Bruny’s Harkness on top of the world in State Championmships
Bruny Island is celebrating its newest star as Charlie Harkness has earned the right to contest the Bowls Tasmania Open Women’s Pairs and Singles Championships at Rosny Park tomorrow. With just 22 playing members and playing in Bowls Tasmania South’s Saturday Pennant Division 3, Bruny’s Harkness has set the Tasmanian bowls scene on fire this week as she has taken all before her to earn the right to play in two Open Women’s grand finals tomorrow. Whilst she may be relatively unknown in Tasmania, Harkness, who turned 34 today, is a former junior and open Queensland State player and championship winner and was formerly employed by Bowls Queensland as its State Development Officer.
Yesterday’s thunderstorm and overnight rain slowed the greens down at Rosny Park, but that didn’t stop some great bowls being played in the prestigious Bowls Tasmania Men’s and Women’s Open Singles Championships which continued today.
In the Men’s Open Singles Championships, round-of-sixteen winners were Codi Marshall, Peter Bannister, Rob McMullen, Grant Wakefield, Michael Rankin, David Minns, Stewart Cashion and Bailey Bellchambers. In the quarter-finals Bannister defeated Marshall by 11 shots, McMullen beat Wakefield by 12 shots, Minns had a tough battle against Rankin before winning by six shots and Bellchambers finished two shots in front of Cashion. One semi-final was held today with McMullen defeating Bannister by seven shots.
In the Women’s Open Singles Championship, round-of-sixteen winners were Cheryl Fielding and Ash Woolley. In the quarterfinals, Amity Bickley defeated Tracey Little by 13 shots, Courtney Hobbs won a close contest with Ali Venn by two shots, Charlie Harkness beat Crystal Brooks by eight shots and Ash Woolley defeated Cheryl Fielding by 13 shots. In the semi-finals, Bickley and Hobbs had a tight battle with Bickley winning by five shots and Harkness defeating Woolley by 14 shots.
In the Open Para Pairs Championships, Glenorchy Rodman’s Jacob Sheerin-Wall and Wynyard’s Chris Newman defeated Cressy’s Debbie Maher and Kings Meadow’s Colleen Fellows by 11 shots in the grand final.
The Men’s Para Singles Championships grand final was won by Wynyard’s Chris Newman who had a great battle against Dover RSL’s Kindilan Hayes. Newman won eight of the first eleven ends to race out to a ten-shot lead before Hayes bounced back winning six of the next seven ends to draw within four shots. Newman steadied to win by eight shots to win the championship to add to the Para Pairs Championship that he won in the morning.
The Bowling Arm Triples Championships is being played as a sectional play round-robin and commenced today and will conclude tomorrow. Leaders after today are Noel Buckingham, Doug Smith and Noel Purton from Paul Bugg, Peter Thow and Rod O’Halloran.
For all the results click HERE.
The championships conclude tomorrow at Rosny Park with grand finals in the Open Men’s and Women’s Pairs and Singles Championships, together with the conclusion of the Bowling Arm Triples Championships.
Bowls Tasmania will be live streaming the Women’s Open Pairs Championships Grand Final at 9.30am and the Men’s Open Singles Grand Final at approximately 3.30pm on its Facebook page.
