Queensland men finish unbeaten to capture national silverware
Queensland put the finishing touches on a stunning Alley Shield campaign earlier today by concluding the 55-year time-honoured competition without a blemish to its name. The Maroon men seized the opportunity to claim their 13th title at the time-honoured Australian Sides Championships in the penultimate round on Wednesday after reaching an unassailable lead, but there was further cause for celebration today after they capped off the event with a perfect 7-0 record – which had a dramatic affect on the the overall state champion standings. With five teams squared on four victories in the women’s competition prior to the last round, Queensland’s men’s emphatic three-rink victory over South Australia meant the Maroons also secured the Overall State Champions Trophy outright without the need for a result across the green in the women’s event. Having only been introduced in 2008, Queensland have now attained the overall honours on three occasions, their last in 2009, behind only NSW who won from 2010-2013. The battle for the women’s Marj Morris Trophy went down to the wire, with the NSW blues scrapping across the finish line, courtesy of a three-final final rubber victory over Tasmania, to claim their ninth honour in the women’s competition’s 35-year history – a hat trick for state after 2012-2013. While the Maroon men and the Blue women captured the silverware for their states, it was a complete reversal for the best performed rink honours, with NSW’s Aron Sherriff and Queensland’s Pamela Rowe awarded for their consistency across the tournament. Alley Shield results 1. Queensland (7 wins, 10 rinks), 2. NSW (5, 15.5), 3. Victoria (5, 14.5), 4. South Australia (4, 12.5), 5. Tasmania (3, 9.5), 6. Western Australia (2, 10), 7. ACT (2, 7), 8. Northern Territory (0, 5) Marj Morris results 1. NSW (5 wins, 15 rinks), 2. Queensland (5, 13.5), 3. Victoria (5, 13), 4. South Australia (4, 9.5, -22 net shots), 5. Tasmania (4, 9.5, -36), 6. Western Australia (3, 9.5), 7. ACT (2, 10), 8. Northern Territory (0, 5) Overall State Champions results 1. Queensland (24 wins, 30.5 rinks), 2. NSW (20, 30.5), 3. Victoria (20, 27.5), 4. South Australia (16, 22), 5. Tasmania (14, 19), 6. Western Australia (10, 19.5), 7. ACT (8, 17), 8. Northern Territory (0, 10)