Australian Open 2021 – Day four wrap
With the women’s competition commencing yesterday, it was time for the 2021 Australian Open men’s pairs event to get started on Tuesday.
With 74 sections taking to the greens, a cast of big names and previous champions won their way through, while others did it the hard way.
Defending champions Ray Pearse and Aron Sherriff made their way through a difficult section including the likes of Commonwealth Games gold medallist Wayne Turley OAM; however, the duo will have to put their partnership on hold for one game later in the week, when they face off against each other in the next round of the singles competition.
2018 pairs winners Chris Herden and Carl Healey also kept themselves in the mix for another title, winning their three sectional games.
Half of the 2014 pairs winning duo in Andrew Rees also advanced on Tuesday, alongside Aaron Appleby.
READ MORE: MEN’S PAIRS SECTION WINNERS & NEXT-BEST QUALIFIERS
Sending a warning sign to the competition, BCiB Australian Jackaroos teammates Ben Twist and Aaron Wilson looked ominous in their section, teaming up to collect 109 shots in their three wins, with a mammoth differential of +90 shots.
Jackaroos Barrie Lester and Corey Wedlock did things a little harder, winning just two of their three group matches in section 56, topped by Daniel Abela and John Williams.
Despite finishing second in their group, the duo led by the 2017 champion advanced to the knockout stages as next-best qualifiers with a strong +45 shot difference.
53 other duos who failed to win their sections also advance to the round of 128, with a margin of two wins and -5 shots the cut off for progression.
The men’s pairs knockout rounds commence on Monday, June 21, with a blockbuster encounter between Pearse and Sherriff against former Jackaroos teammate Brett Wilkie and Emerging Jackaroo Jake Rynne sure to draw a crowd at Club Helensvale.
VIEW: MEN’S PAIRS KNOCKOUT DRAW
Plenty of quality bowls will again be on display across the Gold Coast on Wednesday, as the women’s singles sectional competition gets under way.
The 2021 Australian Open will be staged across the Gold Coast from June 12-25, courtesy of support from Tourism and Events Queensland and City of Gold Coast.
