Bester in the box seat for title
Ryan Bester will have the home ground advantage when the men’s singles final commences this morning. Canadian international Ryan Bester will be on “home turf” for the men’s singles final of the Australian Open of lawn bowls today, as the Gold Coast Bulletin reports today.
Bester, 30, will be in the box seat at the Broadbeach Bowls Club when he squares off against 21-year-old Aaron Teys from Warilla, NSW, for the title and $24,000 prize.
Based at the Broadbeach club, Commonwealth Games silver medallist Bester defeated South Australia’s Nathan Pedersen to advance.
While Teys won a thrilling semi-final against Commonwealth Games gold medallist Mark Casey, he knows he will carry the underdog status into the final against Bester.
“Ryan is one of the best so I really just hope to mix it with him and not get smacked on television,” Teys told Bowls Australia.
“Hopefully I can play like I just did – but it’s going to be really hard with this being his home club and all the support that he is going get.
“I like being the underdog anyway.”
The men’s singles final will get under way after the women’s pairs final, both of which are broadcast live on Fox Sports starting from 11am.
Sunshine Coast’s reigning pairs champions Emma Brown and Noelene Dutton will face Burleigh Heads’ Jackie Mcquinney-Shillington and former Australian representative Maria Rigby for the pairs crown.
Meanwhile yesterday Goulburn’s Ellen Ryan capped off a sensational tournament to take home $16,000 and the women’s singles title.
Ryan, 18, enjoyed a 21-10 over Millmerran’s Maree Gibbs, 58, to take the crown in her first trip to an Australian Open final.
The men’s pairs final was also decided yesterday at the Broadbeach club with Robbie Wild and Sean Baker dominating young Gold Coast combination Braiden Leese and Sam White to win 18-8.
