The top 20 bull riders from around the province were in Williams Lake on the weekend competing for $10,000 in added prize money at the B.C. Professional Bull Riders Finals.
When the dust settled, and the final horn sounded, it was Williams Lake cowboy Colton Manuel bringing home the championship.
Manuel rode three of four bulls put in front of him on the weekend taking home $1,774 for his efforts.
His first ride on C+ Rodeo bull Turntable scored him a 68, followed by 76-point tangle with Blue Steel and an 81-point jaunt with Marvelous Moe in round four.
Right behind Manuel in second place was Riske Creek’s Ryan Jasper. Jasper rode two of four bulls — Storm Warning (80 for first place in round one) and Soda Pop (80 in round three) — to win $1,406.96.
Finishing third was Quesnel’s Steve Hohmann, scoring a combined 155 on two bulls.
Roy Call, manager of C+ Rodeos and BCPB Finals organizer, said the event was well-attended and went smoothly.
“I talked to Tammy Tugnum (Harvest Fair president) and they were very pleased with it so that’s what we need to see,” Call said.
Riske Creek’s Justin Davis also won $1,500 after being the only rider to hang on for eight seconds in the second go. Williams Lake’s Brady Fuller, after a nasty wreck Saturday, returned to win Sunday’s fourth go on Wolverine with an 85.5-point ride.
“That was a pretty good whack and it was nice to see him have some success the last day,” Call said. “It’s always better to go out when you win.”
Coming up this weekend, Sept. 14-16, are the BC Rodeo Association Finals at Quesnel’s Alex Fraser Park, where several of the BCPB riders will be back at it.