2021 Australian Open – Final Day wrap
Records were made on a historic final day of the 2021 Australian Open, with five disciplines culminating on the Gold Coast.
Men’s Singles
Aaron Wilson is now a two-time Australian Open champion following a sensational 21-13 win over Wayne Turley the battle of the Commonwealth Games gold medallists.
Proceedings were close at the beginning of the encounter, with touchers aplenty before a plethora of multiple scores saw Wilson pull away.
Turley would hang in for the remainder of the encounter, edging within three, but a magnificent final end four sealed the result with the Brighton Bowling Club representative and Commonwealth Games gold medallist claiming another national crown for his ever-expanding trophy cabinet.
The 29-year-old was jubilant following the victory, and despite an anxious finish he was elated with his performance.
“I’m so excited just after that last bowl, I’m over the moon,” Wilson said.
“He was coming home like a storm, I was just trying to stick to my plan and hope for the best, and here we are.”
He was also full of praise for his partner Jamie-Lee Worsnop, who enjoyed a prosperous week in her own right.
“She’s a superstar, I’m super proud of her, for her to have a week like this is fantastic.”
Women’s Pairs
Jackaroo duo Lynsey Clarke and Kelsey Cottrell claimed their second gold medal for the tournament following a monumental win over national teammates Ellen Ryan and Kristina Krstic.
After surrendering the opening end of the match Clarke and Cottrell were unflappable as their counterparts fought tooth and nail to remain in the contest.
Ultimately, a decisive 14th end saw the Queensland pair snare two shots to break the margin out to five, a bridge too far for their counterparts, with Clarke hoisting her ninth Australian Open and Cottrell her eighth.
The elation was palpable for both, and Clarke was full of praise for her skip’s quality on the green.
“I’ve been a skip so I know how important the lead is, I just wanted to get as close as possible to give Kelsey the start, she’s been playing superbly” Clarke said.
“She plays the touch shots really well, either rolling a bowl in for shot or converting a head, I knew if I did my best she would do the rest and she did.”
Over-60s Men’s Pairs
Queensland duo Neville Jenkins and Max Jaffray claimed honours in the over-60s men’s pairs, with the former Australian Senior Sides Championship winners defeating the New South Wales pairing of Phil Means and Jack Littlewood 21-12.
The pair snared four shots from the opening end before their opponents fought back, but a three shot ninth end all but sealed the result, as the Queenslanders held on for the title.
Under-18 Boys’ Singles
Coffs Harbour’s Joseph Clarke claimed honours over Bailey Meti 21-15 following a 27-end marathon.
He would led from the outset but his opponent would hang in throughout the encounter, even holding three shots before Clarke drove to perfection with the final bowl of the match to claim the trophy.
He was cheered on by his peers at St John Paul College, with the entire auditorium packed with students watching the encounter unfold.
Under-18 Girls’ singles
Young South Australian star Kate Argent-Bowden has produced a magnificent display to defeat Chloe Runge 21-9 after 19 ends.
The reigning open aged South Australian singles champion claimed the lead early and was faultless en route to her maiden Australian Open crown.
2021 Australian Open Champions
| Discipline | Winner |
| Men’s Singles | Aaron Wilson |
| Women’s Singles | Natasha Van Eldik |
| Men’s Pairs | Matt Johnstone & Cody Packer |
| Women’s Pairs | Lynsey Clarke & Kelsey Cottrell |
| Men’s Fours | Ray Pearse, Aaron Hewson, Ben Twist & David Ferguson |
| Women’s Fours | Sam Ferguson, Anne Johns, Lynsey Clarke & Kelsey Cottrell |
| Over 60s Men’s Pairs | Max Jaffray & Neville Jenkins |
| Over 60s Women’s Pairs | Maree Gibbs & Sue Brady |
| Under 18 Boys’ Singles | Joseph Clarke |
| Under 18 Girls’ Singles | Kate Argent-Bowden |
| Multi-Disability Men’s Singles | Josh Thornton |
| Multi-Disability Women’s Singles | Kim Saunders |
| Multi-Disability Open Pairs | Serena & Anthony Bonnell |
| Vision Impaired Singles | Fred McConnell |
The 2021 Australian Open was staged across the Gold Coast from June 12-25, courtesy of support from Tourism and Events Queensland and City of Gold Coast.
