their 14-day tour of the United Kingdom with a narrow defeat to England.
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In the fourth and final Test series of the tour, following matches against Ireland, Scotland and Wales, Murphy opened the match-up at Birmingham's Royal Leamington Spa with a loss in the women's fours.
Murphy's team of Samantha Shannahan, Chloe Stewart and Natasha Scott went down 18-8 to English quartet Rebecca Wigfield, Lorraine Kuhler, Wendy King and Amy Gowshall.
Session two didn't prove anymore successful for Murphy, who's women's triples team fell 14-13 to the hosts.
But Murphy ended the day on a high, in session three, with a 17-5 victory in the women's fours.
Despite this final win, England's lead prove too insurmountable, winning the Test 26-22 (+43 shots).
Looking back on the busy tour as a whole, Australian coach Steve Glasson was happy with the squad's performance in the UK, as the team looks ahead to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
"We have experienced just about everything on and off the green - apart from a few illnesses, everything has been exceptional," Glasson said to Bowls Australia.
"The main intention was to further enhance our exposure, knowledge, tactics and understanding of playing on the outdoor greens in the UK, against some of the best nations in the world.
"The Jackaroos certainly stood up gallantly and it's fair to say, were more competitive than ever, albeit understanding we have some areas we can improve in as well.
"The players, in most cases, have played 34 matches in two weeks against the best in the business and accepted the challenge unbelievably well."