2021 Australian Open – Day 12 wrap
Dreams were dashed and memorable moments made during day 12 of the 2021 Australian Open on the Gold Coast, with finalists positions confirmed for several disciplines.
Women’s singles semi finals
Reigning women’s singles champion Natasha Van Eldik will have a chance at her third singles crown after a dominant 21-5 semi-final win over Amanda Haevecker.
The BCiB Australian Jackaroo has been in scintillating form throughout the 2021 Australian Open, conceding an average of just nine shots from her eight matches on the journey to the final.
She will take on Cabramatta’s Jamie-Lee Worsnop in the final, who has similarly been one of the form bowlers across all disciplines at the event.
Worsnop denied Kelsey Cottrell a chance for her second singles title, coming out on top 21-17 in a thrilling semi-final viewed by thousands on Rinkside Live.
Worsnop trailed 12-16 late in the match, before scoring nine shots in the last four ends to secure a memorable win and a chance to chase the sport’s most prestigious outdoor singles crown with a spot in the final, to accompany the indoor singles silverware she collected from the 2014 Australian Indoor Championships as a 17-year-old.
Men’s pairs semi finals
There will be some young faces in action during the men’s pairs final on Thursday, after two exciting semi-final contests on Wednesday.
Gary Pearson and young skipper Cohen Litfin, who turns 25 next week, faced off against Matt Lucas and Kevin Anderson in a see-sawing semi-final.
Litfin was able to answer the excellence of Lucas to steer his duo to a 19-15 win and into the final.
West Australian Cody Packer and Soldiers Point’s Matt Johnstone were able to overcome a mid-game deficit against Nick Cahill and John Green to book their place against Pearson and Litfin.
Packer and Johnstone trailed early on, with the game seemingly getting away from them before scoring a four on the 13th end to shift the momentum and go on to win 19-14.
Viewers can tune in to 7Two, Fox Sports, Kayo or Sky Sport NZ on Thursday to watch the men’s pairs final from 11.30am and the women’s singles final at approximately 2pm.
Fours semi-finals
Familiar faces will feature in the women’s fours final, with a cast of previous winners advancing to the final.
Sam Ferguson, Anne Johns, Lynsey Clarke and Kelsey Cottrell proved their class against the South Australian team skipped by Sharon Cavanagh to take out their semi-final 22-6.
Jamie-Lee Worsnop, Brianna Smith, Ellen Ryan and Kristina Krstic were tested a little more by Bowls Australia Board Director and Australian Senior Jackaroo Louise Witton‘s team, but prevailed 17-13.
Clarke, Johns and Cottrell will be looking for their third Australian Open fours title, with Ferguson aiming to join in the success after filling a position left vacant by Rebecca Van Asch.
Brad Lawson, John Green, Scott Dejong and Jamie Anderson will go head-to-head with reigning pairs champion Ray Pearse, Aaron Hewson, Ben Twist and David Ferguson in the men’s final tomorrow afternoon after success in their respective semi finals this on Wednesday.
Anderson’s unit overcame a gallant WA team led by Glenn Pauling 17-11, while the dominant Ferguson team cruised to the final 22-10, backing up a seven-shot quarter-final win.
Both fours finals will be streamed live on Bowls Australia’s Facebook page tomorrow, with the women’s game commencing from 8am and the men’s game approximately 2.45pm.
Over-60s men’s pairs, multi-disability pairs & under-18 singles
It will be a maroons against blues over-60s men’s pairs final, after Queenslanders Max Jaffray and Neville Jenkins and New South Welshmen Phil Means and Jack Littlewood won their quarter and semi-finals on Wednesday.
Means and Littlewood were able to hold off reigning champions Sam Laguzza and Rowan Brassey on their way to a spot in the final to be played on Friday.
Two thrilling semi-finals were needed to decide finalists in the multi-disability open pairs as well on Wednesday.
Bruce Wakefield and Anthony Skillern as well as Serena and Anthony Bonnell took out their semi-finals by one and two shots respectively to face off in the final.
They will play meet at 8.15am tomorrow morning, with the match to be live-streamed via the Gold Coast Tweed District Bowls Association (GCTBA) Facebook page.
The final sectional play of the 2021 Australian Open also commenced on Wednesday, with the under-18 boys’ and girls’ singles; quarter and semi-final action will be played tomorrow, with finals set for Friday.
View the under-18 sectional winners and next-best qualifiers here.
Thursday promises to be another day of high-quality competition, with nine finals, five semi-finals and a quarter final played throughout the day at Broadbeach. See below for full times of each event.
| Event | Time (AEST) | Viewing options |
| Women’s Fours Final | 8am | Bowls Australia Facebook page |
| Men’s Singles SF | 8.15am | N/A |
| Multi-disability Open Pairs | 8.15am | GCTBA Facebook page |
| Over-60s Women’s Pairs SF | 8.15am | N/A |
| U18 final sectional match | 9am | N/A |
| Over-60s Women’s Pairs Final | 11am | Bowls Australia Facebook page |
| Men’s Pairs | 11.30am | 7Two, Fox Sports, Kayo, Sky Sport NZ |
| Women’s Pairs SF – Krstic v Anderson | 11.30am | N/A |
| U-18 Girls’ Singles SF | 11.45am | N/A |
| Vision-Impaired Open Singles | 11.45am | GCTBA Facebook page |
| U18 Boys’ QF | 11.45am | N/A |
| Women’s Singles Final | ~2pm | 7Two, Fox Sports, Kayo, Sky Sport NZ |
| Men’s Fours Final | 2.30pm | Bowls Australia Facebook page |
| U18 Boys’ SF | 2.30pm | N/A |
| Multi-disability Open Men’s Singles Final | 2.45pm | GCTBA Facebook page |
| Multi-disability Open Women’s Singles Final | 2.45pm | GCTBA Facebook page |
| Women’s Pairs SF – Cottrell v Van Eldik | ~4pm | N/A |
The 2021 Australian Open will be staged across the Gold Coast from June 12-25, courtesy of support from Tourism and Events Queensland and City of Gold Coast.
