Clarke and Bester lead the rest
Australian Jackaroo Lynsey Clarke has shot up the Aero Bowls National rankings after a stunning month on the greens.
Clarke was a three time champion at the recent Queensland State Championships, taking out the pairs, triples and fours and a cool 113.4 points; the following week she backed up at an Australian Women’s National Camp on the Gold Coast whilst also qualifying for the Australian Indoor, and then Clarke topped the month off with a semi-final appearance at the South Tweed Prestige Singles and a further 18 points.
After a month to remember, Clarke now sits in outright first position 2.6 points clear of former leader Natasha Scott of Raymond Terrace.
Scott added another singles title to her name this month along with 48 valuable ranking points at the South Tweed Prestige Singles (Clarke’s victor in the semi-final); however it wasn’t quite enough to retain top spot for 10 months straight.
Scott first jumped to the top of the leader board when she claimed her first Golden Nugget Singles title back in August; she then added NSW state titles and enough points to hold top spot for a whopping 9 months.
Clarke’s partner in all three of her Queensland State titles this month, Bribie Islands Natasha Jones has now moved into third position 48.6 points behind Scott.
Queensland State Singles Champion Ryan Bester has soared over his nearest rivals to lead the National Rankings by 37.7 points going into the final month.
The men who seem most likely to challenge for top spot and the $3000 cheque courtesy of Aero Bowls are Dylan Fisher (208.8), Corey Wedlock (206) and Scott Thulborn (203.2) who will all need to outdo Besters performance at the upcoming Australian Open.
The Australian Open Singles Champion will not only pocket $16,000 but 120 ranking points; therefore we could still see a ranked outsider steal a come from behind victory.
We now have 1418 men and 829 women with an official Australian Ranking; to find your ranking follow the links below.
Aero Bowls Male National Rankings
Aero Bowls Female National Rankings
To see how many points are on offer at the only Tier 1 ranking event, the Australian Open click here.
