Contenders set for Gold Coast gold rush

All roads lead to the Broadbeach Bowls Club in Queensland tomorrow where four super teams will strike gold at the Asia Pacific Bowls Championships.

It’s the culmination of the event’s first tough week – over the past four days the championships – featuring nineteen countries from the Asia and Oceanic regions at three host clubs across the Gold Coast – Musgrave Hill, Club Helensvale and Broadbeach– has put the best-credentialled field ever through its paces, a veritable flat green gauntlet.

And following today’s set of no-nonsense knockout finals, eight teams will contest four finals tomorrow – women’s singles and fours along with men’s pairs and triples. New Zealand’s Blackjacks will appear in all four – while Australia’s Jackaroos are in the men’s triples and fours.

However, at 1.00pm tomorrow Norfolk Island’s evergreen Carmen Anderson, a four times winner of the singles title, takes on world No.1 Jo Edwards from New Zealand in their umpteenth final clash over the years, after both toppled undefeated section winners Siti Zalina Ahmad from Malaysia and India’s Tania Choudhury in the semi finals.

But it was the gallant Malaysian women’s fours combination of Auni Kamis, Nurul Alyani, Azalina Arshad and Nor Fidrah Noh who pulled off the biggest coup today when they outgunned Australia’s world and Commonwealth Games quartette of Lynsey Clarke, Carla Krizanic, Bec Van Asch and Natasha Scott 20-7 in the semi finals. Tomorrow at 9.00am they face New Zealand’s Wendy Jensen, Kirsten Edwards, Katelyn Inch and Val Smith, who scored an extra-end single shot win over Hong Kong China’s new-look fours combination of Gloria Ha, Cheryl Chan, Phyllis Wong and Angel So in the corresponding semi final.

Australia and New Zealand face off in the men’s pairs and triples with the host nation’s Ray Pearse and Nathan Rice in a pairs shootout with Kiwi’s Shannon McIlroy and Gary Lawson at 1.00pm. At 9.00am the triples showdown will see Aussies Barrie Lester, Aaron Teys and Aron Sherriff up against seasoned New Zealanders Mike Kernaghan, Jamie Hill and Ali Forsyth.

Full results of today’s elimination and semi finals below.

Photo: Malaysia’s Nor Fidrah Noh, Nurul Alyani, Azalina Arshad and Auni Kamis after they eliminated Australia in the women’s fours semi final.

••••••

2019 Asia Pacific Championships, Gold Coast, Australia

Day 4:

Elimination finals:

Women’s singles: NFI (Carmen Anderson) bt AUS (Kelsey Cottrell) 21-19, NZL (Jo Edwards) bt CAN (Kelly McKerihen) 21-16.

Women’s fours: MAS (Auni Kamis, Nurul Jamil, Azlina Arshad, Nur Fidrah Noh) bt PHI (Sonia Bruce, Hazel Jagony, Ronalyn Greenlees, Rosita Bradborn) 15-9, HKC (Gloria Ha, Cheryl Chan, Phyllis Wong, Angel So) bt CAN (Jackie Foster, Joanna Cooper, Jordan Kos, Leanne Chinery) 17-7.

Men’s pairs: MAS (Izzat Dzulkeple, Fairul Muin) bt PHI (Hommer Mercado, Angelo Morales) 23-14, CAN (Rob Law, Ryan Bester) bt THA (Naret Aiangetuen, Koko Ontong) 21-16.

Men’s triples: MAS (Soufi Rusli, Hizlee Rais, Ijoi Redzuan) bt CHI (Meng Zhao Qian, Zhang Bao Cheng, Ye Sui Ying) 23-11, IND (Sunil Bahadur, Naveet Rathi, Dinesh Kumar) bt JAP (Hirokazu Mori, Hank Sato, Kenta Hasebe) 15-8.

Semi finals:

Women’s singles: NFI (Carmen Anderson) bt MAS (Siti Zalina Ahmad) 21-19, NZL (Jo Edwards) bt IND (Tania Choudhury) 21-6.

Women’s fours: MAS (Auni Kamis, Nurul Jamil, Azlina Arshad, Nur Fidrah Noh) bt AUS (Lynsey Clarke, Carla Krizanic, Bec Van Asch, Natasha Scott) 20-7, NZL (Wendy Jensen, Kirsten Edwards, Katelyn Inch, Val Smith) bt HKC (Gloria Ha, Cheryl Chan, Phyllis Wong, Angel So) 13-12.

Men’s pairs: NZL (Shannon McIlroy, Gary Lawson) bt MAS (Izzat Dzulkeple, Fairul Muin) 15-8, AUS (Ray Pearse, Nathan Rice) bt CAN (Rob Law, Ryan Bester) 21-6.

Men’s triples: NZL (Mike Kernaghan, Jamie Hill, Ali Forsyth) bt MAS (Soufi Rusli, Hizlee Rais, Ijoi Redzuan) 19-12, AUS (Barrie Lester, Aaron Teys, Aron Sherriff) bt IND (Sunil Bahadur, Naveet Rathi, Dinesh Kumar) 21-6.