2024 Trans Tasman: Day 1 recap
The opening day of the 2024 Trans Tasman has set up a mouthwatering weekend to decide which nation will clinch the overall trophy.
On a torrid day at Naenae, play had to be moved indoors for the final session that concluded with the Right at Home Jackaroos ahead in two of the overall standings.
Australia’s open men were absolutely rampant throughout the trio of sessions, going undefeated across the six matches to stamp their authority on the Blackjacks.
Aaron Wilson recorded multiple wins over Ali Forsyth in the singles, while he and Aaron Teys combined for a 21-15 win over Forsyth and Shannon McIlroy in the second session.
Teys, Corey Wedlock, Carl Healey and Aron Sherriff controlled proceedings in the two fours matches, clinching both encounters with a combined shot difference of 16.
Wedlock, Sherriff and Healey would take triples honours in the middle session with a 16-13 victory.
The open women’s competition is poised on a knife’s edge as the two top teams from last year’s World Bowls Championships sit tied after six matches.
Kristina Krstic, Dawn Hayman and Kelsey Cottrell dominated their opening triples match with a 26-14 win over Leeane Poulson, Tayla Bruce and Val Smith, while the result was flipped towards the Blackjacks in the pairs with Selina Goddard and Katelyn Inch taking care of Ellen Fife and Natasha Van Eldik 16-12.
Session two was owned by New Zealand, recording an epic 16-15 win in the fours before Bruce took a decisive singles encounter over Cottrell 21-12.
However, Australia would reciprocate in the concluding rounds of the day, notching up a 22-10 victory in the triples and a nail biting 16-15 win in the pairs to level the win tally at 3-3.
The development men, like the open women, sit at level pegging with their Blackjack counterparts after day one, with some close wins proving vital for the green and gold.
Nathan Black was the star of the show, recording a pair of 21-20 wins in his singles matchups against Ray Martin, while just going down with Nick Cahill in the pairs.
Matt Lucas, Cody Packer and Ben Twist would also taste victory in the middle session thanks to an 18-16 win in the triples.
Australia was imperious from the get go in the development women’s category, recording an undefeated Friday and putting a stranglehold on the competition.
Kylie Whitehead and Chloe Stewart would salute in both of their pairs matches with a combined shot difference of 11, while Cassandra Millerick, Brianna Smith and Jamie-Lee Worsnop would achieve the same feat in the triples with their differential at 17.
Worsnop was rampant in the middle session, defeating Briar Atkinson 21-6 in the singles, while Millerick, Smith, Whitehead and Stewart recorded a tight 17-15 win in the fours.
The para event saw the Blackjacks clinch both triples matchups in session one, with 22-9 and 15-10 wins respectively to take an early advantage on the table.
Round two would see the ledger split evenly between the four matches, with New Zealand conquering both of the singles matchups contested, while the two pairs matches went the way of the Australian team.
Among the victories to Australia was a whopping 31-0 win to Tony Bonnell and James Reynolds in the para men’s pairs, playing a scintillating match from start to finish that gained vital shots for the green and gold.
The 2024 Trans Tasman runs from February 2-4, 2024 at the Naenae Bowling Club with live streaming on Bowls New Zealand’s YouTube channel. View the event programme and schedule HERE.
See below for the results and standings:
Day 1 standings
| Australian Jackaroos | Wins | Draws | Losses | Shots For | Shots Against | Shot Difference |
| Open Men | 6 | 0 | 0 | 113 | 75 | 38 |
| Open Women | 3 | 0 | 3 | 104 | 92 | 12 |
| Para | 2 | 0 | 4 | 82 | 83 | -1 |
| Development Men | 3 | 0 | 3 | 93 | 109 | -16 |
| Development Women | 6 | 0 | 0 | 113 | 68 | 45 |
| OVERALL | 20 | 0 | 10 | 505 | 427 | 78 |
First Session results
Open Men’s Singles
Aaron Wilson (AUS) def Ali Forsyth (NZ) 21-14
Open Men’s Fours
Wedlock, Teys, Healey, Sherriff (AUS) def NZ 19-12
Open Women’s Pairs
Fife/Van Eldik (AUS) def by NZ 12-16
Open Women’s Triples
Krstic, Hayman, Cottrell (AUS) def NZ 27-14
Para Mixed Triples
Reynolds/S Bonnell/Hudson (AUS) def by NZ 9-25
Para Mixed Triples
Hoskins/Rodgers/T Bonnell (AUS) def by NZ 10-15
Development Men’s Singles
Nathan Black (AUS) def NZ 21-20
Development Men’s Fours
Cahill, Packer, Lucas, Twist (AUS) def by NZ 9-15
Development Women’s Pairs
Whitehead/Stewart (AUS) def NZ 17-13
Development Women’s Triples
Millerick, Smith, Worsnop (AUS) def NZ 21-12
Second Session results
Open Men’s Pairs
Teys/Wilson (AUS) def NZ 21-15
Open Men’s Triples
Wedlock, Sherriff, Healey (AUS) def NZ 16-13
Open Women’s Singles
Kelsey Cottrell (AUS) def by NZ 12-21
Open Women’s Fours
Krstic, Fife, Hayman, Van Eldik (AUS) def by NZ 15-16
Para Men’s Singles
Calvin Rodgers (AUS) def by NZ 12-21
Para Men’s Pairs
Bonnell/Reynolds (AUS) def NZ 31-0
Para Women’s Singles
Jacky Hudson (AUS) def by NZ 9-16
Para Women’s Pairs
Hoskins/Bonnell (AUS) def NZ 11-6
Development Men’s Pairs
Cahill/Black (AUS) def by NZ 16-17
Development Men’s Triples
Lucas, Packer, Twist (AUS) def NZ 18-16
Development Women’s Singles
Worsnop (AUS) def NZ 21-6
Development Women’s Fours
Millerick, Smith, Whitehead, Stewart (AUS) def NZ 17-15
Third Session results (played indoors)
Open Men’s Singles
Aaron Wilson (AUS) def NZ 21-15
Open Men’s Fours
Wedlock, Teys, Healey, Sherriff (AUS) def NZ 15-6
Open Women’s Pairs
Fife/Van Eldik (AUS) def NZ 16-15
Open Women’s Triples
Krstic, Hayman, Cottrell (AUS) def NZ 22-10
Development Men’s Singles
Nathan Black (AUS) def NZ 21-20
Development Men’s Fours
Cahill, Packer, Lucas, Twist (AUS) def by NZ 8-21
Development Women’s Pairs
Whitehead/Stewart (AUS) def NZ 20-13
Development Women’s Triples
Millerick, Smith, Worsnop (AUS) def NZ 17-9
The 2024 Trans Tasman runs from February 2-4, 2024 at the Naenae Bowling Club with live streaming on Bowls New Zealand’s YouTube channel.
View the event programme and schedule HERE.
