Lee Schraner & Laini McGorman win 2023 Australian Champion of Champions
Day 2 of the 2023 Australian Champion of Champions took place on Saturday, 7th October 2023 at Sorrento Bowling Club in Western Australia.
BHBR’s Brenton Coad faced Algester’s Glen Pitts (QLD), Raymond Terrace’s Lee Schraner (NSW) and Darwin’s Daniel Baker (NT) on Day 2 and was gallant in defeat in all three matches, rounding out an excellent tournament by the Victoria Bowling Club bowler.
Brenton’s performance to reach The Nationals against Australia’s best state bowlers, combined with Sebastopol’s Greg Brown finishing equal third in the recent Australian Indoor Championships at Club Tweed, is testament to the Ballarat Highlands Bowls Region.
As for the Champion of Champions winners, some players just seem to dominate certain events, and that is the case for Lee Schraner in this one as the New South Wales’ product claimed an unprecedented fourth title in the competition.
South Australia’s Laini McGorman took home her maiden gold in the women’s event.
Lee Schraner wins Men’s title
Lee’s morning commenced with a titanic tussle against Craig Mills, who raced out to a 5-0 buffer early before the match became a genuine arm wrestle.
The former BPL Cup champion held a 20-19 lead before the New South Welshman netted a two on the 30th and final end to clinch the epic matchup.
With one match to play before his bye in the final round, Lee would need take down Victoria’s Brenton Coad to seal his fourth crown, and he did so with a 21-5 scoreline to become the first bowler to achieve the feat at the tournament.
To make matters more impressive, the Raymond Terrace product has now conquered the event for three different states in Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales.
Western Australian Jack East took home the silver, while Queensland’s Glen Pitts won bronze.
Men’s singles:
Gold: Lee Schraner (NSW)
Silver: Jack East (WA)
Bronze: Glen Pitts (QLD)
Men’s Champion of Champions Ladder
Laini McGorman captures Women’s crown
In the women’s field, Laini McGorman endured a shaky start to the morning with a 21-16 defeat at the hands of Samantha Ferguson.
The South Australian boasted a 16-11 lead after 14 ends in a high scoring contest before her counterpart stormed home to extend her unbeaten run to four matches and inflict Laini’s first blemish of the event.
In the box seat to claim the gold medal, Samantha would face Australian Open women’s singles winner Cassandra Millerick in the penultimate round, with Laini to take on the home state’s Chris Ace-Watson.
Cassie would emerge victorious 21-10 in the Victoria versus New South Wales battle, while the South Australian took down Chris with a 21-12 triumph.
Heading into the final matchups, Samantha held onto top spot with a gap of 12 to Laini on the shot difference tally.
However, she was unable to defeat Tasmania’s Rae Simpson in the concluding encounter, meaning that the Adelaide Bowling Club exponent would simply need to overcome Queensland’s Julia Brownie to claim gold.
Laini would oblige, defeating her adversary 21-10 to net her maiden crown at the tournament and become the second ever South Australian female to win the Champion of Champions after Rina Bradbrook in 2010.
Samantha would take silver and Cassie rounded out the podium in third.
Women’s singles:
Gold: Laini McGorman (SA)
Silver: Samantha Ferguson (NSW)
Bronze: Cassandra Millerick (VIC)
Women’s Champion of Champions Ladder
Women’s Champion Laini McGorman at Sorrento
Photos and portion of article courtesy of Bowls Australia website.