NSW Junior Champs live streamed
Bowls NSW is live streaming the NSW Junior Championships, and you can watch all the action now! The 2016 NSW State Junior Championships will be played at Warilla Bowls & Recreation Club from today until Saturday, July 16 and for the first time will feature live streaming of matches – and can be viewed here.
The Champion Under-18 Singles players, Pairs teams and Fours teams from each of the sixteen Zones in NSW will converge to play off for the coveted State Champion title.
Action gets under way on Monday 11 July with the Singles round-robin play, when Dubbo Railway wunderkind Jono Davis lines up to become the first player in 28 years to claim the title for three consecutive years. The last player to achieve the feat was Cameron Curtis (then from Mullumbimby) who reigned supreme in 1986, 1987 and 1988. Curtis has since gone on to become one of Australia’s best-known bowlers claiming numerous State, National and World titles, including a Commonwealth Games gold medal.
Davis starts his campaign with section matches against James Wayside (Currarong), Mitchell Bellingham (Wallsend) and Samuel Dukes (Camden).
Local hopes rest on host club bowler Jayden Gebbie (Warilla). Gebbie faces sectional matches against Lewis Williams (Tuncurry Beach), 2015 State Junior Pairs Champion Nic Ellem (Glen Innes) and Alex Pyke (Park Beach).
2015 State Junior Singles semi-finalist Louise Cronan (Asquith) is the sole female representative in the Singles field. She faces a tough task in her section, her first up opponent is Luke Grainger who has played in Grade 1 with powerhouse club St Johns Park this year. She then faces Ettalong up-and-comer Bailey Meti, who is mentored by NSW Legend John Roberts and Australian superstar Aron Sherriff. Rounding out the section is Tailor Appleby (Kurri Kurri) who is the son of 1995 NSW State Junior Fours Champion Aaron Appleby.
Section 1 shapes as a close battle, featuring 2015 State Junior Fours Runner Up Shaun Mitchell (Engadine), Heath Walker (Wagga RSL), Kit Conlan (Ballina) and Andrew Watkins (The Hills).
The Singles semi-finals and final will be played on Tuesday 12 July, and for the first time all three matches will be live streamed. The first semi-final will start at 8.30am, with the second semi-final to follow straight on, and the final to be played that afternoon.
The Fours Championships will get under way on Wednesday 13 July. Three sectional matches will be played to determine the teams to progress to the semi-finals and final on Thursday 14 July.
The local hopes go into the event as slight favourites, with Illawarra Zone 16 represented by Ryan Noronha (Warilla), Toby Peters (Warilla), Jayden Gebbie (Warilla) and Jordan Taylor (Dapto Citizens). Gebbie and Taylor are aiming for their third consecutive NSW Junior Fours title, after winning the event in 2014 and 2015. Illawarra has great recent form in the State Junior Fours, having won the event four years out of the last six.
The NSW Junior Championships conclude with the Pairs on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 July. 2015 Champion Nic Ellem will be looking for back to back titles, this year with new partner & rising star in the girls ranks Briana Graham (Armidale Ex-Services). They face stiff competition though with a great field for the event, including 2015 NSW Junior Bowler of the Year Jono Davis. Live streaming is also planned for a semi-final and the final of the State Junior Pairs.
There are a number of players who have qualified for all three events of the NSW State Junior Championships. They have the chance to be the first to win all three events in the one year. Only one player has played in all three finals in the one year, Aron Sherriff who won the Pairs and Fours but fell 31-30 in the Singles final.
Looking to etch their name in history are:
Kit Conlan (Ballina)
Nic Ellem (Glen Innes)
Jono Davis (Dubbo Railway)
James Wayside (Currarong)
Lewis Williams (Tuncurry Beach)
Luke Grainger (St Johns Park)
Alex Pyke (Park Beach)
Bailey Meti (Ettalong)
The most prolific winners in NSW State Junior Championships History are:
Cameron Curtis (5 Champion)
1988 Singles Champion, Pairs Champion
1987 Singles Champion, Paris Champion
1986 Singles Champion
*Curtis did not play in State Junior Fours (Fours first played 1995)
Cam Curtis 1988
Aron Sherriff (5 Champion, 3 Runner Up)
2003 Singles Champion, Fours Runner Up
2002 Pairs Champion, Fours Champion, Singles Runner Up
2001 Singles Champion, Fours Champion
2000 Singles Runner Up
Aron Sherriff
In action for NSW 2016
Dylan Skinner (5 Champion, 3 Runner Up)
2015 Fours Champion
2014 Fours Champion
2013 Singles Champion, Fours Champion
2012Fours Runner Up
2011Pairs Runner Up, Singles Runner Up
2009 Pairs Champion
Dylan Skinner 2013
Jono Davis ( 2 Champion, 1 Runner-Up)
2015 Singles Champion
2014 Singles Champion
2012 Singles Runner Up
Jono Davis 2014
Click HERE for the 2016 NSW State Junior Singles Draw / Results
Click HERE for the 2016 NSW State Junior Pairs Draw / Results
Click HERE for the 2016 NSW State Junior Fours Draw / Results
