Sale and Lakes Entrance are the only two unbeaten sides after three rounds of Gippsland Bowls Region weekend pennant.
Premiership favourite, Bairnsdale, dropped to third on the ladder after only managing a draw (50-50) at home with Metung, who went perilously close to registering its first win of the season.
Metung won two of the three rinks, going home with marginally more game points (8-6).
Chris Wain, Bill Rowley, David Roberts and Ronald McDonald held tough in a tight final five ends, winners 22-14, well supported by Jack Sharman, Richard Dooley, Jim Beale and Brett Shields who were challenged but held strong to win 18-14.
For Bairnsdale, Peter Baylis, John Clark, Geoff Aitken and Neil Watts maintained their unbeaten season rink record, again comfortable winners 22-10.
Sale sits on top of ladder, emphatic victors of the winless Lindenow, 72-40, in an impressive clean sweep.
The dominant rink was Andrew Bell, Neal Taylor, Dennis Young and Peter Nikitin, 30-10 winners, with several ends of four and five shots.
Michael Dowd, Wally Hudson, Shane Dove and Jason Wholohan (21-16), and Keith Pritchard, Ian Jones, Rod Morris and Stephen Chalmer (21-14) joined in the party.
Lakes Entrance came back from Maffra narrow 61-59 winners, taking two of three rinks, which were all close and super competitive.
The biggest margin was achieved by Lakes’ Bradley Lancaster, Kevin Brown, Jim Northe and Kevin Dowie, 24-19.
It was almost negated by Maffra’s Grant Smith, John Marshall, Lyal and Michael Roberts, whose three shots on the final end ensured a 23-19 win.
The final rink was won by the Lakes Entrance combination of Ray Ricca, Daffy Rawlings, Wayne Jones and Brendan Addison on the final end, 18-17, after they picked up two match-winning shots in a thrilling finale.
Maffra currently sits fifth on the ladder, but certainly looks capable of pushing for a top four spot.
Stratford sits in fourth spot on the ladder after scoring its second victory of the season, 75-50 winners over a winless reigning premier, Paynesville, at home.
Janelle Abraham, June Richardson, Jason White and Robert Grant led the way convincingly winning 29-12, well supported by Kirstie White, Wayne Marsden, Leonie Flynn and Ian Johns, victorious 24-16, including a six-shot end.
The rink between Stratford’s Jan Morton, Stephen Dare, Michael Dee and Scott Manson ended in a 22-22 tie, with Paynesville’s Ronald Elton, Warwick Smith, Paul James and Peter Hardy, after the visitors won the final eight ends, after Stratford led 22-8.
THIS WEEK
Round 4, Saturday November 8
Premier: Lakes Entrance v Sale; Paynesville v Bairnsdale; Maffra v Metung; Lindenow v Stratford.
Division one east: Howitt Park v Lakes Entrance 2; Bairnsdale 2 v Bairnsdale 3; Orbost v Lakes Entrance 3.
Division one north: Sale 2 v West Sale; Heyfield v Maffra; Stratford v Sale 3.
Division two east: Bruthen v Paynesville; Lakes Entrance 4 v Lakes Entrance 5; Bairnsdale v Lindenow; Howitt Park v Bairnsdale Golf.
Division two north: Yarram v Stratford; Heyfield v Maffra; Sale 4 v West Sale; Sale 5 bye.
Division three east: Paynesville v Lindenow; Lakes Entrance 6 v Howitt Park; Bairnsdale 5 v Metung; Bairnsdale 6 v Bairnsdale Golf.
Division three north: Stratford v Rosedale; Yarram v Sale 7; Loch Sport v Maffra; Sale 6 v Heyfield.
Division four east: Bairnsdale 8 v Orbost; Paynesville v Bairnsdale 7; Bruthen v Tambo Valley; Bairnsdale Golf bye.
