2023 Nationals: Day 12 recap
Three pairs events were run and won at the 2023 Australian Championships as part of the 2023 Nationals on Wednesday, as Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania took home the women’s, men’s and mixed disciplines respectively.
It was a day of surprises as some of the competition’s favourites endured tough afternoons, while others flourished on a beautiful day at the Joondalup Bowling Club.
Women’s pairs
In one of the most star-studded fields of the week, Queensland’s Claire Turley and Lynsey Clarke overcame South Australia’s Cath Greenslade and Jodi Kotz 12-10 in a tight final.
The former World Championship winning teammates suffered a gargantuan scare in their opening matchup against Tasmania’s Deb Lee and Kim Saunders, coming back from 12-6 down with three ends to play en route to a 13-12 victory.
Up next was the tough test of New South Wales’ Ellen Falkner MBE and Karen Murphy AM, who fell to the ACT’s Dianne Marquet and Kristen Steele in the morning session.
The Falkner Murphy combination was in fine form, racing out to a 13-6 buffer after nine ends before the Queenslanders evened the scores heading into the last as they looked for another comeback victory.
It was not to be however, as the New South Wales unit secured a multiple to take the win and give themselves a shot at the final.
However, the task at hand for Turley and Clarke was to defeat the unblemished Marquet and Steele by a large enough margin to give themselves the best hope for progression, with Murphy and Falkner needing to overcome Tasmania.
The Queenslanders obliged with a huge 21-6 victory, while Lee and Saunders stunned the New South Wales combo to win 14-12 with a whopping four on the final end.
In section two, Greenslade and Kotz opened proceedings with a 16-11 win over the Northern Territory before an epic clash with Victoria’s mother-daughter duo of Sheryl Atkinson and Samantha Atkinson.
In a thrilling encounter between the two opening round victors, the South Australians stormed back from a 2-15 deficit to lead 17-15 with an end to play.
The Victorians managed to net a two in the final exchange to keep the pressure on the South Australians for the final.
However, Greenslade and Kotz were able to secure a massive 19-shot win over Western Australia as opposed to the Victorian win of six, seeing the former set up a showdown with Queensland for gold.
The final saw a rampant Turley and Clarke get out to a 12-6 lead with just three ends to play, before their counterparts tightened the screws to apply the pressure.
It was to no avail however, as the Queenslanders took home the gold with a 12-10 win.
Marquet and Steele claimed the bronze with a 15-11 win over Victoria.
Gold: Claire Turley & Lynsey Clarke (Queensland)
Silver: Cath Greenslade & Jodi Kotz (South Australia)
Bronze: Dianne Marquet & Kristen Steele (ACT)
Men’s pairs
Continuing on from their scintillating form at the World Bowls Championships, New South Wales’ Corey Wedlock and Gary Kelly would clinch yet more silverware with the gold medal in the men’s pairs after a 16-13 win over the Northern Territory’s Gregory Wetzler and Trystan Smallacombe in the decider.
The Warrilla products stormed through their section with a shot difference of 27 from their three contests, the closest of which being a four-shot win over South Australia.
In the opposing section, Wetzler and Smallacombe were unblemished from their opening two contests against Western Australia and Queensland before stumbling against the ACT’s Richard Lawson and Matthew Sargeant in the final match.
It meant that they would need to rely on Western Australia’s Mark Wunnenberg and Warren Holt to lose or win by two or less against Queensland in order to progress.
The western pair won by two, leaving the Northern Territory through by a solitary shot on the table.
In the final, Wedlock and Kelly were able to run out to a 15-6 lead with four ends to play before Wetzler and Smallacombe mounted a mini comeback to get within three after the final end.
Victoria’s Robert Mitchell and Ian Brimblecombe took home bronze with a 21-14 win over Western Australia.
Gold: Corey Wedlock & Gary Kelly (New South Wales)
Silver: Gregory Wetzler & Trystan Smallacombe (Northern Territory)
Bronze: Robert Mitchell & Ian Brimblecombe (Victoria)
Mixed pairs
The mixed discipline saw Tasmania’s Courtney Hobbs and Tim Douce take home the title thanks to a 19-14 win over Victoria’s Kirsty Van den Hoff and Vincent McIlwain in the decider.
The Tasmanians were in fine form throughout the sectional rounds, going undefeated with a healthy shot difference of 22 from their three contests.
Victoria commenced their day with a big 23-4 win over the home state of Western Australia before going down 12-15 to the ACT’s Ruth Moore and James Smith in the second round.
Facing off against the undefeated star-studded New South Wales pair of Anne Johns and Mason Lewis, Van den Hoff and McIlwain would just need victory to progress to the decider with their shot difference being superior.
Being down 6-8 with five to play, the Victorians were sensational as they emerged with a 12-10 win and a place in the final.
It was a one-sided commencement to the gold medal match, with Hobbs and Douce racing out to a 19-2 lead with five exchanges to come.
However, the Victorians fought right until the very end, winning each of the ends to fall short by five at the conclusion of the contest.
Johns and Lewis claimed bronze with a 14-8 win over South Australia.
Gold: Courtney Hobbs & Tim Douce (Tasmania)
Silver: Kirsty Van den Hoff & Vincent McIlwain (Victoria)
Bronze: Anne Johns & Mason Lewis (New South Wales)
The 2023 Nationals will run from October 6-20, 2023, with live streaming to take place on Bowls Australia’s Facebook and YouTube channels.
The 2023 Nationals in Perth, Western Australia is proudly supported by Tourism Western Australia, City of Joondalup, and the State government through the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries and Lotterywest in Western Australia. Sport and recreation creates vibrant, inclusive and connected WA communities.
