Sport
1 December, 2022
Five points separate top three on Saturday ladder
There were more twists and turns in the lawn bowls Saturday pennant, with division one’s ladder now seperated by just five premiership points from first to third. In the biggest game of the round, Talbot Gold proved they can be a premiership...
There were more twists and turns in the lawn bowls Saturday pennant, with division one’s ladder now seperated by just five premiership points from first to third.
In the biggest game of the round, Talbot Gold proved they can be a premiership threat with a nine-shot victory over Dunolly Blue, despite the latter winning two of the rinks.
A 25-19 victory on rink one gave Dunolly Blue the edge, which was further solidified by a 23-20 victory on rink two. But Talbot Brown’s ace up their sleeves came on rink three, with a 28-10 win ensuring they were able to turn things around and move to within five points of new ladder-leaders Highland Tartan.
Tartan’s cause was helped by taking the sweep against their Red counterparts, with a 78-42 victory giving them 16 premiership points.
A 26-15 victory on rink one was just what Tartan needed for a quick start, and further 27-12 and 25-15 wins on rinks two and three allowed them to take top spot on the ladder.
Dunolly Gold took fourth spot on the ladder thanks to a crucial 62-56 victory, achieved despite losing two rinks to Maryborough Golf Blue.
A 33-9 victory on rink one made all the difference for Dunolly Gold, as they were able to hold off a fightback from Golf Blue which saw them win 26-10 on rink two and 21-19 on rink three, moving 10 points clear of Golf Blue in fourth.
Newstead Blue were finally able to celebrate their first victory of the season, defeating Avoca 63-47. And in a curious theme across most of division one, they also won despite losing two rinks.
Winning 32-11 on rink one gave Newstead Blue the opportunity to keep Avoca at arm’s length, and they were able to succeed despite losing 16-15 and 20-16 on rinks two and three.
Despite the win, Newstead Blue remains rooted to the bottom of the ladder, four points behind Highland Red.
Division two now looks like it will be a race of six teams following the weekend’s action.
Maryborough Golf Gold made Dunolly Green’s task for the remainder of the season very difficult, taking the sweep to move 21 points clear in sixth, while also keeping their finals chances alive.
A 22-18 victory on rink one ensured Golf Gold would make a good start, before 28-11 and 24-19 wins on rinks two and three ensured they would also take some much-needed percentage into their battle for fourth.
Highland White maintained their unbeaten run and top spot on the ladder, but they were made to work for it all the way by Talbot Brown, who eventually fell 53-58.
A 23-14 victory on rink one gave Highland White the upper hand, but Talbot Brown had the best response possible on rink two, winning 21-10. With plenty on the line for both teams, it was Highland White that maintained top spot, taking a 25-18 victory on rink three.
Carisbrook increased their percentage and simulataneously kept pace with Highland White thanks to a 99-36 win over Newstead White.
A 27-16 win on rink one was just the tonic Brook needed to get the jump on the struggling Newstead White, before 32-13 and 40-7 wins on rinks two and three ensured they would go into the halfway point of the season with a league-leading per-centage of 175.45, and just 10 premiership points behind Highland White.
Maldon’s victory over Avoca Gold ensured that they would move into third place on the ladder as they took advantage of Talbot Brown’s loss to Highland White.
A 29-16 victory on rink one was all the difference Maldon needed, with the other two rinks staying close all the way. Eventually, Avoca Gold would win rink two 20-19, while rink three would end in a draw, with both teams scoring 20 shots each.
Saturday marks the halfway point of the division one and two pennants, with every premiership point important.
Ladder-leaders Highland Tartan will be the only one of the top three who will play a fellow top four team when they travel to Dunolly to face Dunolly Gold, while second-placed Dunolly Blue will travel to Maryborough Golf Blue as they look to bounce back.
Talbot Gold will be tasked with bringing Newstead Blue back down to earth and keep pace with the top two, while Avoca Red and Highland Red will look to get their season out back on track when they meet.
In division two, the pick of the games will be Maldon’s trip to Carisbrook. A win for Maldon would enable them to move closer to a top-two spot, but a Carisbrook win would allow them to keep pace with Highland White, while simultaneously creating a runaway top-two.
Leaders Highland White will face Avoca Gold, who will be desperately looking to keep pace with the top four, while Talbot Brown will also be looking to stay in the top four when they host Dunolly Green.
Finally, Maryborough Golf Gold will also be looking to keep in touch with the top four when they travel to Newstead White.