Jock Connolly was crowned Australian Champion, Ben Jones won the event and 18-year-old Jesse Van Nek took the Australian Rookie of the Year title at Saturday night’s 2011 Professional Bull Riders Australian Cup Series National Finals at Acer Arena.

Connolly’s lock on the Australian title earned the 34-year-old a berth at the PBR World Finals in Las Vegas this October, and Jones’ win upped him one spot in the world qualifier standings.

“It’s pretty hard to ride bad when you got a crowd like this in front of you,” said Jones of the 7,000-strong assembly.

“I wouldn’t nod my head if I didn’t think I could win,” he said.

An emotional Connolly, who’d led the standings for the run of the Australian competition, was at a loss for words. “I’ll come back to you,” he said, when asked about becoming Australian Champion.

Connolly, the oldest rider in the PBR Australian Cup Series, likes nothing better than pulling out a great ride in front of younger riders.

“My body still feels good, it still feels good to ride, and I want to keep going while that’s all in order,” he’d said once before when asked about being the most senior of the bunch.

The youngest rider of the pack, Van Nek, who got his card the day he turned 18, jumped a plane for the United States a week later and qualified for the 2011 Australian Cup Series from points earned riding there, was aiming for the rookie title, but didn’t know if he’d get it.

“I didn’t even know how many points I had, I just ride my bulls. I love bull riding,” he said.

It was the riders’ night in the National Finals of the 2011 PBR Australian Cup Series, with the 22-man posse dominating the bulls from the get-go.

Fifteen of the 22 covered their bulls in Round 1, with Jason Mara leading the charge with 88 points on Dodge City.

New Zealand’s Fraser Babbington, who’d taken title at the Troy Dunn Invitational in Townsville on June 25, clocked in next with an 87.5 on Dominator.

Canada’s Zane Lambert and American Harve Stewart got equal 87s on their bulls Strike Force and Hollywood Boulevard, and Jones went 86.5 on Bowie.

Eight riders covered in Round 2: Jared and Pete Farley, Babbington, Van Nek, Jones, Luke Snyder, Lambert and Jason O’Hearn.

It was neck-and-neck going into the championship round. Van Nek led with 174 points, Jones was in second with 173.5, Jared Farley in third with 172, Babbington had 169.5, Lambert 169, Snyder 167, O’Hearn 164.5, and Pete Farley 164 points.

Six out of the eight scored.

Pete Farley loaded up the pressure with 89 on Inmate, becoming the first to score on three bulls.

O’Hearn, second in the Australian standings, went down early to Bambino and dashed his hopes at becoming Australian Champion.

Last year’s event winner Snyder took the lead by a point and a half with an 87.5 on Bambi’s Blood, and held the top spot while Lambert lost out to Up In Smoke.

Babbington powered a mighty 90.5 on Zee Force, a bull who had bucked him off twice before, and overtook Snyder.

Jared Farley got a reride on Warchief and was last out of the gate for an 88 on Strike Force.

Jones had chosen That’s Gold – the bull who was crowned both Champion of the Event and of the Year – for his final-round trip, and danced all the way home with the night’s highest score, 91 points.

Van Nek bucked out an 89 on 2010’s champion bull, Lab Rat, but the night belonged to Jones.

With just over a point between them, Jones took the event title with 264.5, Van Nek was next with 263, and Jared Farley and Babbington came in third with 260.

Connolly’s 83 on Red River in Round 1 – even though he didn’t cover Jumanji in Round 2 or make the championship round – was enough to cement the championship.

— courtesy PBR Australia and the PR Company