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Uralla Bull Rider Upstages Class Field in Cunnamulla

11/16/2010

CUNNAMULLA FELLA FESTIVAL PBR CHALLENGER SERIES
CUNNAMULLA, QLD
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2010

Uralla Bull Rider Upstages Class Field in Cunnamulla

New South Wales bull rider Duncan Elks upstaged a high-class field of Australia’s top cowboys to claim victory in Saturday night’s Cunnamulla Fella Festival PBR Challenger Series.

Despite constant rain, almost 1500 fans packed Cunnamulla’s John Kerr Park to watch the three-hour bull-riding extravaganza. With favourites David Kennedy, Pete and Jared Farley and Chris Lowe failing to fire, Uralla’s Duncan Elks took full advantage with a pair of gritty qualified rides.

In the long round 23-year-old Elks went the distance on Baillie Rodeo Company’s bull Flo Rider. Although not a sensational score, his 78.5 points was enough to get Duncan Elks into the championship round and within striking distance of his second PBR victory of 2010.

When Elks climbed aboard Paul Barron’s legendary bull Hollywood Boulevard in the championship round, the event leader board had him in sixth place. When the eight-second hooter sounded Elks had ridden the massive beast and shot to the lead. With the final three riders unable to cover their bulls, Elks pocketed the winner’s cheque and the opal encrusted prize buckle.

“It’s been a pretty good year, but I always feel I can do better,” Elks said of his Cunnamulla victory, which sees him finish the PBR Challenger Series in ninth place on the Australian standings, with five top ten finishes from eight starts, including two event wins.

Brett Hanrahan from Rockley, NSW grabbed second place at the Cunnamulla Fella Festival PBR Chalenger Series, with a round-high score of 87 points in the long round. Hanrahan, who has battled a chronic injury for much of the year, put together a great ride on George Ayres’ I’m Wild Too. The podium finish was especially sweet for Hanrahan as it secures his spot in the 2010 PBR National Finals, coming up in Tamworth on November 26 and 27.

Another feature of the Cunnamulla Fella Festival PBR Challenger Series is the Mayor’s Challenge, in which seven shires from southwest Queensland and northwest NSW each sponsor a bull rider. The rider with the highest score at the end of the night wins for his shire mayor the prestigious brass statue of the Cunnamulla Fella. The winner of the 2010 Mayor’s Challenge was Murweh Shire, whose rider David Mason hung tough for the required eight seconds on Stuart Timm’s Jeepers Creepers for a score of 80.5 points.

With the final round of the 2010 PBR Challenger Series now complete, the PBR excitement machine rolls into Tamworth for the season’s finale, the 2010 PBR National Finals. With five of the world’s richest cowboys up against the best 25 bull riders in Australia, this is action sport at its very best.

With the nation’s fiercest beasts and the world’s toughest athletes combined with rock concert-style music, lighting and pyrotechnics, monster video screens for instant replays and the wall-to-wall excitement of a PBR show, the 2010 PBR National Finals is one sporting event not to be missed. Tickets are still available but selling fast for both nights, so fans are advised to purchase their seats in advance to avoid disappointment.

Cunnamulla Fella Festival PBR Challenger Series Results:
1. Duncan Elks Uralla, NSW 166.0 points
2. Brett Hanrahan Rockley, NSW 87.0 points
3. Luke Nichols Jerry’s Plains, NSW 86.5 points
4. Cameron Taylor Yuleba, Qld 85.0 points
5. Grant Wells Boulia, Qld 83.5 points

PBR Australia Season Standings:
1. David Kennedy Kyogle, NSW 3906.0 points
2. Chris Lowe Uralla, NSW 3256.0 points
3. Troy Wilkinson Upper Horton, NSW 2977.5 points
4. Jim Rowsell Goondiwindi, Qld 2619.0 points
5. Matt Postle Mundubbera, Qld 2457.5 points

2010 Professional Bull Riders National Finals
Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre (AELEC)
503 Goonoo Goonoo Rd, Hillvue (Tamworth), NSW
November 26 & 27, 8.00pm
Tickets from: Tourism Tamworth on 02 6767 5300 or www.visittamworth.com
Ticket Prices: Platinum $80, Gold $60, Silver $40, Bronze $20 (Bronze now sold out)