Sport
22 December, 2022
Bowls finishes up for 2022 with familiar pattern
There is a familiar pattern emerging in both division one and two in the Saturday pennant — the top three clearing out, and an epic battle for fourth between the chasing pack. Highland Tartan maintained their status on top of the division one...
There is a familiar pattern emerging in both division one and two in the Saturday pennant — the top three clearing out, and an epic battle for fourth between the chasing pack.
Highland Tartan maintained their status on top of the division one ladder over the holiday break, delivering a big dent to Avoca Red’s finals hopes with a 72-45 win.
Avoca Red got off to a great start on rink one, with Daniel Giddings defeating Michael Fryar 21-19, but Highland Tartan were able to bounce back in a big way on rink two, with Terry Hansen defeating Ian Proctor 23-15. The in-form team of Gregory Shay then finished off the job for Tartan, defeating Graeme Orr 30-9.
Dunolly Blue continued to nip at the heels of Highland Tartan, however, taking a 76-41 win in a game where they were also able to make slight inroads by taking all 16 competition points.
Peter Waters defeated Albert Spencer 24-15 to keep in touch on the player ladder table, before Alan Parkes put away the tie thanks to a 31-11 victory over Paul Gothard. In the tightest rink of the match, Alan Weir defeated Lawrence Barry 21-15.
Talbot Gold gave themselves some breathing space between themselves and fourth place thanks to a 71-48 win against Dunolly Gold, in a result which knocked the latter out of the top four.
Paul Radstock gave Talbot Gold a good start when he defeated Barry Mortlock 21-13, but Dunolly Gold were able to take two competition points thanks to Roy Pickering beating Peter Fletcher 22-19. However, the Peter McLoughlin team continued their good form by defeating James Fox 31-13 to secure the win.
Dunolly Gold’s loss gave Golf Blue a golden opportunity to squeeze into the top four at their expense, and they took their chance, albeit after a fierce battle with Newstead Blue.
Newstead Blue were able to establish a strong lead on the first two rinks, with Mark Leckey beating Harold Patullo 25-13, and David Cobden beating Kevin Prime in a thriller, 23-22. But the Kort Gay team was able to turn it all around for Golf Blue when they needed it most, defeating Brian Daly 32-10 to ensure they would take a 67-58 victory.
It means that going into the holidays, Highland Tartan currently sit atop the ladder with 114 points, but Dunolly Blue are close behind on 101 points, with Talbot Gold still in the frame for a top two spot with 97 points.
The battle for fourth is equally fierce, with Golf Blue (72 points) and Dunolly Gold (70 points) seperated by just two points, while Avoca Red (49 points) and Newstead Blue (43 points) are outside chances of making it. Meantime, Highland Red (30 points) will need to get a wriggle on to avoid the wooden spoon when the second half of the season resumes.
In division two, Carisbrook ensured that they would finish 2022 on top of the ladder, but only after surviving a fierce fight with second-from-bottom Dunolly Green.
After Ron Baker gave Carisbrook the perfect start with a 22-13 win over Paul Chase, Dunolly Green proved to be good value despite their lowly ladder position. Donald Coe gave them two competition points with a 17-14 win over Eric Symons, but Phillip Burt’s 26-20 win over Jill Morse ensured Carisbrook would win 62-50, while also maintaining top spot on the player ladder.
Highland White bounced back from their loss to Carisbrook by taking all 16 competition points on offer against Newstead White.
Tony Lacey got them off to a good start when he beat Robert Sewell 23-18, before Leanne Wallis put the game away in their safekeeping thanks to her team beating Graeme Lipback 39-12. A 20-11 win by Alan Muggridge over Rod Jackson ensured that Highland White would close the gap to Brook by two points.
In the closest battle of the round, Talbot Brown came from behind to move clear of the battle for fourth, dealing a blow to Avoca Gold’s finals chances with a 57-56 victory.
Avoca Gold got off to the perfect start on rink one when Geoff Loosmore defeated Ian Pryor 27-12, but Talbot Brown slowly whittled away at the gap, with William Donlon beating Christine Bearpark 23-14, before Barbara Crossley’s 22-15 win over Loralee Field gave them victory by the tightest of margins.
Golf Gold were the biggest beneficiaries of the weekend, with their 57-40 win over Maldon — and all 16 competition points in the process — rocketing them from sixth to fourth in the standings.
Ernest Ollington pinched the first rink away from Annette Gillham with a 15-14 win, before Golf Gold turned the wick up on rink two with a 23-10 win by Philip Mortlock over Peter Sedgwick. Gary Chaplin’s 19-16 win over Jim Brookshaw sealed the deal for Golf Gold.
At the break, Carisbrook continued to assume control with 116 points, but Highland White were able to cut into that gap by two points, now sitting 12 points behind on 104. Talbot Brown is currently keeping a watching brief in third on 93 points, while Golf Gold’s important win over Maldon now sees them on 75 points.
Just outside the top four, Avoca Gold (62 points) and Maldon (60 points) are well positioned if Golf Gold slip up, while Dunolly Green (39 points) and Newstead White (27 points) are now all-but out of finals contention.
