2024 Australian Open: Day 1 recap
The biggest Australian Open in history got under way on the Gold Coast on Saturday, with the first third of men’s singles sectional action taking place.
119 sections of men’s singles took to greens across the 14 host clubs across the sunny Gold Coast.
Reigning back-to-back singles champion and Australian Jackaroo Aron Sherriff opened his campaign on familiar greens at his home club Broadbeach, notching three wins from as many matches, despite an early test from Port Melbourne’s Chris Owen, edging ahead to a 21-16 win.
Fellow Right at Home Jackaroos teammates Matt Lucas, Aaron Teys, Nathan Black & Carl Healey all ensured their spots in the knockout stages thanks to unblemished days.
Teys’ three wins were by a combined total of 44 shots with Black getting close to that on 43, while Lucas amassed a margin of 28 and Healey topped them all with a shot difference of 50 from his three matches.
Other Jackaroo feeder squad members in action on day one included Dale McWhinney-Shillington, Chris Rosanes and Flynn O’Shaughnessy all booked passage through the sectional rounds after successful days.
Right at Home Para Jackaroo Josh Barry went undefeated on the Gold Coast, while one of the upsets of the day saw World Bowls Championships gold medallist Damien Delgado eliminated after finishing second in his pool.
The Malaysian international contingent of Izzat Dzulkeple and Muhammad Ramlin ensured their progression, while the Western Australian trio of Blake Nairn, Dale Marsland and Jack East made it out of their groupings.
Other internationals to progress were Ireland’s Adam McKeown, New Zealand’s Mark Noble, while other notables such as Barrie Lester, Wayne Turley OAM, Sean Ingham, 2023 boys singles champion Riley Gerick, Josh Walker-Davis and Corey Hicks will feature in the knockout rounds.
Men’s singles action will continue across the Gold Coast on Sunday, with sections 120-238 getting under way.
The 2024 Australian Open will run from the June 8-21, 2024 on the Gold Coast in Queensland with Rinkside Live coverage from 9am AEST daily on Bowls Australia’s Facebook page & YouTube channel.
