2023 Australian Indoor Championships: day three recap
Club Tweed was the scene for some remarkable action as three of the four semifinals at the 2023 Australian Indoor Championships were completed, seeing the women’s decider set and one half of the men’s final left to be determined.
The day saw victories to Victoria’s Samantha Atkinson and 16-year-old Reese Finn-Young in the women’s field, while Darren Gordon moved through to the biggest match of his career in the men’s semi.
Women’s singles semifinal 1 – Samantha Atkinson (VIC) def. Chloe Morrison (ACT) 9-6 12-4
Atkinson was up against Right at Home Emerging Jackaroo Chloe Morrison in the morning session and the match seemed destined for a tiebreak from the beginning as the pair were deadlocked at 4-4 after a quintet of ends in the opening stanza.
However, that is where the contest would turn as Atkinson claimed six of the ensuing seven ends to run out the first set and take a 5-0 lead in the second and seemingly stretch to a margin too far from Morrison.
However, the Tuggeranong product would secure a sublime two in the fifth end of the set to cut the margin back to one before Atkinson reciprocated with a bomb of her own in the next end to secure a three and kill the momentum for her opponent.
Another triple would come before the Richmond Union bowler would clinch a single to put the result beyond doubt with an end to spare.
Women’s singles semifinal 2 – Reese Finn-Young (NSW) def. Kay Moran (NSW) – 9-4 6-6
This highly touted contest saw an age gap of 33 years between the two combatants as 2014 runner up Kay Moran looked to get back to the title match for the first time since her defeat at the hands of a then 17-year-old Jamie-Lee Worsnop.
In the biggest match of her blossoming career, Finn-Young looked unperturbed as she stunningly rectified the opening end where she secured shot from four down with her final bowl.
The Merimbula exponent then the proceeded to race out to a 7-0 lead after four ends, leaving Moran with an abundance of work to do as she aimed to claw her way back.
It was not to be for the two-time Commonwealth Games medallist as Finn-Young took the stanza with one end to play.
The tide looked to have turned with Moran clinching four of the first five ends in the second, taking a 5-2 lead in the process.
However with the pair jostling in a bowl-for-bowl classic her younger opponent was only dropping singles, before replying with some sensational deliveries of her own to inch within two shots with one end to play.
Needing to score a double to tie the set and conquer the match, Moran would force the young star to play a final bowl thanks to a brilliant drive that cleared one of the Australian junior champion’s shot bowls away.
It would be a matter of rinse and repeat for Finn-Young, who claimed the biggest win of her career thanks to another sensational draw to tie the set and set up a clash with Atkinson.
Men’s singles semifinal 1 – Darren Gordon (VIC) def. Greg Brown (VIC) 8-7 5-10 5-1
The battle of the Victorians saw some expert conversion bowling from Gordon against Sebastopol’s Greg Brown that ensured his place in tomorrow’s decider.
The Dunkeld native led for the majority of the first set before a brilliant penultimate end saw Brown edge ahead by a solitary shot with all of the momentum in his favour.
Gordon was able to secure a double to clinch the stanza and again in the first end of the second to ensure his stronghold on the contest.
However, five of the next six ends went the way of Brown to set up a decisive tiebreak to see who would progress through to the final.
Brown gained the opening end of the breaker but from there on Gordon performed in exemplary fashion by securing a two and a three to storm home and book his place in tomorrow’s decider despite conceding 13 of the 21 ends played.
Gordon will take on the winner of tomorrow morning’s second semifinal between Ray Pearse and Christopher Couchman.
See the Day Three results HERE
The Australian Indoor Championships second men’s semifinal will commence at 9am AEST, with the women’s singles final to follow at 11am before the men’s singles at 2pm.
