2024 Oceania Challenge: Day 2 recap
The first medals have been awarded at the 2024 Oceania Challenge with the Right at Home Australian Performance Pathways team member Jack Lewis clinching gold in the men’s singles in New Zealand.
Lewis would negotiate his way through the decisive sectional matchup in the morning session thanks to a 10-3 8-3 win over the Cook Islands to finish behind his Blackjacks Under-26 rival in Aiden Takarua.
Aotearoa Māori would await in the semifinal, with the Engadine product more than up for the challenge to take a scintillating 11-6 6-6 salutation to set up a rematch with Takarua in the decider.
The Australian took a three in the opening end before his counterpart reciprocated immediately before gaining the upper hand to lead 7-5 with an end to play.
Lewis played a mighty seventh exchange, superbly sitting his opponent’s bowl out to make a resounding triple and take the opening stanza by a solitary shot.
His foot was firmly to the accelerator, pinching a maximum count of four in the first end of the second, maintaning the advantage to record an 8-7 11-6 win and his maiden international gold medal.
Victoria’s Samantha Atkinson’s women’s singles campaign was halted early after a 7-4 6-7 6-0 defeat at the hands of Tokelau.
In the men’s fours action, the green and gold squad of Joseph Clarke, Beau Prideaux, Jack McShane and Cohen Litfin booked passage into Saturday’s semifinal against Tonga after topping their section thanks to a 14-1 6-4 victory against the Cook Islands.
It was similar fortunes for the women’s quartet of Sophie Kurzman, Kate Argent-Bowden, Chloe Morrison and Olivia Cartwright, who will also meet the Tongan team in the final four after remaining second in their pool.
The Australians’ final group matchup came against Tokelau, which they comfortably triumphed 13-8 7-1.
Pairs play kicked off on Friday in addition to the singles and fours, with the Australian Open men’s pairs winners in Clarke and McShane splitting their ledger to finish the day second in section two.
First up for the duo was Tokelau, who were able to rally and overcome the Australians 4-9 8-2 4-3 before the New South Welshman rebounded to overcome Tonga 14-4 5-5 in their final matchup.
Kurzman and Atkinson would represent the team in the women’s pairs and like their men’s compatriots they would also round out play with a win and a loss.
After trouncing New Zealand in the opening stanza, the Blackjacks lineup upped their intensity to record a 2-12 8-7 2-1 win.
The Australian’s managed to get on the board with a 6-5 8-8 win against the Cook Islands to finish the afternoon and finish second on the ladder.
In triples action, Cartwright, Argent-Bowden and Morrison went unblemished from their two contests with a 4-8 5-4 4-2 victory against New Zealand before overcoming the Cook Islands 9-2 14-3 to round out the day behind Samoa, who top the section on net sets.
Prideaux, Lewis and Litfin also enjoyed an undefeated afternoon thanks to a 12-3 13-2 against Tokelau before a brilliant 13-1 17-0 win against Tonga to top the group.
View the results and standings HERE
The 2024 Oceania Challenge runs from November 21-24, 2024, in New Zealand. Live streaming will take place from Friday the 22nd to Sunday the 24th on the Bowls New Zealand YouTube channel.
