Bester claims Opal mantle
RYAN Bester has overcome a quality field including many of the world’s best to win the second $64,000 Blue Opal Singles at Broadbeach.
In a rematch of the 2016 World Championships Singles final, Bester got one back on New Zealand’s Shannon McIlroy in the final.
Bester went out to a 5-1 lead before McIlroy worked into the game.
A desperate late surge by McIlroy got him to 12 before Bester scored the final shot with some sublime bowls to win 25-12.
Bester’s victory was even sweeter after having a major hand in creating the event,
“It was fantastic to win a huge event that I created. But more proud of assembling one of the best fields in singles history with most of the best players in the world competing, and to come out on top was icing on the cake,” Bester said.
Twenty-eight of the 64 strong field were either current or former international level players.
Bester overcame Australian representative Aaron Teys in the quarter and then former Aussie No.1 Lee Schraner in the semi.
McIlroy defeated Jackaroos pair Corey Wedlock and Barrie Lester in his quarter and semi-final.
Locals Dean McWhinney and Ryan Burnett were the other defeated quarter finalists while defending champion Kurt Brown bowed out in Round 2 to Burnett.
Jackaroo squad member Jesse Noronha and Irish star Gary Kelly won the Blue Diamond Pairs with Mark Casey and Jeremy Henry second.
The world’s biggest bowls festival, the Australian Open, started on the Gold Coast on Saturday with 912 hopefuls in the men’s singles.
The largest field ever assembled with 2600 competitors, including more than 300 from overseas, have converged on the Coast looking for a share of the $250,000 prizemoney. Women’s pairs commenced yesterday, and men’s pairs started today.
Women’s singles start tomorrow, men’s fours start on Thursday, women’s fours on Friday and disability events commence on Sunday.
The race is on to finish the season as Australia’s No.1 male and female bowler with the Australian Open the last ranking event of the year.
Corey Wedlock leads the men’s race with 356 points ahead of Bester (305), Schraner (303), Sean Baker (253) and Aron Sherriff (252).
For the women Tweed’s Chloe Stewart (220) leads Helen Morrs (211), Maria Rigby (170) and Genevieve Delves (167).