BENDIGO’S Amelia Bruggy was so excited to be playing in Thursday’s women’s fours final at the Australian Open she was up at 2am getting ready.
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On the eve of the final Bruggy woke up during the night and mistakenly read the time on her phone as 6am, instead of 2am.
“I got in the shower, got dressed, started to cook breakfast and then realised it wasn’t actually 6am, it was 2am,” Bruggy said on Friday.
“I was pumped and ready to go… I could have sworn my phone said 6am.
“It took a little while to get back to sleep after the adrenaline had started to kick in, but I got there eventually.”
While she may not have had the best preparation sleep-wise, Bruggy teamed with Kyneton’s Chloe Stewart (now at Broadbeach), Tiffany Brodie (Fitzroy) and Georgia White (Helensvale) to win the women’s fours at the Australian Open being played on the Gold Coast.
The quartet beat the team of Sam Shannahan, Kylie Whitehead, Tayla Spence and Kristina Krstic 16-13.
The victorious team – which collected $12,000 for its win – was skippered by Stewart, who earlier this year moved from Kyneton to the Gold Coast-based Broadbeach Bowling Club.
Bruggy played as the second in the team.
“I’m so stoked to have won it with the girls,” Bruggy said.
“We went in expecting it to be a really tough game, but we had an awesome team… we all get along so well and I’ve had great fun in all the games.
“We’ve played to enjoy it and have been able to come out on top, so it was awesome and we all played our part.”
As well as the women’s fours, Bruggy – supported by Travelcentre Bendigo – also competed in the women’s pairs and singles and under-18 singles at the Australian Open.
Bruggy, aged 17 and in year 12 at Catholic College Bendigo, has been playing lawn bowls for the past eight years.
Next on the horizon for Bruggy is playing for Victoria in an under-18 Test against Tasmania next month, while the Junior Golden Nugget tournament back in Queensland is also looming.
Bruggy plays pennant locally for Bendigo in the Bendigo Bowls Division.
Last season she became the first female teenager to play division one pennant in the BBD, while two years ago she became the youngest Bendigo Bowls Club ladies champion at the age of 15.
Meanwhile, Bendigo-raised Aaron Wilson was beaten 21-17 in the semi-finals of the Australian Open men’s singles event by Aron Sheriff.
