IT was a night to remember for bull riding at the Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre on Saturday night for the 15th annual PBR Troy Dunn Invitational where they witnessed one of the most competitive events in the history of the sport in Australia.
The 5000 strong crowd provided the atmosphere that would see both international and Australian riders deliver some great rides in the early rounds of the competition, setting up the event for an exciting finale in the Championship Round.
Round one would see twelve riders make the eight second whistle with Troy Dunn's nephew, Roy Dunn delivering the highest score of the round with an 85 point ride.
With the momentum well underway it was both Cody Heffernan and Jason Mara that would deliver the highest scores of Round 2, both marking 88 points each.
A full gallery from the night can be accessed by clicking on the photo below.
At the conclusion of Round 2, twelve riders were successful in covering their bulls, in total seven of which were successful on their two rides with Jason Mara from Cloncurry taking the early lead in the competition with 172 points, positioning himself for the first pick in the bull draft.
Filling at the remaining seven positions were Silvano Alves on 170.5 points, Dave Mason on 170 points, Matt Triplett on 169 points, Robson Palermo on 166.5, brother in laws Ben Seeds and Ryan Storey on 166 and filling the remaining position was Cody Heffernan on 88 points.
Matt Triplett would be the first rider in the Champion Round to make a qualified ride, marking 88 points board Rebel Yell giving him a three bull total of 257 points.
Eventual winner, Dave Mason rode like a man possessed all night not getting bucked once. In the championship round he sealed the deal riding Grasshopper for the highest score of the night with 89.5 points for a total of 259.5 points.
Sure-fire future Pro Rodeo Hall of Famer, Silvano Alves, Pilar Do Sul, Brazil, doused Firecracker for 87.5 points. His final ride gave him a total of 258 points after his three rides just 1.5 points shy of Mason.
