In arguably the most picturesque Australian Open ever conducted against a backdrop of the Tweed River, perennial topliner Mick Dyett claimed his third national title at Tweed Heads in November.
Mick recorded a comfortable 13-3 win over Yalli Pleshett in the final, after cruising through most rounds in a field of 96 (including buybacks). Darren O’Shaugnessy and Ken Vaughan were semi-finalists.
The Masters was won by comeback star Ian Dunstan. The four-time Australian Open winner showed he had lost none of his brilliance after an extended absence with a hard-fought win over Martin Sagradian in the 15-point final. Semi-finalists in the 32-strong field were Grant Hoffman and Chris White.
Rob Dartnell defeated Jenny Saunders, who had overcome Mick Dyett in the semi-final, to win the Speed Championship. The other semi-finalist was Steve Roberts.
The Doubles Championship was taken out by the aptly-named Beauty and the Beast. Trudy Hemetsberger teamed up with regular partner Steve Roberts to beat Tatiana Infinity and Cindy Belonogoff in the 9-point final.
Conducted for the first time at the southern end of the Gold Coast, the three-day championship was a huge success. It was the subject of Ed Hall’s introductory Over The Board podcast, for which he interviewed players throughout the weekend.
