2023 Nationals: Day ten recap
New South Wales and Victoria have enjoyed monumental days at the 2023 Australian Sides Championships at The Nationals in Perth, clinching the Alley Shield and Marj Morris Trophy respectively.
It was a tense day at Sorrento with both competitions coming down to the final ends as New South Wales’ men held off defending champions in Queensland in a battle of the undefeated states, while Victoria’s women needed to defeat Tasmania and Queensland to lose to New South Wales to take the title.
The Big V had not enjoyed success since 2004, ending a 19-year title drought in the event.
Alley Shield
2022 conquerors Queensland and challengers New South Wales were six wins without a blemish as the final round blockbuster ensued.
The first match to conclude was a seesawing contest between the Aron Sherriff and Lee Schraner skipped rink, with both teams looking in control at one point or another.
Sherriff’s chargers of Nick Cahill, Sean Ingham and Wayne Turley OAM led for the majority of the matchup and took a 20-19 buffer into the final end against Schraner, Daniel Hill, Peter Taylor and Carl Healey.
The Blues were in complete control of the 21st exchange, leaving the three-time World Champion a mountain of work to do with his final delivery, which he was unable to impact with.
Schraner then obliged to add in a fifth to the count and record a 24-20 victory and give New South Wales a handy advantage with two matches to come.
The Aaron Wilson skipped rink would also salute for New South Wales as they further extended their advantage with a 20-17 victory over Sean Baker’s Queensland quartet.
With a buffer of seven, Ben Twist’s rink would be able to breathe a little easier as his team was locked in a close encounter with Nathan Rice’s team.
After seeing results fall their way, all the New South Wales foursome needed were bowls in the area to avoid conceding a number to their northern rivals, enjoying a 16-15 victory to go undefeated for the entire campaign and sealing their state’s first Alley Shield since 2019.
Queensland would finish in second place ahead of home state Western Australia, who enjoyed a scintillating campaign with just two blemishes.
South Australia netted fourth ahead of Victoria and the ACT on overall points, while Tasmania and the Northern Territory rounded out the table.
Taylor, Hill, Healey and Schraner would claim the overall best rink thanks to an unblemished tournament.
View men’s sides championships results here.
Final men’s ladder:
Marj Morris Trophy
The women’s competition saw Victoria needing to defeat Tasmania in the final round but relying on Queensland to fall victim to the star studded New South Wales lineup.
Australian Open singles champion Cassandra Millerick’s rink was in fine touch against Makayla Gibson’s quartet, clinching a 20-11 win to seal the Victorians’ early lead.
Lisa Phillips’ rink also provided a sensational result for the Big V, overcoming Rae Simpson’s rink 23-20 to ensure the state’s buffer to their southern counterparts.
The only blemish for Victoria came as former Right at Home Jackaroo Rebecca Van Asch and her squad overcame Samantha Atkinson’s rink 17-16.
However, it was enough for Victoria to send the pressure across to the battling Queensland who were under enormous pressure.
Needing to defeat the defending champions of New South Wales to regain the title for the first time since 2017, things got off to a rocky start for the maroon side as Natasha Van Eldik’s rink stormed away early before taking a 31-8 win over Chloe Stewart’s team.
Kelsey Cottrell rebounded in style however, securing a dominant 35-13 salutation against an Ellen Ryan skipped unit.
This left it all up to Lynsey Clarke’s squad to defeat Dawn Hayman by two to clinch the championship.
It was tense throughout the entire affair, with Hayman’s team holding sway for the majority, eventually clinching a 22-21 win to seal a 66-64 win for New South Wales and break Queensland hearts.
The defeat saw Victoria victorious for the first time since 2004, concluding a 19-year wait to take home a fourth Marj Morris trophy.
New South Wales leapfrogged Queensland into second, further rubbing salt into the maroon wounds, while Western Australia finished a strong campaign in fourth.
The ACT came in fifth ahead of South Australia, while the Northern Territory concluded in seventh ahead of Tasmania.
There was some respite for Queensland, with Candace Ayton, Pamela Rowe, Bolivia Millerick and Cottrell claiming the overall rink honours.
View women’s sides championships results here.
Final women’s ladder:
New South Wales would clinch the best overall state after a title and runner up performance across the board.
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.
