Golden Nugget champs face stern test

by admin on April 28, 2015

Defending champions Ryan Bester and Natasha Scott have been confirmed as starters for the Golden Nugget Prestige Singles classic at the Tweed Heads Bowls Club, the Gold Coast Bulletin reports.

And given the depth of talent in the list of invitees they are in for a battle to make it back-to-back championships in one of the nation’s premier singles events.

Bester, the Canadian international who now plays at Broadbeach, beat Mark Casey for the 2014 men’s crown and has the Helensvale club ace as one of his big rivals again for this year’s Nugget, which runs from August 10 to 13.

Among the men’s entries are Commonwealth Games representatives Kelvin Kerkow (South Tweed) and Brett Wilkie (Helensvale) but as yet Scotland Games player Nathan Rice (Helensvale) is missing from the field.

Kerkow has won the Nugget four times, Wilkie once and Australian coach Steve Glasson three times.

There are six former winners in the women’s field, headed by Scott.

They are Karen Murphy (five wins between 1996 and 2003), Kiwi Jo Edwards (three), Carmen Anderson (twice) Rebecca Van Asch (one) and Helensvale’s Australian captain Lynsey Clark (one).

The Golden Nugget will be staged at Tweed Heads Bowls Club, the home of the Australian Indoor Championships, from Monday, August 10 to Thursday, August 13.

The opening ceremony will commence at 11.15 am followed by round 1 at 1.00 pm.  

Two rounds will be played each on Tuesday and Wednesday before the semi-finals and finals on Thursday.

THBC will again broadcast an up to date Live Scoreboard for every day, every match and every end at thbc.com.au/bowls .