By TANIA PHILLIPS
SOUTH Tweed bowler Kelvin Kerkow should start next month’s prestigious Golden Nugget event as favourite after beating a star-studded field to take the event’s main lead-up competition at Tweed Heads Bowls Club last week.
The Australian and Commonwealth Games champion defeated Victorian Nick McIntyre to win the prestige open mixed singles.
The bowler known as Spike proved too strong and too experienced for McIntyre, defeating him 21-5 in the finals of the event. It was the third time that Kerkow had won the the mixed singles competiton, which attracted the top bowlers from all over Australia and New Zealand.
The winner receives $5000 and a wildcard entry into the prestigious Golden Nugget, being held at the club from 6 to 9 August.
As Kerkow, who has won the Nugget four times, is already in the field for this year’s event, the wildcard entry goes to McIntyre while Yvonne Lovelock, as the best performed woman, received the women’s wildcard.
The Nugget is shaping up to be one of the biggest ever in the event’s 27-year history. Defending champion, and current world singles champion Leif Selby, will be going for the double in this year’s Golden Nugget, but faces top opposition from the star-studded men’s field of Australia’s top bowlers including Australian singles representative Mark Casey, last year’s runner-up Ben Twist, and former world singles champions including Jeremy Henry, and Steve Glasson.
There will be three other previous men’s winners in the men’s field including the in-form Kerkow (1994, 1997, 2008 and 2011), Steve Glasson, (1995, 1997 and 2009), and Brett Wilkie (2010).
In the ladies’ field, defending champion and current world pairs champion Rebecca Quail is also going for the double, and faces touch opposition from a mountain of ladies talent including last year’s runner-up, and current Australian singles representative Kelsey Cottrell, 2013 Australian open singles winner Lisa Phillips, and current world singles champion Karen Murphy.
Three previous ladies winners included in this year’s field are Karen Murphy, (1996, 1997, 1999 and 2001) Jo Edwards (2009 and 2011), and Lynsey Armitage (2006)
The 2013 Golden Nugget invitation prestige singles is the “Jewel in the Crown” of tournaments in Australia held at the Tweed Heads Bowls Club, and begins on Tuesday 6 August with an opening ceremony at 11.15 am, followed by round one at 1pm. There will be two rounds each on Wednesday and Thursday before the semi-finals and finals on Friday 9 August.
THBC will again broadcast an up to date Live Scoreboard for every day, every match and every end – from their web site www.goldennugget.com.au.
