Bernard Lim Wins 2026 Melbourne IO

A small but quality field contested the Melbourne International Open on Saturday 8^th August at the East Ivanhoe Bowling Club. The tournament included 4 players that will be competing at the FISTF World Cup in Paris next month.

There was an early surprise in the group stage when second seed Peter Thomas was held 0-0 by Nick Brill. This meant Peter needed to defeat Eliot Kennedy in the final game to claim top spot. Peter rose the the challenge, beating Eliot 4-1.

Top seed Bernard Lim comfortably took out Group 1, with 3 straight wins, 10 goals scored and none conceded. Brisbane’s Giuseppe Tardiota progressed in second place thanks to his 3-2 over Nathan Urbaniak.

Group 3 was tightly contested. Benji Batten’s final round draw with Vikas Chandiramani was enough to see him top the group, with Vikas also progressing to the barrage. A highlight of the group games was Benji’s 8-3 win over Kevin Grant.

The barrage saw Giuseppe Tardiota take out a tight 1-0 win over Benji Batten who failed to make the most of numerous chances to score after conceding. Eliot Kennedy also progressed 1-0 over Vikas Chandiramani.

In the semis, the top two seeds overcame their opponents. Bernard won 2-1 over Eliot. Eliot had the consolation of a great equalising goal (and celebration!) following a curl flick that wound back the clock. In the other semi, Peter stepped up another level to win 5-0 over Giuseppe.

The final was a tight affair, but not without chances. Bernard defended valiantly against ongoing attacks from Peter. Bernard was not without his chances either and could have taken the victory in extra time with a great late chance. However, the contest remained scoreless. This continued for Peter in the penalty shootout, with Bernard prevailing 2-0 to take the title back to Singapore.

In the consolation WASPA plate event, Nick Brill from the Tumbleweeds club took out the tournament on penalties as well, following a 2-2 draw in the final against Nathan Urbaniak.