Van Asch still alive despite loss
After Day 2 of the Golden Nugget Rebecca Van Asch has maintained her second spot in her section. A round two loss against Kelsey Cottrell was followed with a walk over win against Lynsey Clarke, unfortunately Clarke was unwell and unable to play either of her games today.
Van Asch was able to get off to a great start against good friend Cottrell, but consistent play by Cottrell saw a 15-9 score-line become 15-15 and finally 18-25. Other results in the section saw Carmen Anderson receive a walkover against Clarke and the inform Jo Edwards defeat defending champion Anne Johns. This saw Edwards become the only two game winner after two rounds.
Whilst Van Asch was able to watch the afternoon games, Edwards maintained her undefeated streak in a dominant 25-2 performance over Anderson. Cottrell also maintained her strong day and caused Johns to remain without a point, winning 25-11. This now sees Edwards only needing one more win to guarantee a Semi Final spot. Van Asch and Cottrell sit on 2 wins, with Van Asch having a 14.5 shots up advantage over her Jackaroos team mate. If Van Asch can win both of her remaining games, against Edwards & Johns, she too should see herself in the semi-finals. Van Asch has some history with Edwards in this tournament, losing the final to her in 2011 and defeating her in section play in 2012 on her way to winning the title. Let’s hope it’s a case of deja vu when they face each other in section play tomorrow.
The rest of the tournament also took some interesting twists today. The other section in the female draw, sees no player on three wins with Ellen Ryan, Carla Krizanic, Karen Murphy & Natasha Scott all on two wins. Crucial Round 4 matches of Murphy/Scott and Krizanic/Ryan will go a long way to deciding this section.
In the Men’s tournament, both Scott Thulborn in Group A and Aaron Wilson in Group B see themselves undefeated. Both players have taken some major scalps with Wilson defeating Leif Selby and Brett Wilkie and Thulborn defeating Aron Sherriff and Steve Glasson. Thulborn now has matches against Jeremy Henry and Steve Halmai to finish off his section, only one more win away from reaching his goal for the tournament. “A semi-final spot was my goal heading into this tournament and I’ve put myself in the best position to do just that” Thulborn said after today’s play was completed. “If I can make the finals, like any sport, anything can happen.” Thulborn has been in the eyes of the National selectors for a few years now and is enjoying his time at the Golden Nugget. “It is possibly one of the best tournaments in the world and I am loving every minute. Tweed Heads is a great club full of amazing members and supporters, not to mention the quality of the players involved.”
Wilson & Thulborn won’t have it all their own way with Henry (A), Glasson (A), Kelvin Kerkow (B) and Paul Girdler (B) all on two wins, hoping to also find a spot in the Semi-Finals and as Thulborn stated, anything could happen.
By David Genford
