Tasmania Tridents struggle in BPL
A Bowls Report for The Mercury
by Peter Kirby
The Bowls Premier League (BPL) is being held at Club Pine Rivers in Queensland from Monday to Friday this week. The BPL is the sport’s made-for-television, showpiece event, the Twenty20 of bowls- it is fast, it is loud, it attracts the world’s best bowlers, and it appeals to non-bowlers who may have seen bowls in a different light in the past.
The Tasmania Tridents, the all-Tasmanian line-up headlined by dual Commonwealth Games gold medallist and world champion Rebecca Van Asch, alongside the experienced hand of former Australian Indoor Championships runner-up and current Tasmanian Champion of Champions winner Mark Nitz and current Tasmanian Fours Championship winner Taelyn Male, with one-time Australian Jackaroo Mark Strochnetter assuming the coaching duties, represent the state in the BPL.
A slow start to Day 1 against the Gold Coast Hawks resulted in a straight sets loss for the Tridents 3-4, 1-7. Playing with greater resolve in game 2 brought up a much-needed win over the Moama Steamers with a 1-0 tie breaker win after sharing the two sets, 4-5, 4-2. A wayward last end of the first set of the Tridents’ last game of Day 1 gifted Melbourne Extreme 3 shots, and a 6-5 win. Set 2 was a tight struggle throughout, ending in a 5-al draw, enabling Melbourne to claim victory.
Day 2 could not have begun any worse for the Tridents, dropping the first set to the Sydney Lions, 0-7, then to recover in the second set 7-6 to force a tie breaker set, which the Tridents lost 0-2. Game 2 of Day 2 and another heartbreaking loss in a tie breaker set to Melbourne Pulse, 0-4, after splitting the sets, 1-7, 5-4.
Desperately needing a win to stay in the race for a finals spot, the Tridents dug deep to defeat Adelaide Pioneers 6-2, 4-8 and 2-0 in the tiebreaker. In their final game on Day 2, which was shown live on Fox Sports and Kayo, the Tridents won their second game in a row to defeat Perth Suns in straight sets 4-3 and 7-5. The Tridents have won just three of their first seven games but will take confidence from winning their final two games of day two to finish the day in eighth position.
Locally, Bowls Tasmania South’s Championship events for 2022-23 commence on Sunday, 13 November with Beltana Bowls Club hosting the Men’s Open and B Grade Fours. The Women’s Open and B Grade Fours commence on Friday 18 November, and will be hosted by Claremont Bowls Club.