The Nationals: Queensland and Tasmania reign supreme in singles
The final day of the 2022 Nationals saw the conclusion of the Australian Championships with Queensland and Tasmania ending the competition with gold medals.
It was a sight that bowls fans have grown accustomed to seeing with Right at Home Jackaroo Kelsey Cottrell continuing to dominate the singles arena with yet another tournament victory to go with her Australian Open and Australian Indoor Championships titles earlier this year.
The Queenslander would prove too strong for South Australia’s Laini McGorman with a 25-19 win in the decider to further cement her spot as the number one ranked bowler in the nation.
McGorman led throughout most of the final, and even boasted a 19-15 lead before Cottrell scored 10 shots in the next three ends to seal yet another crown.
Cottrell was tested early in the day by Victoria’s Jodie Fruend and the ACT’s Chloe Morrison, who would both take early leads against the former Commonwealth Games champion before she would emerge victorious 25-20 in both contests.
The 32-year-old would book passage into the final with a 25-8 win over the Northern Territory’s Lisa Hambour in the final sectional game.
McGorman was also unblemished throughout the group stage, with a trio of wins over Lynette Triffitt, Sarah Boddington and Hailey Packer.
Boddington would claim the bronze with a 25-2 win over Morrison.
In the men’s competition it was Tasmania’s Rob McMullen who took home the gold following a sensational performance against the Northern Territory’s Scott Hollingworth in the final.
McMullen stormed away from the outset and at one stage boasted a 19-0 lead before Hollingworth would be able to get on the board.
The Tasmanian would win his opening two games of the sectional rounds before he came up against Queensland’s Dean McWhinney who would clinch a 25-24 win, enough to see McMullen book passage through to the final on shots over his conqueror.
In the other section, it was a mighty three-way tussle between Hollingworth, Victoria’s Thor Shannon and New South Welshman Kenta Treacher.
Shannon went into the final round on top without a loss ahead of his match with Treacher, while Hollingworth would take on Western Australia’s David Downey with a win keeping his hopes alive.
His match would finish early with the NT representative winning 25-12, leaving Shannon a target of 20 shots in his matchup against Treacher.
It ended in heartbreak for the Victorian, who would fall 25-19 leaving him equal on shot difference but 0.43% behind his Hollingworth and missing the final.
Shannon would claim the bronze with a 25-22 win over McWhinney.
2022 Australian Championships Singles Medallists
| Men | Women | |
| Gold | Rob McMullen (TAS) | Kelsey Cottrell (QLD) |
| Silver | Scott Hollingworth (NT) | Laini McGorman (SA) |
| Bronze | Thor Shannon (VIC) | Sarah Boddington (NSW) |
