Tough Days in Tuggeranong

by Team BV

REPORT DAY 1 & 2:
It’s been a tough two days so far for the Victorian Under 18 male and female contingents at their National Championships being staged in the Nation’s Capital Canberra at Tuggeranong BC.

Their Day One activities saw them up against very strong New South Wales combinations and all that was salvaged from this round of matches were wins in the Boy’s Fours 21-11, the Boy’s Pairs 16-12 and the Girl’s Singles 21-10. New South Wales took the overall honours 10 points to 6 points at the conclusion of the eight matches played and the rubber was completed just after lunch.
The Victorians were out to make amends for the earlier efforts in the day and came up against an opponent they’d had the better of in their previous test encounter in Melbourne in June, but the tables were turned by the South Australians as they finished off their Day One roster with only one victory out of the four contested matches. Victoria went down in the Girl’s Fours 7-12, the Boy’s Pairs 13-15 and the Boy’s Triples 13-22. The only shining light in the late afternoon was the performance in the Girl’s Singles of Tiffany Brodie who chalked up her second win in a row 21-7.
It could have been a case of off to bed without your supper for the meagre return of Day One, but there had to be something to play for on Day Two as the final four matches had to be finished against the South Australians who were tickled pink with their earlier results over the Victorians.
The Victorian Girls squared the ledger with a win in the Girls Triples 21-13, but the Girl’s Pairs suffered their second consecutive loss 12-17 to effectively put them out of medal contention.
As if the Day One demons were not enough, the Boy’s Fours failed to fire and went down 10-17 to their counterparts, but Jayden Christie in the Boy’s Singles was able to salvage some pride for the team with a brilliant 21-11 win to gain two points from what was becoming a less than formidable defence of their tile won in 2014 as National Boys Champion State in Darwin.
South Australia lowered Victoria’s colours with a very hard earned 10 points to 6 points win.
Come Tuesday lunchtime and there must have been something in the sandwiches as the Victorians blazed away against the host state ACT as they recorded wins in all four matches played. The Boy’s Triples cracked it for their first win 27-11, as did the Girl’s Fours who won their last sectional round 19-8. The Boy’s Pairs recorded their second win of the Championships with a 22-9 win and Tiffany Brodie made it three wins from as many starts with a 21-12 result going her way to claim a place in the Gold Medal final on Wednesday morning.
Players representing Victoria in the Under 18 National Championships are:

Girl’s Singles

Tiffany Brodie

 

Boy’s Singles

Jayden Christie

 

Girl’s Pairs

Mikayla Long

Tayla Morison (s)

 

Boy’s Pairs

Jayden Christie

Joshua Corless (s)

 

Girl’s Triples

Amelia Bruggy

Tiffany Brodie

Natasha Russell (s)

 

Boy’s Triples

Todd Trewarne

Curtis Hanley

Jordan Yates (s)

 

Girl’s Fours

Amelia Bruggy

Mikayla Long

Natasha Russell

Tayla Morison (s)

 

Boy’s Fours

Todd Trewarne

Jordan Yates

Curtis Hanley

Joshua Corless (s)

 
FINAL DAY REPORT:
They say that every cloud has a silver lining and that cannot be doubted in respect to the Victorian Under 18 team challenge at the National Championships that wound up in Tuggeranong ACT yesterday.
Silver Medals were the order of the day for Tiffany Brodie in the Girls Singles final where she had her colours lowered by another rising star on the bowls horizon in Sophie Young from Queensland. Both girls were undefeated going into the final and it was Sophie who remained that way after she accounted for Tiffany in a polished display to run out 21-13 and secure the gold for Queensland.
Saddling up for gold again in the second session, Tiffany was middle peg in the Victorian Girls Triples team with Amelia Bruggy leading and Natasha Russell taking on the skipping duties. Try as hard as they did to get over the line the Victorian girls fell just short in their challenge and they went down fighting 20-23, once again to Queensland.
No joy either for Jayden Christie and Joshua Corless in the Boys Pairs Bronze medal play-off match as they had to settle for fourth place, their loss too at the hands of their Queensland counterparts 14-19.
Jayden Christie had a point to prove when he stepped out for his Bronze Medal play-off match against Mitchell Banks from Tasmania and Jayden rightfully claimed the Bronze with a very solid 21-10 win.
In the Girls Pairs Bronze medal play-off match Victoria finally turned the tables on their Maroon opponents and Mikayla Long and Tayla Morison marched to victory with a very well contested 18-7 win.
Not to be left out of the Bronze medal onslaught, the Victorian Boys secured their spoils with a 29-7 victory over the much improved Northern Territory team. Todd Trewarne, Jordan Yates, Curtis Hanley and Joshua Corless carried all before them in this match that enabled all players to come away from the National Under 18 Championships with at least one medal each.
The Victorian Girls Four finished in fifth place after a 24-7 win over Tasmania and the Boys Triples also took fifth spot after they accounted for the Northern Territory 26-12.
Pleasing to note that at the completion of the Championships the National Under 18 Squad was announced and there were five Victorians rewarded for their efforts not just at this event, but from performances over the past season. The players chosen in the squad are, Tiffany Brodie, Amelia Bruggy, Tayla Morison, Jayden Christie and Joshua Corless.
We wish all of these players well in their pursuit of representing Australia.
Special thanks also should go to everyone involved in the Victorian travelling party with particular mention to Doug and Joy Kneebone and Rob Wilson and Louise Morison for all their efforts during the week. Not forgetting also those other family members and supporters who made the trip to Canberra to support the team and those back home who waited patiently for results to be posted on how their favourites went.
If you’re Under 18, it’s on again next year!

Photos below courtesy of Bowls Australia.