Newborough’s Lisa Phillips was unable to defend her Australian Open bowls singles title last Friday.
Despite her best efforts, 2006 Commonwealth Games silver medallist Lynsey Armitage was too strong.
As the defending champion, Phillips said there was a lot of pressure on her coming into the tournament and although she did not win, she was very happy with her performance.
“I didn’t expect to get that far,” she said.
“As soon as I made the semi-final I knew that anything from there was a bonus.
“I guess in the moment I was a bit disappointed, but I can’t complain.”
Although she did not win the day, she still had the honour of being the first woman to make back-to-back singles finals.
Leading up to the tournament, Phillips was juggling a busy schedule, one that is set to continue for the next few months.
“I’m going to New Zealand on Sunday to play in the trans Tasman under 25 tournament which involves five men and five women, then I have a few Australian squad camps coming up, plus the final of the state singles,” she said.
“It’s all happening.”
Phillips now hopes to get some more practice in, as her recent heavy playing schedule has kept her away from the practice green.
“I’ll really get into some more practice; I haven’t been able to because of the tournaments,” she said.
According to Phillips, bowling was largely a mental sport, but some physical fitness was an advantage.
“The Australian coaches send through training drills that are specific to you,” she said.
“It does help to be physically fit when you’re standing outside all day in hot weather, for example.”
Beyond her upcoming competitions, Phillips was working towards selection for the World Championships, which will be held in Adelaide towards the end of the year.
“They pick six guys and six girls to represent Australia, so to make it that far would be amazing – that’s my big goal at the moment,” she said.
