Favourites win Fours gold
It was the second gold medal today for Jessie Cottell and Nick Cahill, with Zac Adams and Mitch Weier in the State Fours final. Newly crowned State Junior Fours champions Mitchell Weier (Hervey Bay), Jessie Cottell (Broadbeach), Zac Adams (Swifts) and Nick Cahill (Bargara) were the favourites for the title, all experienced and confident bowlers.
They were up against relative newcomers to the sport in the final, Breeanna Pegg (Burnett), Hannah Ogden (Bargara), Tegan Wilson (Pine Rivers) and skip Brinley Cottle (Burnett).
The crowd was surprised and thrilled for the underdogs when the Bundy District kids (with Tegan as a ring in to make up numbers) started strongly and kept a number or two ahead of the favourites for the opening ends.
By the end of the 8th, Cottle had built his margin to 6-2 over Cahill, the scoring very tight.
Burnett Juniors coach Des Kemp was beside himself with excitement.
“It’s the first time ever at a State Championships for Breeanna and Hannah, they haven’t been in the sport that long, to play like this under pressure in a state final is just fantastic,” Kemp said.
The middle of the game saw the breeze ramp up to bluster and the Burnett rink couldn’t get as many bowls in the head as conditions worsened.
By the end of the 12th, experience showing, the Cahill quartet was back, 7-7.
The last six ends were dominated by the Cahill rink, although Cottle never stopped encouraging his team to stare down the elements and give it a bit more.
Breeanna’s bowls pulled up short into the fierce winds, Hannah improved every time on her second bowl, Tegan had some nice placements, but there just weren’t enough bowls in the head by the time the skips bowled, and Cahill showed superior placement and ability to convert the head in increasingly howling conditions.
Going into the final end, by now the Cahill rink had doubled the Cottle score 16-8.
Zac Adams held shot for Cahill in the final end, but the skip turned it into five, the final score 21-8 to the most exceptional team of the 2017 Fours series.
The Burnett side well deserved their silver medals and it was a friendly and enjoyable final to watch.
“They should be very proud of themselves, it was a great game, my shoulder is so sore, it was really hard to bowl in those conditions, much harder than it looked,” Jessie Cottell said.
It was the second gold medal of the day to U18 Pairs winners Jessie Cottell and Nick Cahill.
They will also play Triples together tomorrow with their Fours team mate Zac Adams.
“I play bowls for the company, that’s what keeps me in the sport, I had a great time playing with this Fours team,” Adams said.
Mitchell Weier from Hervey Bay was a last minute “super sub” for the Cahill rink, winning a gold medal at his last State Juniors just a few days before turning 18 on April 8, filling in for Jess Srisamruaybai.
(Jess was called up to the QLD Open team for duties at Australian Sides, beginning with a QLD V TAS test series tomorrow in South Australia.)
Tomorrow’s Juniors State Championship Triples begins at Pelican Waters Bowls Club at 8am.
The Singles will be held on Thursday and Friday at Caloundra Bowls Club.
