WORKERS STORM INTO FINALS

The Workingmans Bowling Club had a big day out on Saturday winning the preliminary finals in all divisions of Sunraysia Hearing Clinic Pennant Bowls.

The weather made for wet bowlers and slow holding greens and at times turned the match into a game of skittles.  

In Division 1 Workers and Merbein fought out a sodden contest.   Neither side could make a splash in the early part of the game.   After the tea break Merbein applied the pressure and grabbed the lead.   Workers fought back and looked to have the game wrapped up on Taylor and Mitchell’s rinks before a rally by Merbein at the death saw them fall short to go down by nine shots 73 to 64.  

Peter Mitchell’s rink held up well accounting for Eric Watson 29 to 24 with Richard Clark again giving Mitchell up front bowls.   Andrew Taylor defeated Michael Thompson 28 to 20.   Thompson never put Taylor under sufficient pressure and played tentative bowls.   He had several opportunities to make numbers but failed to play into the head with sufficient weight on a day when drawing the shot was difficult. 

David Gray finished his season in style defeating Workers Michael Legin 20 shots to 16.   Legin’s rink has not been able to play up to its early season form and has struggled over the past few weeks.   The wet track was not suited to Legin’s rinks style of play.

Merbein will be disappointed to have squandered their opportunities this season. Workers seemed to have got back some of their spark this week but will need all cylinders firing for the Granny.

Second Division matched Workers with Nangiloc and the Rivermen looked like drowned rats after the contest.   Workers started well and never let Nangiloc into the game claiming a 75 to 56 shot victory.   Rex Eastwood was too good for Owen Giddings 28 to 19.   Czes Knight put in a blinder for Eastwood at lead.   Czes can rightly be considered as one of the top line leaders in the competition.

Ernie King racked up a 24 to 18 solid win against Alan Minter. 

Kevin “Volkswagon” accounted for Darren Cass 25 to 19.   Mike Gilpin played some big bowls for Altswager.   The win sets up another Mildura/Workers grand final clash.

Third Division saw an all rinks win to Workers Gold 81 to the Irymple Plovers 53.   Syd Walters got over John Symes 26 to 21.   Les Krake was well up early before a charge by Alan Pettit fell short by four shots 21 to 25.   Irymple’s Lochie McEachern  had his trousers pulled down by Joe Bray losing 11 to 30.   The Gold look towards another Irymple team – the Swallows - in next weeks final.