Blues enjoy a golden day
Blues enjoy a golden day NSW have clean swept the major accolades of the Australian Under-18 Championships in Sorrento, WA this afternoon, after the final result of the four day, 80-player, eight discipline tournament fell the way of the Blues. During a stunning campaign, NSW finished with three gold, two silver and three bronze medals from just eight disciplines, as well as the boys, girls and Overall State Champions trophies. While NSW finished with a swag of medals and silverware, Victoria can be considered somewhat unlucky after their 11-14 loss in the boys’ fours final to the Blues sealed their fate and relegated them to second position in the boys’ and overall standings, by a slender four points; 68 to 72. The Blues’ three gold medals all came courtesy of the last session’s four disciplines, with Jono Davis, Greg Jeans, Luke Jones and Corey Wedlock registering victory in the fours, while Dawn Hayman and Jame-Lee Worsnop also edged out Victoria on the adjacent rink in the girls’ pairs 15-13, and Jacqui Bowman, Hayley Woolfitt and Lynsey Trenorden accounted for South Australia, in the process deciding the colour of the Croweaters sole medal as silver. In the blue-ribbon boys’ singles, Northern Territory ace Owen Short failed to etch his name into the history books as the first Top Ender to taste gold since the event’s inception in 1988 after dropping his final to Queensland’s promising young project Braiden Leese 5-21. Host state Western Australia secured the first gold of the tournament in the girls’ singles, with Elizabeth Allen rewarded after failing to obtain a medal during the Sandgropers barnstorming of the event last year, defeating Victoria’s Chloe Stewart 21-10, while the boys’ triples contingent of Welsey Neilson and Dan Nicholls were guided by the experienced hand of 2012 singles and triples winner David Downey to the state’s second golden medallion, also overcoming the Big V in the decider, 17-14. It wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Garden State though with Jayden Christie and Joshua Corless clinching their first gold of the event to add to the state’s four silvers, blasting past NSW’s Greg Jeans and Dylan Skinner 27-8, while Cody Sylvester, Natasha Russell, Elisa Rigoni and Tayla Morison clawed back from a deficit at the half way mark of their final to overcome NSW’s Samantha Noronha, Jamie-Lee Worsnop, Dawn Hayman and Natalie Noronha 15-10 in the girls’ fours gold medal match. Final results – Thursday, October 3. Boys Singles Gold medal match: Braiden Leese (QLD) df Owen Short (NT) 21-5 Bronze medal match: Dylan Skinner (NSW) df Michael Sims (TAS) 21-14 5th / 6th: Trent Britton (ACT) df Troy Mansbridge (VIC) 21-17 7th / 8th: David Downey (WA) df Charlie Birnie (SA) 21-18 Girls Singles Gold medal match: Elizabeth Allen (WA) df Chloe Stewart (VIC) 21-10 Bronze medal match: Ellen Ryan (NSW) df April Wilson (QLD) 21-6 5th / 6th: Shae Smith (NT) df Tamzin Jenke (SA) 21-5 7th / 8th: Jessica Hogan (ACT) df Aquis Jones (TAS) 21-18 Boys Pairs Gold medal match: J Christie, J Corless (VIC) df G Jeans, D Skinner (NSW) 27-8 Bronze medal match: J Appleyard, M Sims (TAS) df M McQueen, T Britton (ACT) 26-14 5th / 6th: C Biddle, R Philpott (WA) df J Bodnar, C Birnie (SA) 14-13 7th / 8th: S Savage, B Leese (QLD df )M Simpson, O Short (NT) 19-13 Girls Pairs Gold medal match: D Hayman, J-L Worsnop (NSW) df C Sylvester, C Stewart (VIC) 15-13 Bronze medal match: A Wilson, T Putney (QLD) df J Hogan, K Steele (ACT) 26-11 5th / 6th: C Otterspoor, T Jenke (SA) df E Allen, D Cant (WA) 24-10 7th / 8th: A Jones, J Walker (TAS) df S Woodhouse, L Kingsley (NT) 22-10 Boys Triples Gold medal match: W Neilson, D Nicholls, D Downey (WA) df T Mansbridge, J Bye-Norris, N Lynch (VIC) 17-14 Bronze medal match: J Davis, L Jones, C Wedlock (NSW) df T Male, J Lording, K Walker (TAS) 20-8 5th / 6th: C Litfin, B Wilson, N Gosley (QLD) df J Marquet, B Spaven, F O’Shaughnessy (ACT) 24-12 7th / 8th: T Wilson, M Scott, J Studham (SA) df T Chambers, J …