Only two games of Gippsland Bowls Region Superleague Weekend Pennant were played last weekend, both catch-up fixtures from earlier in the 2024/25 season.
On Saturday, Sale 1 ventured east in fourth place on the table and returned home in second place, clean sweeping its vital clash with wooden spoon favourite Howitt Park.
Going into the final round of matches this week, Bairnsdale, Sale 1 and Lakes Entrance 1 are assured of finals spots, with five teams still a mathematical chance of filling the final two positions, although several of those require minor miracles.
Sale 1 was a 67-36 victor, with Peter Nikitin, Neal Taylor, Wally Hudson, Andrew Bell (27-14) and Michael Dowd, Margaret Scenery, Rod Morris and Shane Dove (20-12) all carrying on their outstanding form from last week, with Alan Reid, Raymond Kennedy, Ian Jones and Dennis Young joining in the party, victorious 20-10.
Heyfield put a monumental dint in Stratford’s hopes of a late finals run, the Bowling Roos 74-47 winners at home.
Mal Collings, Barry Anderson, Bert Middelhuis, Shane Holmes (25-10) and Brendan Fleming, Peter Ronan, Josh O’Brien and Rohan Kelly (33-14) were all dominant winners. Anne Renehan, Jason White, Ian Johns and Phillip Crowder got a rink back for Stratford 20-16.
THIS WEEK
Orbost v Sale 1; Metung v Bairnsdale; Sale 2 v Lindenow; Howitt Park v Lakes Entrance 1; Maffra v Heyfield; Paynesville v Stratford; Lakes Entrance 2 v West Sale.
THE EQUATIONS
Bairnsdale (133 points): Assured a top of ladder finish and a week off when finals begin.
Sale 1 (112): Will certainly be part of the finals action and a positive result against Orbost will see a double chance.
Lakes Entrance 1 (106): Guaranteed finals action. Playing the winless Howitt Park in the final round it is well-equipped to gain the double chance.
Lindenow (100): Needs to win at least one rink against Sale 2 to be a certain finalist, but more realistically given Sale 2 is winless, maximum points will see the Cockies push for a double chance if Sale 1 or Lakes Entrance 1 slip up.
Lakes Entrance 2 (92): Occupying the prime fifth finals spot at present, a clean sweep over West Sale would take everyone else out of the occasion. Anything else brings other sides into play. Could win one rink and the match and miss finals if Paynesville scored a clean sweep. Could lose and still get in, but that isn’t the way you would like to head into finals action.
Paynesville (87): Could enter the top five if Lindenow doesn’t win a rink against Sale 2 and they clean sweep or if Lakes Entrance 2 falters or wins only one rink and it clean sweeps.
Metung (85): Will be a huge task to defeat a red-hot Bairnsdale. Would need to win two rinks, and Lakes Entrance 2 lose, and win one rink more than Paynesville.
West Sale (81): Mathematically possible if it clean sweeps Lakes Entrance 2, but would need Paynesville and Metung to both loss.