Hawks swoop on BPL21 title
The Gold Coast Hawks have been crowned BPL21 Champions, capping off a true underdog story after defeating the Geelong Jets in the Grand Final at Moama Bowling Club.
Having not reached a BPL finals series since BPL18, let alone a Grand Final since BPL07, the Helensvale based franchise team of Kelsey Cottrell, Nathan Rice, Nick Brett and coach Mark Thatcher were sublime on finals night.
After looking like they might have missed finals all together, the Hawks won their two final round robin matches to jump from sixth to third on the ladder to secure a place in the second Elimination Final.
They were easily able to account for the Adelaide Pioneers in straight sets, before facing a determined Melbourne Pulse in the Preliminary Final.
With some superb leading from Rice and Cottrell, the Hawks came out firing on all cylinders to record a 5-3 victory in the first set.
The Pulse regrouped in the second set with a 9-2 win, but a beautiful shot from Rice in the tiebreaker ensured the Hawks would play off in the Grand Final.
Earlier in the night, the record-breaking Geelong Jets sent Moama Bowling Club into a frenzy when they defeated the Pulse in the Semi-Final.
As one of two new franchises that entered the Bowls Premier League in its 20th edition last November, the Geelong Jets team of Paul Foster MBE, Aaron Wilson, Jamie-Lee Worsnop and coach Matthew Flapper had a record-breaking campaign, recording the most wins in a BPL with 19 wins.
However, the Jets never really gathered a full head of steam in the Grand Final, with the Gold Coast Hawks unwavering in their determination.
Nick Brett was unbelievable in the final game, being able to convert heads and draw shots on a dime, and was ultimately awarded the Most Valuable Player of the Grand Final.
In the end, the Hawks won in straight sets 6-5, 6-2, capping off what was a fairytale finish after the franchise finished in last position in BPL20
The accolades continued for the Hawks with Cottrell named in the All Star team alongside coach Thatcher and the Jets’ Aaron Wilson and Paul Foster, the latter whom was also awarded the MVP award.
The earlier finals saw the Adelaide Pioneers finish fourth and the Tweed Ospreys finish fifth.
BPL22 returns to Club Pine Rivers from October 27-31.
