Three teams remain unbeaten after two rounds of Gippsland Bowls Region weekend pennant – Bairnsdale, Sale and Lakes Entrance.
Premiership favourite, last season’s runner up, Bairnsdale sit on top of the ladder, after easily accounting for Maffra at home, 71-44.
The clean sweep was led by Stephen Sroczynski, Danny Prazza, Trevor Melotte and Geoff Woodward, who outpointed Craig Sellings, Glenn Crawford, Lyal and Michael Roberts, 29-10.
Other winners were Neil Watts, John Clark, Geoff Aitken, Glynis Bugeja (23-21) and Rod Street, Adam Easton, Dennis O’Keefe and Brad Montant (19-13).
Bairnsdale was the dominant side for most of the last season, only to falter when it came time to play for the pennant. The signs are outstanding thus far that it has sorted out those inadequacies.
Sale sits second on the table after making the trip to Paynesville and returning home with the majority of the points, 69-53.
Peter Nikitin, Neal Taylor, Dennis Young and Andrew Bell were clinical in their 30-15 victory, well supported by Keith Pritchard, Ian Jones, Rod Morris and Stephen Chalmer, just as impressive 25-10 victors, winning eight of the last nine ends.
Ronald Elton, Alan Schwennesen, Paul James and Peter Fiske got a rink back for the defending champion, who are winless after two rounds, 28-14.
Lakes Entrance survived a spirited challenge at home from Lindenow, prevailing 62-56.
Impressive wins came from Brendan Addison, Wayne Jones, Daffy Rawlings, Ray Ricca (24-17) and Eric Spence, Daniel Roberts, Joanne and Darren Martin (24-10), who dominated the second half of the contest.
The Cockies salvaged a rink with David Tong, Donald Banks, Lloyd Hammond and Stephen Brill outplaying Stephen Smith, Jim Northe, Kevin Brown and Bradley Lancaster, 29-14, victorious in 10 of the last 11 ends.
Stratford registered it’s first win of the season on the road at Metung, 59-53.
Great rink victories went to Kirstie White, Wayne Marsden, Leonie Flynn, Ian Johns (20-14) and Robert Grant, Jason White, June Richardson and Janelle Abraham (24-16), who set up the win.
Both those rinks were up for the taking in the final ends, with Stratford taking the final three to snare rink and overall victory, including the rink skippered by Grant, earning six shots on the 19th end.
Chris Wain, Bill Rowley, David Roberts and Ronald McDonald got two points for the home side with their 23-15 victory.
THIS WEEK
Round 3, Saturday November 1
Premier: Sale v Lindenow; Stratford v Paynesville; Maffra v Lakes Entrance; Bairnsdale v Metung.
Division one east: Lakes Entrance 2 v Bairnsdale 2; Howitt Park v Lakes Entrance 3; Bairnsdale 3 v Orbost.
Division one north: West Sale v Heyfield; Sale 2 v Sale 3: Maffra v Stratford.
Division two east: Paynesville 2 v Howitt Park; Bairnsdale Golf v Lakes Entrance 4: Bairnsdale v Bruthen; Lakes Entrance 5 v Lindenow.
Division two north: West Sale v Yarram; Heyfield v Sale 5; Stratford v Maffra; Sale 4 bye.
Division three east: Lindenow v Bairnsdale 6; Bairnsdale Golf v Lakes Entrance; Howitt Park v Metung; Bairnsdale 5 v Paynesville.
Division three north: Rosedale v Sale 6; Heyfield v Yarram; Loch Sport v Stratford; Sale 7 v Maffra.
Division four east: Bairnsdale Golf v Paynesville; Bruthen v Bairnsdale 8; Bairnsdale 7 v Tambo Valley; Orbost bye.
