LIFE OF RYAN IS BOWLS HISTORY
THE men might take centre stage today but Ellen Ryan will be the name up in lights at the Australian Open bowls in Broadbeach.
The 20-year-old from Goulburn in NSW claimed her second Australian Open singles title yesterday with a 21-11 victory over Gold Coast’s Georgia White.
She is just the second female bowler in Australian Open history to win the singles title twice, all but assuring that today she will be named the 2017 player of the tournament.
Ryan dominated yesterday’s match, jumping out to a 19-4 lead early and eventually closing out.
The win is a big feather in Ryan’s cap ahead of potential selection in Australian colours for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Meanwhile, Club Helensvale’s Nathan Rice – the current Australian Jackaroo and Queensland singles champion – will meet Modbury’s Nathan Pedersen for the Australian men’s title.
Rice, 38, is the more experienced of the pair and will be looking to go one step further than he did in 2012 when he was runner-up to Club Helensvale teammate Mark Casey in the Australian Open singles when the event was held in Melbourne.
This is Pedersen’s first shot at the singles title.
However, he has experience in big matches, having won the Australian Open fours in 2015 and capturing the unique double in the pairs and fours in 2016.
Pedersen, 22, is considered a future Australian representative, having worn the green and gold in a development series, the Hong Kong International and World Youth Championships.
The men’s final will get under way later this afternoon, at the conclusion of the women’s pairs final, and will be telecast live on Fox Sports.