Kerkow faces nervous wait to break 11 year drought
Kelvin Kerkow faces a sleepless night to find out whether he has achieved the seemingly impossible Kelvin Kerkow OAM is one of the most widely decorated individuals in the sport of bowls, but there’s one feat that not even he has achieved; an accomplishment so seemingly impossible that it has escaped him for over a decade.
The accomplishment in question – progressing past the first day an Australian Open discipline.
And today, he came close.
So close that he could almost taste it, but then he came up against 26 year-old Jared Hamilton from NSW’s Dapto Citizens in his third sectional bout at Club Helensvale, with both on an unblemished two victories, and his hopes began to fade.
There isn’t much Kerkow hasn’t done or won on the national circuit or international stage – they even awarded him a Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to the sport – but the Australian Open had never been a happy hunting ground for the Commonwealth Games gold medallist.
Bowl after bowl, shot after shot, the likelihood of Kerkow advancing with an untarnished record narrowed.
It was Hamilton who came away with the result once the dust had settled, by a slender 1 shot, resigning Kerkow to the hopes of securing one of the 40 remaining next best qualifier positions.
His chances are good, due to his comprehensive two wins, his shot differential sits on an admirable +26.
Last year, +17 was enough to earn a place.
He will need to wait until the conclusion of the remaining men’s singles sectional rounds tomorrow before he learns his fate.
Kerkow is in illustrious company with players waiting to learn if they are a next-best-qualifier, including former world number ones Safuan Said, from Malaysia, and Leif Selby, from Warilla.
Said is likely to advance, but not guaranteed, on +25, and Selby less likely on only +13.
As predicted, many of the high-profile players made light work of the three sectional games, including Commonwealth Games gold medallist Wayne Turley, who was on the verge of having to pull out of the competition this morning.
Despite an unspecified foot injury, Turley soldiered through his Broadbeach encounters and eased his way into the knockout fixtures.
Barrie Lester and Ryan Bester went head to head in a much anticipated encounter this morning at Paradise Point with the Australian claiming the all-important victory.
Both international bowlers continued on their winning ways with Lester topping the section and Bester gathering a margin of 23 to put him in the mix for one of the 40 next best qualifying spots.
2014 Australian Open champion Nathan Wilson was another who escaped the sectional battle, and joined his brother Aaron, who won in 2013, after he progressed yesterday.
The New Zealand contingent were out in full force today, including Tweed Heads Paul Girdler and his Blackjacks teammates Ali Forsyth and Mike Nagy, and former representatives Justin Goodwin, and Gary Lawson, all going through to the next stage.
The final men’s sectional matches will be staged tomorrow, with the women’s singles also getting underway across the Gold Coast.
Section 83: Ray Jansen (MCC Kew Heights, VIC)
Section 84: Alexander Hyde (Burleigh Heads, QLD)
Section 85: Laurie Stothard (Burleigh Heads, QLD)
Section 86: Michael Vaughan (City of Frankston, VIC)
Section 87: Joel Anderson (Cabramatta, NSW)
Section 88: Robert Simmonds (Cardiff, NSW)
Section 89: Graeme Shillington (Burleigh Heads, QLD)
Section 90: Glenn Pauling (South Perth, WA)
Section 91: Nathan Wilson (Essendon, VIC)
Section 92: Todd Trewarne (Glenroy, VIC)
Section 93: Robert Bowron (Eaton, WA)
Section 94: Dave Sutherland (St Kilda, VIC)
Section 95: Robert Hector (Mayfield West, NSW)
Section 96: Thomas Allen (Woolgoolga, NSW)
Section 97: Paul Girdler (Tweed Heads, QLD)
Section 98: Ian Warner (Sebastopol, VIC)
Section 99: Phil Sharp (Lennox Head, NSW)
Section 100: Phillip Kite (Ingham, QLD)
Section 101: Tim Cunningham (The Hills, NSW)
Section 102: Michael Clarke (Merrylands, NSW)
Section 103: Muhammad Amir (Malaysia)
Section 104: Wayne Turley (Taren Point, NSW)
Section 105: Daniel Hill (Beresfield, NSW)
Section 106: Trevor Aitchison (Myfield West, NSW)
Section 107: Chris Herden (St Johns Park, NSW)
Section 108: Allan Woning (Bayswater, VIC)
Section 109: Ian Law (Burleigh Heads, QLD)
Section 110: Geoffrey Collins (Salisbury, SA)
Section 111: Scott Walker (South Perth, WA)
Section 112: Sam Dietrich (Henley Beach, SA)
Section 113: Phil Brandon (Broadbeach, QLD)
Section 114: Brett Bywater (Toombul, QLD)
Section 115: Rod Dixon (Greenslopes, QLD)
Section 116: Hank Sato (Harboad, NSW)
Section 117: Carl Fountain (Dolphin, United Kingdom)
Section 118: Sime Parancin (Wynnum, QLD)
Section 119: Jared Hamilton (Dapto Citizens, NSW)
Section 120: Jay Bye-Norris (Essendon, VIC)
Section 121: Tyson Wilson (Grange, SA)
Section 122: Phill Scott-Young (Tuncurry Beach, NSW)
Section 123: Matthew Lucas (Ivanhoe, VIC)
Section 124: Graham Skellern (Carlton Cornwall, NZ)
Section 125: Dylan Skinner (Wiseman Park, NSW)
Section 126: Dave Bennett (South Tweed, QLD)
Section 127: Max Jaffray (Tweed Heads, QLD)
Section 128: Chayne Edwards (Terrigal, NSW)
Section 129: Michael Nagy (Taren Point, NSW)
Section 130: Gary Mounsey (Musgrave Hill, QLD)
Section 131: Taylor Appleby (Kurri Kurri, NSW)
Section 132: Alan Joss (Gosford City, NSW)
Section 133: Graham Grocott (Blockhouse Bay, NZ)
Section 134: William Emerson (Aberfeldie, VIC)
Section 135: Lee Schraner (Rosny Park, TAS)
Section 136: Dylan RIley (Forster, NSW)
Section 137: David Hele (Greenslopes, QLD)
Section 138: Josh Rudd (Wodonga, VIC)
Section 139: Craig Ziebell (Pacific Paradise, QLD)
Section 140: Kevin Anderson (Broadbeach, QLD)
Section 141: Robert Langford (Blackwood, SA)
Section 142: Samuel White (Paradise Point, QLD)
Section 143: John Balzarolo (Tweed Heads, QLD)
Section 144: Jeremy Henry (Warilla, NSW)
Section 145: Ray Pickard (St Johns Park, NSW)
Section 146: Gary Lawson (Broadbeach, QLD)
Section 147: Brendon Conway (Hills District, NSW)
Section 148: Anthony Lucas (West Lakes, SA)
Section 149: Zulhilmie Redzuan (Malaysia)
Section 150: Matthew Miles (Warilla, NSW)
Section 151: Sam Laguzza (Kahibah, NSW)
Section 152: Lachlan Sims (Trevallyn, TAS)
Section 153: Michael Turner (Kingscliff, QLD)
Section 154: Alvin Gardiner (Halswell, NZ)
Section 155: Jayson Brewer (St Kilda, VIC)
Section 156: Luke Day (Broadbeach, QLD)
Section 157: Mason Lewis (Merrylands, NSW)
Section 158: Wayne Masters (Greenslopes, QLD)
Section 159: Warren Mills (Paradise Point, QLD)
Section 160: Robert Harris (South Suburban Mackay, QLD)
Section 161: Neil Fisher (Browns Bay, NZ)
Section 162: David Archer (Taieri, NZ)
Section 163: Dennis McHarry (Shepparton, VIC)
Section 164: Jayden Christie (Helensvale, QLD)
Section 165: Len Henry (Broadbeach, QLD)
Section 166: Steven Massey (Kingscliff, NSW)
Section 167: Justin Goodwin (Eastbourne, NZ)
Section 168: Rob Glen (Warilla, NSW)
Section 169: John Aldridge (Rosanna, VIC)
Section 170: Paul Anderson (Mt Maunganui, NZ)
Section 171: Ali Forsyth (Clayton, VIC)
Section 172: Nathan Wise (St Johns Park, NSW)
Section 173: Chris O’Meagher (Melbourne, VIC)
Section 174: Sanjhe Prasad (Riverside,NZ)
Section 175: Mac McLean (Weston Creek, ACT)
Section 176: Michael Bannah (Paradise Point, QLD)
Section 177: Barrie Lester (Mulgrave Country Club, VIC)
Click here to view the sectional results for the men’s singles.
