Australia and England will face off in an explosive opening to the World Team Cup at Tweed Heads Bowls Club tomorrow (17-5).

The inaugural event has attracted the biggest names in the game and will be kick-started when the fierce rivals go head-to-head in the first round.

Australia ’s women will meet the England invitational line-up that includes rock-star of the rinks Carol Ashby and Commonwealth Games representatives Katherine Hawes and Catherine Popple.

Also tomorrow, 21-year-old New South Welshman Aron Sherriff will make his national team debut in the singles role against England .

Sherriff admitted there were butterflies building on the eve of his first outing in the green and gold, but has been backed by Australian coach Cameron Curtis.

“Aron is ready, there’s no doubt about that,” Curtis declared.

“He’s done all the work and has settled in really well since we arrived at Tweed Heads. We all know Aron has the talent, the trick for him is to harness that and perform under pressure.”

While Sherriff is readying himself for his maiden battle with England , experienced team-mates Nathan Rice and Wayne Turley are also preparing for the huge series.

Turley said the big crowds expected at the indoor stadium could prove invaluable as the tournament wears on.

“Australian crowds are renowned for their incredible support, especially at Tweed Heads,” Turley said.

“I know all Australian players love taking to the carpet at Tweed Heads and the atmosphere under the roof is incredible. Let’s hope we can perform for the crowd here and give them something to cheer about.”

The men’s event features eight world-class teams from across the globe.

Two pools of four teams will fight it out for the right to progress to the semi-final stage of the event.

The semi-final winners will then contest the final, which is scheduled for 24-25 May. The top two teams after the gruelling round-robin in the women’s event will play-off in the final, also scheduled for 24-25 May.

As with the preliminary matches, both finals will be decided by singles, pairs and triples rubbers.

While Australia is fancied to make it through to the semi-finals in the men’s, there’s no discounting the opposition in their section.

New Zealand , led by Ali Forsyth, will be keen to make life difficult for their trans-Tasman rivals. Malaysia ’s Safuan Said heads a talented young outfit from Malaysia capable of upsetting the hosts while England ’s side will be no pushover.

The women’s event has seven star-studded sides.

Australia – Karen Murphy, Julie Keegan and 16-year-old sensation Kelsey Cottrell – will need to be on song if the likes of Margaret Johnston’s Ireland and the stars of Malaysia are to be out pointed.