Front runners loosen grip on trophy
The Australian Champion of Champions is open for the taking after the two leaders relinquished their stranglehold on the event. The Australian Champion of Champions has been thrown wide open this afternoon, after both undefeated male combatants suffered harrowing losses in this afternoon’s last session at Keilor Bowls Club.
The men’s event is now truly open to all contestants, after appearing to be a race of two just hours earlier.
Queensland’s Ryan Bester, a two-time Australian male bowler of the year, and Western Australia’s Pieter Harris, who will make his maiden berth at next month’s Bowls Premier League for the Perth Suns, were in the box set to claim the coveted title after securing the opening two wins, but now have their work cut out for them in the remaining four rounds after being upstaged in the final rubber today.
Harris had overcome a massive hurdle in his quest for the title in the opening round this morning, when he toppled Australian Jackaroo Aaron Teys, from NSW, and looked destined to feature prominently after securing a successive victory in the second encounter, but has now opened up the opportunity for the rest of the field, after dropping the third round to Tasmania’s Jarrod Long, 15-21.
Bester also relinquished his stranglehold over the competition in the third round, after coming undone to South Australia’s Ashley Halls in a topsy-turvy encounter, 19-21.
Despite the loss, the Canadian master-blaster retains his lead over the competition, four shots ahead of Harris.
As a result, tomorrow’s fourth rubber from 9.00am is set to be a blockbuster, with a state of origin encounter between Queensland’s Bester and NSW’s Teys potentially set to decide the overall fate of the event.
If that’s not reason enough to get Keilor, Victoria to witness the event, it will be followed by a top of the table showdown between Bester and Harris in the fifth round from 12.00pm.
The men’s event will continue with the sixth and seventh rounds at 9.00am and 12.00pm on Friday, with the winners declared after the seven round-robbin matches.
Whilst only playing once on the opening day, due to two absences in the field, the women’s event is set to kick up a gear from tomorrow, as they play the next four rounds alongside their state and territory colleagues.
Western Australia’s Lisa Featherby and Victoria’s Australian Jackaroo Carla Krizanic have the early ascendancy going into the penultimate day.
Both male and female winners are afforded entry into the 2017 World Champion of Champions by virtue of the title wins this week – unless they are ineligible to represent Australia due to having represented another nation in the past two years, as stipulated by World Bowls’ Policy.
Click here to visit the 2016 Australian Champion of Champion’s web page for full results and draw.
Caption: Western Australia’s Pieter Harris remains in contention, in second place on the ladder, despite dropping his final rubber at Keilor Bowls Club this afternoon.
