WA bounce back

by admin on March 31, 2016

Wrap of Day 2 at the Australian Sides Championships
Western Australia rebounded strongly from a disappointing opening to the National Side Series with three wins on day two. The West were in full flight on Friday as the men claimed their first win of the tournament against Queensland. The women’s team showed off their fighting spirt in a determined come back win to give them a great platform to start from. It got even better for ladies when they defeated South Australia to move into second on the ladder only percentage behind Victoria. The men were competitive for most of their match but were unsuccessful, the margin padding up late as WA chased the shots it needed.

After an upset loss to the ACT the WA men’s side responded with an upset of their own over Queensland. The Sandgropers lead for most of the match and powered away late to set their campaign back on track. The standout rink was that of Pieter Harris with a thirteen shot win over Australian representative Nathan Rice.

The women found things much tougher against the Queenslanders but a remarkable late effort saw them snatch an upset win.  Down by double digits with fifteen ends to play WA showed all their character to run over the top of their more fancied opponents. The match went down to the last bowl of the last end but ended with WA in front and in a great position to challenge.

Men
WA defeated QLD 68-52
Edmonds defeated by Casey 16-22
Harris defeated Rice 24-11
Ellul defeated Brown 28-19

Women
WA defeated QLD 53-51
Abe defeated Keegan 19-15
Morss defeated by Clarke 14-20
Krstic defeated Witton 20-16

The men were unable to continue their winning form against last year’s runner up South Australia in the afternoon. South Australia built a buffer early and maintained it throughout the game. Although competitive all game WA couldn’t bridge the five to ten shot gap. Late in the match the situation got more desperate and Croweaters increased their lead as WA started playing for the shots they needed finishing off comfortable winners.

The women’s game went in much the same style as the men’s but in this encounter the roles were reversed. It was WA who built a lead early and kept the South Australians at bay for the rest of the match. WA were able to keep their lead around the seven shot mark for much of the game before finishing off strongly. Noelene Abe had the standout victory with her fifteen shot win over Remata Callisto. Their good form is a positive sign as they look to challenge for at least a podium place.

Men 
WA defeated by SA 51-64
Harris defeated by Ruediger 15-29
Edmonds defeated by Mills 17-19
Ellul defeated Kleinig 19-16

Women
WA defeated SA 67-54
Abe defeated Callisto 29-14
Morss defeated Landherr 20-19
Krstic defeated by Hutchinson 18-21

WA head in to a crucial day three with matches against Tasmania and Victoria. The women will play their last games for the tournament finishing with a bye on Sunday due to the absence of the Northern Territory. Two wins would almost guarantee them at least a silver medal and keep them in the running for the championship. The men cannot afford to slip up if they are to be in medal contention but the game against the undefeated Victorians looms large. A single loss would kill any slim chance of a medal but two victories could have them right back in it. 

Bowls WA will provide rink scores and updates following each game on our Facebook Page click here

For further details on this competition visit the Bowls Australia Website events page click here
Australian Sides Championships Fixtures and Results click here