#AusOpenGC shifts to pairs today
Women’s fours finalists decided, while men’s fours semi-final to be played this afternoon (Saturday) The Australian Open competition will shift focus to the men’s and women’s pairs elimination rounds today, with the men staged at Broadbeach and Helensvale, and the women at Musgrave Hill and Robina.
The shift follows the women’s fours knockout rounds yesterday that saw the women’s finalists locked in. The men’s fours semi-finals will be played at Broadbeach this afternoon following the pairs games.
Here is Bowls Australia’s report on yesterday’s activities.
NSW twin young-guns Samantha Noronha and Natalie Noronha, and Australian Jackaroos pair Carla Odgers and Natasha Scott were the first team to book a berth in the $28,000 final; which will see the winning team pocket $20,000, after claiming the coveted scalp of the defending titleholders in the their semi-final at Club Helensvale.
The reigning champion contingent of Anne Johns, Rebecca Van Asch, Lynsey Clarke and young-gun Ellen Ryan replacing Kelsey Cottrell advanced to within two wins of a consecutive title, courtesy of three victories on day seven of the world’s biggest bowls festival, but the quartet faced their toughest task in the semi, bowing out with a 6-11 defeat.
In the opposite side of the draw, St Johns Park aces Jan Agar, Sharon Renshaw and Beth Quinlan joined forces with Northern Territory state manager Sue Auman in second position, upstaging the awesome foursome team of Kay Moran, Carman Anderson, Julie Keegan and Karen Murphy 15-11 to book a spot in thge semi-final, where they continued their golden run again Pauline Bourne, Wendy Duder, Nerrida Porteous and Lynn Browne 16-9.
Scott will meet Quinlan to determine this year’s first discipline winner when the men’s and women’s fours finals take place on Sunday from 5.00pm at Broadbeach.
In the men’s event, some tantalising semi-final line-ups have been confirmed for Saturday at Broadbeach.
Last year’s finalists, the South Australian green-keeper contingent of Steven Dennis, Nathan Pederson, Wayne Ruediger and Scott Thulborn have a chance to make amends for a second place finish this week, courtesy of a 23-7 quarter-final victory, but now encounter Colin Lowry, Kelvin Scott, Gary Mounsey and former New Zealand Blackjack Brian Baldwin, who capitalised on a home-ground advantage in the quarter-final at Musgrave Hill.
Baldwin, the Musgrave Hill Bowls Coordinator, powered past the all-star Malaysian line-up of Izzat Syamer Dzulkeple, Muhammad Hizlee Adb Rais, Fairul Izwan Abd Muin, and Muhammad Saufi Rusli 17-8 to progress to tomorrow’s semis.
In the other half of the draw, another former New Zealand international turned Gold Coast powerhouse club Bowls Coordinator looms ominously in the draw, with Tweed Head’s Paul Girdler’s team of Dean McWhinney, Ian Law and Blackjack Shannon McIlroy ending the stellar run of young-gun Joshua Corless in the quarter-final.
Darren Christie, Jayden Christie, Nick Gosley and Corless cut a swath through the competition today, eliminating two other sets of international-laden teams including former English captain Stuart Airey and Scottish world champion Alex Marshall, but fell short against Girdler, 13-16.
Girdler will face Jason Watkins, John Aldersley, David Morrison and Bruce Jones in today’s semi-final after a stunning conclusion to the quarter-final against Dane McKinnon, Cameron Wilson, and Australian Open singles winners Nathan and Aaron Wilson.
Bruce’s underdog team looked almost down and out late in the contest, but found form when it really mattered, picking up a staggering eight shots on the penultimate end to gain the lead 16-14, and managed to withstand the final attack to add a further shot to the count in the last.
