LYONS ONLY QUEENSLANDER IN TOP EIGHT

Photo of Jill Lyons by Dave Ethell – www.dephotos.com.au



JILL Lyons might feel a bit lonely going into the barrel race at the
Warwick Rodeo Australian Championships, she is the only Queenslander in
the top-eight.

In a change to the format for the championships, each of the riders will
receive carryover points from their performances on the 2015 pro tour into
the four finals rounds at the Warwick Showgrounds on October 22-25.

Lyons lives at Gracemere and goes into the championships in third place in
the standings.

She led the standings early in the season before Victorian young gun
Shianne O’Donoghue-Kent transferred her brilliant form as a junior into
the senior ranks to easily finish on top in the barrel race.

Gundagai (NSW) rider Adele Edwards is second in the rankings going into
the championships.

The second-best placed Queenslander going into the championships is
Rockhampton rider Jamie-Lee Williams who is ninth just ahead of Hughenden
rider Tenielle Middleton and Wandoan cowgirl Rachel Little.

  Emerald rider Leanne Kenny has qualified for the championships in 14th
place but with the second least carryover points going into the four
finals rounds in Warwick, she will almost certainly need a place in each
round to challenge for the title buckle.

The biggest prize for cowgirls at Warwick will be the all around title and
five riders have qualified for both the barrel race and breakaway roping
and are eligible to go for the all around title.

O’Donoghue-Kent led the standings at the end of the season from Table Top
(NSW) rider Stephanie Gard and past all around winner Wendy Caban from
Moree.

Leslie Moore from Lockington in Victoria is fourth in all around
standings. Nichole Fitzpatrick from Willow Tree (NSW) won last year’s all
around title and will go into the championships in sixth place in the all
around, fifth in barrel race and 12th in breakaway roping.

The Victorian chance for the all around title will be in the hands of
Tammy Woodall who hails from Winnap. She finished the season ninth in the
all around.

There will be one round in the Australian championships in all eight APRA
events each day as well as second-division and junior events at the
Warwick Rodeo Australian Championships on October 22-25.

APRA Program: October 21 Hobart Show Bulls and Barrels (Tas); October
22-25 Warwick Rodeo Australian Championships (Qld)..