World Singles Champion Of Champions Review
A fantastic week at the Adelaide Bowling Club saw the SA bowling fraternity coming together to put on a fantastic world class event across the 7 days from October 28 with the Gold medal matches concluding on Sunday November 3rd. In the end it was an Australian double with Lee Schraner and Kylie Whitehead claiming the men’s and women’s singles titles respectively. Both games were down to the wire and won on the last end of the tie break in front of a few hundred spectators enjoying the Adelaide Bowling Club hospitality.
Congratulations must go to the Adelaide Bowling Club, President Henry Higgins and all of the staff and volunteers that assisted to make the event a success. The good news is that the event will again be hosted at the Adelaide Bowling Club in 2020 and we will have more opportunity to witness international talent on our door step!
Full report by David Allen of World Bowls can be found below. More information can also be found at the World Bowls Website: http://www.worldbowls.com/
World champion Aussies crowned
Australia scored a mighty double at the World Singles Champion of Champions in Adelaide today, when Victorian state teammates Kylie Whitehead and Lee Schraner reached the pinnacle of their bowls careers.
Schraner, who was bronze medallist at last year’s championships, won all 14 starts at the Adelaide Bowling Club over the past week to emerge as undisputed champion.
His opponent in the main event was Hong Kong China’s Tony Cheung, who defeated him in last year’s semi finals. It was Cheung’s second successive silver medal in the event, having been runner-up to New Zealand’s Shannon McIlroy last year at St Johns Park.
To reach the final at yesterday’s semi finals, Cheung defeated Scotland’s Mark O’Hagan in a compelling encounter, while Schraner claimed the other final berth over England champion Louis Ridout in a masterclass of singles play.
Earlier today Kylie Whitehead scored a dramatic come-from-behind victory in the women’s final when she recovered from a set and 7-1 down against New Zealand’s plucky Debbie White to clinch the sport’s ultimate honour.
Both champions, who topped their respective sections, started out shakily, with White surrendering a maximum four count on the opening end of the first set.
However, from there on she outscored Kylie eighteen shots to four over the ensuing 13 ends. Then, for reasons known only to the gods of the game, when holding another good counter on the fifth end of the second set, the nuggety New Zealander proceeded to cut her own bowl out of the head to gift Whitehead three.
From there the 24-year-old Victorian, made every post a winner, taking the second set 9-8 and tiebreaker 2-1.
Yesterday, White, who topped her section, defeated England superstar Sophie Tolchard in their semi final clash, while Whitehead outgunned Norfolk Island’s Shae Wilson in the corresponding eliminator.
These annual championships featured 45 competitors representing 28 countries.
