Chilly start to hot week ahead on Gold Coast 

After last week’s postcard perfect Gold Coast weather, today was a reality check for the Asia Pacific Bowls Championships, with a wild storm anchored just offshore from Australia’s holiday playground and occasional arctic blasts jetting across the greens like banshees off the Pacific Ocean.

Over the past week a festival of bowls featuring nineteen bowling nations from the Asia and Oceanic regions at three host clubs across the Gold Coast – Musgrave Hill, Club Helensvale and Broadbeach – unearthed gold, silver and bronze medalists in women’s singles and fours, along with men’s pairs and triples.

Today saw the reverse program of men’s singles and fours, along with women’s pairs and triples, stepping out under threatening skies and occasional drizzle.

But nothing could dampen the enthusiasm and performance of an outstanding field seeking personal success and precious metal this week, and, most paramount, national qualification for next year’s world championships in Australia.

At days end former world singles champion Hizlee Rais from Malaysia and Tony Cheung from Hong Kong China lead the men’s singles, while the teams from Canada and Japan are overnight leaders in the fours. Singapore and New Zealand are tops in the women’s pairs, as are Canada and New Zealand in the triples.

Four years ago these championships were presented in New Zealand at the Club Papanui and Burnside clubs, where Australia’s Aron Sherriff beat local hope Mike Kernaghan in the blue ribbon singles final, while the formidable New Zealand quartet of Mike Nagy, Andrew Kelly, Shannon McIlroy and Paul Girdler outpointed Australia’s Wayne Ruediger, Ray Pearse, Nathan Rice and Mark Casey in their race for gold.

The women’s pairs saw Karen Murphy and Kelsey Cottrell from Australia snare the title from Malaysia’s Siti Zalina Ahmad and Emma Firyana Saroji, while the ‘Fab Filipina’s’ Rosita Bradborn, Ronalyn Greenlees and Hazel Jagony struck gold against the Aussie trio of Carla Krizanic, Anne Johns and Natasha Scott.

In this morning’s opening round of men’s fours, Philippines bowlers were again in the headlines when Curte Guarin, Elmer Abatayo, Chris Dagpin and Angelo Morales toppled the mighty New Zealand Blackjacks, Mike Kernaghan, Jamie Hill, Gary Lawson and Ali Forsyth, who enjoyed such a glorious time last Saturday.

Down 5-9 after seven ends, the plucky Filipino’s crafted an aggressive six to lead by two, then protected the cushion in an end-for-end arm wrestle to record one of the republic’s most significant bowls results.

2019 Asia Pacific Championships, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

Day 6:

Men’s singles:

Sec.1: Rd.1: AUS (Ray Pearse) bt CHI (Ye Sui Ying) 21-9, CAN (Ryan Bester) bt FIJ (Semesa Naiseruvati) 21-20, MAS (Soufi Rusli) bt SIN (Matthew Ngui) 21-14, PHI (Hommer Mercado) bt PNG (John Morgan) 21-8, IND (Navneet Singh) bt NFI (Teddy Evans) 21-6. Rd.2: AUS bt SIN 21-18, CAN bt 21-17, MAS bt FIJ 21-10, PHI bt CHI 21-18, PNG bt NFI 21-17. Rd.3: CAN bt CHI 21-1, IND bt FIJ 21-10, MAS bt PHI 21-5, SIN bt NFI 21-17, PNG bt AUS 21-17.

Current standings: MALAYSIA 9 points +34 shots, CAN 9 +25, IND 6 +22, AUS 6 +11, PHI 6 Sq, PNG 6 -5, SIN 3 -6, NFI 0 -23, FIJ 0 -23, CHI 0 -35.

Sec.2: Rd.1: HKC (Tony Cheung) bt USA (Scott Roberts) 21-20, MAC (Ricky Poon) bt BRU (Jaman Jamahat) 21-15, NZL (Shannon McIlroy) bt NIU (Stan Tafatu) 21-8, SAM (Avala Savaiinaea) bt JAP (Hirokazu Mori) 21-15. Rd.2: THA (Koko Ontong) bt NIU 21-7, HKC bt BRU 21-15, NZL bt SAM 21-2, USA bt JPN 21-12. Rd.3: HKC bt NIU 21-15, USA bt BRU 21-5, THA bt JPN 21-3, SAM bt MAC 21-5.

Current standings: HONG KONG 9 points  +13 shots, THA 6 +32, NZL 6 +32, USA 6 +24, SAM 6 +3, MAC 3 -10, BRU 0 -28, JPN 0 -33, NIU 0 -33.

Men’s fours:

Sec.1: Rd.1: MAS (Hizlee Rais, Izzat Dzulkeple, Ijoi Redzuan, Fairul Muin) bt SAM (Iva Tiatia, Hans Junior Gabriel, Solomona Faamaoni, Fiu Peni Asi) 14-11, USA (Bill Brault, Aaron Zangl, Loran Dion, Neil Furman) bt CHI (Mao Young Min, Meng Zhao Qian, Zhang Bao Cheng, Liu Guo Qiang) 19-10, PHI (Curte Guarin, Elmer Abatayo, Chris Dagpin Angelo Morales) bt NZL (Mike Kernaghan, Jamie Hill, Gary Lawson, Ali Forsyth) 16-14, CAN (Rob Law, Pat Bird, Greg Wilson, Cameron Lefresne) bt SIN (Anthony Loh, Melvin Tan, Heng Heck Pang, Bernard Foo) 17-6. Rd.2: THA (Naret Aiangetuen, Sonthi Manakitpaiboon, Patawee Montien, Thanakrit Thammasarn) bt SIN 23-4, MAS bt CHI 17-6, NZL bt SAM 44-4, CAN bt USA 18-8. Rd.3: CAN bt CHI 15-8, NZL bt THA 18-15, SAM bt SIN 19-13, PHI bt USA 22-10.

Current standings: CANADA 9 points +28 shots, NZL 6 +41, PHI 6 +14, MAS 6 +14, THA 3 +16, USA 3 -13, SAM 3 -37, CHI 0 -27, SIN 0 -36.

Sec.2: Rd.1: AUS (Barrie Lester, Aaron Teys, Nathan Rice, Aron Sherriff) bt IND (Sunil Bahadur, Anand Nazary, Mirdul Borgohain, Dinesh Kumar) 17-10, HKC (Imen Tang, Adrian Yau, Lyndon Sham, James Po) bt NIU (Gregory Funaki, Bill Vakaafi Morufoou, Mark Blumsky, Dalton Tagelagi) 28-4, NFI (John Christian, Barry Wilson, Matt Bigg, Ryan Dixon) bt FIJ (Kushal Pillay, Rajnesh Prasad, Abdul Kalim, David Aitcheson) 14-13, JPN (Tomoyuki Tamachi, Jun Koyama, Hank Sato, Kenta Hasebe) bt MAC (Alvin Leong, Johnny Ng, Chris Chiu, Eric Li) 16-5. Rd.2: IND bt PNG (Kenneth Ikrima, Gabby Simeon, Matu Bazo, Freddy Koesan) 15-12, AUS bt NIU 24-6, FIJ bt HKC 16-7, JPN bt NFI 14-8. Rd.3: HKC bt PNG 15-9, JPN bt FIJ 22-6, MAC bt NIU 16-15, IND bt NFI 15-9.

Current standings: JAPAN 9 points +33, AUS 6 +25, HKC 6 +21, IND 6 +2, FIJ 3 -8, MAC 3 -10, NFI 3 -11, PNG 0 -9, NIU 0 -43.

Women’s pairs:

Sec.1: Rd.1: AUS (Lynsey Clarke, Kelsey Cottrell) bt THA (Palita Gangur, Sue Bryant) 17-13, SIN (Tammy Tham, Shermeen Lim) bt CHI (Liu Yuan Ying, Hu Wen Ya) 20-8, USA (Alexis Van Den Bos, Melanie Vizenor) bt HKC (Gloria Ha, Helen Cheung) Rd.2: NFI (Shae Wilson, Petal Jones) bt USA 18-16, PNG (Piwen Karkar, Catherine Wimp) bt THA 24-15, HKC bt SIN 18-13. Rd.3: HKC bt THA 21-18, SIN bt USA 27-9, PNG bt NFI 17-10

Current standings: SINGAPORE 6 points +25 shots, PNG 6 +25, HKC 6 -2, AUS 3 +4, NFI 3 -5, USA 3 -10, CHI 0 -12, THA 0 -16.

Sec.2: Rd.1: NZL (Kirsten Edwards, Jo Edwards) bt JPN (Keiko Kurohara, Midori Matsuoka) 31-6, PHI (Sonia Bruce, Ainie Knight) bt NIU (Pauline Rex Blumsky, Joy Peyroux) 25-10, FIJ (Loretta Kotoisuva, Sheryl Mar) bt CAN (Joanna Cooper, Kelly McKerihen) 13-12, IND (Nayanmoni Saikia, Bongita Hazarika) bt MAS (Nur Fidrah Noh, Siti Zalina Ahmad) 18-10. Rd.2: IND bt MAC (Kitty Chan, Pian Lai) 34-7, MAS bt NIU 37-5, NZL bt FIJ 18-10, PHI bt JPN 22-12. Rd.3: CAN bt NIU 24-15, FIJ bt JPN 15-13, NZL bt IND 16-15, MAC bt PHI 20-7.

Current standings: NEW ZEALAND 9 points +34 shots, IND 6 +34, PHI 6 +12, FIJ 6 -5, MAS 3 +24, CAN 3 +8, MAC 3 -14, JPN 0 -37, NIU 0 -56.

Women’s triples:

Sec.1: Rd.1: HKC (Cheryl Chan, Phyllis Wong, Angel So) bt CHI (Zheng Fang, Miao Xin Hong, Song Su Zhen) 21-18, NZL (Wendy Jensen, Katelyn Inch, Val Smith) bt JPN (Yukie Koyama, Yoko Goda, Hiroko Emura) 35-5, PNG (Kila Walo, Melissa-Ju Carlo, Angela Simbinali) bt MAC (Hilda Tam, Bell Chan, Ivy Chui) 19-13, IND (Sarita Tirkey, Tania Choudhary, Rupa Rani Tirkey) bt PHI (Hazel Jagony, Ronalyn Greenlees, Rosita Bradborn) 20-9, NFI (Vivian Bigg, Ester Sanchez, Carmen Anderson) bt USA (Alice Birkinshaw, Janice Bell, Anne Nunes) 15-14. Rd.2: HKC bt CHI 21-18, NZL bt JPN 35-5, PNG bt MAC 19-13, IND bt PHI 20-9, NFI bt USA 15-14. Rd.3: NZL bt MAC 34-8, PHI bt PNG 27-8, IND bt HKC 19-11, CHI bt NFI 23-9, JPN bt USA 14-13.

Current standings: NEW ZEALAND 9 points +69 shots, IND 9 +39, PHI 6 +29, NFI 6 -9, USA 3 +9, CHI 3 -2, HKC 3 -9, PNG 3 -24, JPN 3 -50, MAC 0 -52.

Sec.2: Rd.1: AUS (Carla Krizanic, Natasha Scott, Bec Van Asch) bt SAM (Niu-Imeleta Faauma, Palenate Taei, Feao Wright) 20-9, CAN (Jackie Foster, Jordan Kos, Leanne Chinery) bt SIN (Margaret Lim, Josephine Lim, May Lee) 23-16, FIJ (Radhika Prasad, Doreen O’Connor, Litia Tikoisuva) bt NIU (Victoria Liumaihetau, Rosie Rex, Pilena Motufoou) 30-5, BRU (Nafsiah Jamal, Dayang Muntol, Haja Muntol) bt MAS (Auni Kamis, Nurul Jamil, Azlina Arshad) 19-13. Rd.2: AUS (Cath Greenslade, Carla Krizanic, Bec Van Asch) bt NIU 29-10, THA (Chamaaipron Kotchawong, Kannika Limwanich, Nannapat Tomak) bt SAM 20-10, CAN bt BRU 18-17, SIN bt FIJ 19-17. Rd.3: CAN bt SAM 23-7, MAS bt NIU 26-9, SIN bt BRU 19-11, THA bt FIJ 19-16.

Current standings: CANADA 9 points +24, shots, AUS 6 +30, THA 6 +26, SIN 6 +3, FIJ 3 +20, MAS 3 +11, BRU 3 -3, SAM 0 -37, NIU 0 -61.

Photo: Giant killers: Filipino’s Curte Guarin, Angelo Morales, Chris Dagpin and Elmer Abatayo, toppled the mighty Blackjacks in this morning’s opening round.