Australian Karen Murphy favourite for Indoor Bowls Championship
World number four Karen Murphy will enter this year’s Australian Indoor Championships as the pre-tournament favourite but faces a cluster of contenders en route to her fifth title.
The Cabramatta ace will step onto the Tweed Head greens next week in white-hot form after riding a tidal wave of success throughout 2012, claiming her third Ladies Black Douglas title as well as securing the PBA Ladies World Match Play crown in England earlier in the year.
More recently, the Commonwealth Games gold medallist enjoyed success on the international circuit, assisting the green and gold contingent to overall honours at the SA International Series with a gold medal in the women’s triples, in addition to making the semi-finals of the World Cup before being knocked out by eventual winner, Guernsey’s Alison Merrien.
A recent pre-tournament online poll on bowlsaustralia.com.au confirmed Murphy’s early ascendency, with the star recording 42.4% of the total votes cast; 30% clear of her nearest rival.
“It’s probably one of my favourite weeks of the year,” Murphy said in the lead up to the tournament.
“I’ll be spending a bit of time over the next few weeks down on the carpet at Warilla in preparation for it.
“I always look forward to playing in the Indoor, I feel very comfortable there and enjoy playing in front of the Tweed Heads crowds.
“There are generally a few surprises in the Indoor, it’s the person that is the most consistent and draws the best that gets through to the pointy end of the competition.
“Whoever is in good touch generally comes away the winner; you can’t afford to play loose bowls.”
Having featured in a staggering five of the past six finals of the prestigious event, the Australian vice-captain will be looking to again top the dais, but faces a precarious start to her bid to retain the treasured trophy with an initial clash with former Western Australia’s bowler of the year Liz West looming large.
With a litany of stars lurking in the main field, another tantalising round one fixture boasts Australian Under-18 squad member Ellen Ryan, who triumphed at the Australian Open under-18 event in February, up against 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games silver medallist Sharyn Renshaw.
Meanwhile dual Junior Golden Nugget winner Bolivia Millerick has drawn reigning Queensland Open singles and triples champion Kay Moran, a former Scottish international, and local Tweed hope Lyn Cuthbertson will square off against female bowler of the year Natasha Van Eldik.
Australian captain Lynsey Armitage, who by her own admission is not normally known as a singles player, will look to add to her recent success in the discipline after recording historic victories in both the singles and triples of the Australian Open, and playing off against her second-in-command, Murphy, in the final of the Ladies Black Douglas singles at South Tweed.
The Australian Indoor Championships will run from August 20 to 23 at Tweed Heads Bowls Club with full results available at bowlsaustralia.com.au including free-to-view live streaming of the men’s and women’s finals.
