Goulburn’s Ellen Ryan, 20, is the Australian Women’s Singles Bowls Champion again.
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She regained the title on Thursday before finishing runners up just hours later in the Australian Fours Championship.
On Friday, June 23 she added the 2017 Pairs Championship to her trophy list teaming with Julie Keegan of Broadbeach Qld, who was also in fours team with Ryan.
Ryan was also named overall player of the Australian Championships.
Ryan first won the Australian Singles title at Broadbeach in June 2015 and missed out in 2016, but on Thursday she regained the crown with another clinically executed performance. She has become only the second female bowler in the history of the Australian Open to win dual Australian Open Singles titles after comprehensively defeated Gold Coast local Georgia White 21-11.
Ryan has previously told the Goulburn Post that she enjoys playing at the Broadbeach Bowling Club, which is set to be the venue for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Ryan dominated the match from the start, jumping out to a huge 19-4 lead; stamping her authority against her less experienced opponent. White was a member of the winning Australian Open Fours Team in 2016.
Despite the score line heavily favouring the Australian representative, Georgia White surged for five ends in a row to hit double figures; however Ryan made sure no big counts were dropped and waited for her chance to pounce on the trophy. Ryan pocketed a cool $13,000 for winning this year's singles event
Her big pay day is likely to be topped off with a bonus $1500 for being named the 2017 Player of the Tournament, (from both the men’s and women’s competitions) an accolade, confirmed after the Men’s Singles final today.
With the 2018 Commonwealth Games looming Ellen Ryan’s achievements here at the Australian Open will go a long way in securing her a dream selection in her first benchmark international event.
“ I had tried not to put too much pressure on myself during the tournament, which is the biggest in Australia,” Ryan said. “ I played each game as it came and was able to win through the knockout rounds to the finals.”
“Before the Australian titles I had been playing first the Trans Tasman test against New Zealand, as a member of the Australian Jackaroos’ Development Team, which we won two to one.
“Then I played in the Open team in the Multi Nations Tournament against Scotland, Hong Kong, Malaysia New Zealand and Canada, my first international cap for Australia.
“In the finals of the fours against our other Australian team and we won gold.
“In the triples I was in the bronze medal team, who beat Scotland.”
Thursday, last week, after winning the Australian Women’s Singles Championship, Ryan teamed up with Karen Murphy, Kay Moran and Julie Keegan in the $18,000 Australian Women’s Fours Final against defending champions Tiffany Brodie, Amelia Bruggy, Georgia White and Chloe Stewart.
On this occasion the defending champions narrowly beat the three Cabramatta Bowling Club team mates and Julie Keegan from Broadbeach in the closest fours finish imaginable, which went to extra ends.
A full report on this game can be found on the Bowls Australia website or follow the links through their Facebook page.
Ryan said on Sunday after returning home to Goulburn that she had missed all her friends here, after being away except for two days between the Multi Nation Tournament and the Australian Championships.
“I am looking forward to getting back to work at Goulburn High, where I work as an admin assistant,” she said. “I was thinking of the staff there while I was away, because they were going through some major changes in the administration system and I could not be there to help.
“My Jackaroos teammates are like a second family when I am away and I was lucky enough to have mum and Mac (Fife) up there to cheer me on too.
“I would like to thank everyone here including Goulburn High for their support and wishes while I was away competing, it does mean a lot to me.”
Ryan said she was looking forward to getting back on the football paddock on Sunday afternoon to play soccer for the Strikers State League One women’s side and catch up with more of her friends.
Ellen Ryan’s road to the singles final:
- Round of 32- defeated Denise Huender 21-16
- Round of 16- defeated Azlina Arshad (MAL) 21-10
- Quarter-final- defeated Claire Turley 21-13
- Semi-final-defeated Elma Davis (RSA) 21-11
- Final- defeated Elma Davis 21-11