Wilson fires for host state
Victoria’s reigning Australian Open singles champion Aaron Wilson has signalled his intentions on securing the Super 6 crown during a blockbuster opening rubber at the Bendigo Bowls Club this morning.
The Brighton young-gun required only 40 minutes to pencil in a comprehensive 21-3 victory on the scorecard against Tasmania’s Scott Summers.
The pair traded blows early, with Summers’ 2 shots on the fourth end keeping him in the hunt, before Wilson applied a vice-like grip on proceedings, picking up 18 shots over the next eight consecutive ends to post the first win of the tournament.
Also registering a win in Wilson’s section of the draw was Western Australia’s Luke Richardson, who overcame former Australian representative Anthony Kiepe 21-16, with the pair now set for a second-round clash.
In the opposite section, Commonwealth Games gold medallist Mark Casey recorded his first Super 6 win in the Blues’ guernsey, narrowly edging past the Top End’s Jason Derrick 21-19, while the ACT’s Andrew Howie’s campaign also remains untarnished after a slender victory against South Australia;s Scott Thulborn, 21-20, after collecting 8 shots over the last four consecutive ends.
In the women’s event, Victoria’s defending singles titleholder Lisa Phillips had her colours lowered by Jackaroos teammate Rebecca Quail, 6-21, with the Tasmanian now facing a second rubber encounter against Queensland’s former National Champion of Champions winner Sue Brady, who accounted for the Sandgroper’s ace Shenayde Heldt 21-12.
Meanwhile, in the half of the draw, NSW’s world champion Kelsey Cottrell got her campaign off to the right start with a 21-14 triumph over the Northern Territory’s Sue Aumann and will next be pitted against the Croweater’s winless Jackie Gardiner in round two, who was eclipsed by ACT’s Paige Dowsett 21-13.
Staged over two days, the Super 6 series features two pools of four teams, with each state and territory asked to field their best combination across the singles, pairs and triples disciplines.
The second and third rounds of the Super 6 series will continue at the Bendigo Bowls Club today, with finals set to ignite from 9.00am tomorrow.
Click here for more information on the 2013 Australian Sides Championships and Super 6 series.
