Bowlers hunt Nugget

PURE GOLD: Defending Golden Nugget champion Carmen Anderson ready for action. Photo: John Gass TWE080811nugget

THEY'VE converged on Tweed Heads Bowls Club from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania and even from as far away as New Zealand and South Africa.

All are vying for not only the riches on offer – $32,000 in prizemoney – but for the prestige of winning the most respected tournament on the Australian bowls calendar – the 2011 Golden Nugget Invitational Prestige Singles.

The silver anniversary tournament – it commenced in 1986 – has attracted arguably the hottest line-up of women and men bowlers to contest the tournament. And that is saying something because down the years, the honour board is littered with the names of the greatest bowlers to ever grace a green.

The first men's singles final gave promise of what was to come.

The final brought together two of the legends of the sport – Ken Williams and Rob Parella – both men are in the twilights of their remarkable careers but showed brilliant form throughout the tournament to meet in the game that matters.

In a heart-stopping decider, Williams won 31-30 in a game in which both men delved deep into their extraordinary bag of tricks to thrill the packed house.

The high standard of play has been emulated many times down the years since with a “who's who” of bowling superstars having their names etched onto the honour board including the likes of Ian Schuback, Kelvin Kerkow, Steve Halmai, Steve Glasson, Fay Craig, Edda Bonutto, Karen Murphy and Carmen Anderson.

The Golden Nugget is split into men's and women's events, with 12 males and females doing battle in sectional play which started yesterday and continues throughout today and tomorrow.

Semi-finals are scheduled for Thursday morning and the men's and women's finalists will get out on the green later that afternoon.

Each of the competitions are split into two sections – each bowler plays the other five in the section with the top two from each section progressing to the semi-finals.

The winner of section A will play the runner-up in section B and the winner of section B faces the runner-up in section A.

The beaten semi-finalists are declared equal third and receive prizemoney of $1500, leaving the finalists to battle it out for the $6000 winner's cheque, while the runner-up receives $3000.

There is also $50 up for grabs in each game within the sectional side of the tournament, so if the eventual winner goes through the tournament undefeated, he and she can take home $6500.

Tweed Heads' Carmen Anderson and Queenslander, Brett Wilkie, are back to defend their crowns – both will be striving to become the first bowlers to win back to back Golden Nuggets.

“Some marvellous bowlers have tried to win two on the trot down the years but 24 years on, not one man or woman has been able to achieve the goal,” tournament director Greg Kelly said.