Day 4 – 2018 State Champions Week

by Team BV

Men’s Champion of Champions Singles – Final Barrie Lester (Mulgrave Country Club) v Brett Mahoney (Deer Park) BC)

Men’s Champion of Champions Singles – Semi-Final Barrie Lester (Mulgrave Country Club) v Philip Thorn (City of Echuca BC)

Victoria’s Commonwealth Games heroes have returned in style.
 

Carla Krizanic and Barrie Lester added Victorian championship gold medals to their medal hauls from the Gold Coast after winning titles during 2018 State Champions Week at Bendigo East Bowling Club. 

Lester retained his Victorian Champion of Champions Men’s Singles title, defeating Deer Park’s Brett Mahoney 25-12 in the final. 

Krizanic overcame a late resurgence from Grangeburn BC’s Robyn Thomassen for a 25-17 win in the Women’s State Singles final. 

Despite his dual silver medal effort at Gold Coast, Lester came to Bendigo East BC nervous about how he would perform after having arare break from bowls for several days after the Gold Coast. 

“After the Comm Games, having a few days off, I wasn’t sure how the bowls would come out,” Lester told Bowls Victoria. 

“Yesterday morning (during the round of 16) they were coming out really well – today they came out really well. 

“To go back-to-back (in the Champion of Champions), it feels pretty good and I’m pretty keen to go a bit better at the Australian Championship.” 

Lester had won the Champion of Champions title, as well as the Men’s State Singles, at last year’s State Champions Week. His match against Mahoney was a rematch of the 2017 State Singles clash between the pair, which Lester also won.
 

Krizanic had opened up a significant lead over Thomassen, but the West Coast Region bowler kept coming at the Sunbury superstar – closing the gap from more than 10 shots down to 23-17. 

But Krizanic – a dual Commonwealth Games and world champion – predictably kept her head and eked out the shots she needed to claim the title. 

Meanwhile, Essendon’s Jay Bye-Norris continues to be the star of 2018 State Champions Week. 

He added his third State championship of the week in the Under 25 Men’s Singles final, on fire to beat Ryan Davies (Corowa Civic) 25-3. 

Bye-Norris has been part of the State men’s fours champion team on Day 2, and won the Victorian men’s State Singles title on Day 3. 

 
Early rounds of the men’s and women’s pairs have also been played on Day 4, while the preliminary rounds of the State Multi-Disabilities Titles are also in full swing at North Bendigo BC.

Men’s Champion of Champions fixtures
Men’s Champion of Champions results
Women’s State Singles fixtures
Women’s State Singles results
Men’s pairs fixtures
Men’s pairs results
Women’s pairs fixtures
Women’s pairs results
State Multi-Disabilities Championships results and fixtures