Sale moved to the top of the Gippsland Bowls Region weekend pennant ladder last Saturday, with an easy win over Maffra in round 12 action.
With Lakes Entrance falling to Stratford, Sale seized the opportunity, returning from Maffra as 65-39 victors.
The stars were Keith Pritchard, Ian Jones, Nathan Stewart and Stephen Chalmer, who won 16 of the 21 ends in a dominant 30-7 performance. They received solid support from Peter Nikitin, Margaret Sceney, Neal Taylor and Dennis Young, who comfortably prevailed 23-11. Grant Smith, Craig Sellings, Lyal and Michael Roberts salvaged Maffra’s only rink, winning some high-scoring ends to take a 21-12 success.
Sixth-placed Stratford kept their finals hopes alive with a massive away victory over Lakes Entrance, 61-46, marking the latter’s second consecutive loss. Carmel Boyd, Ross Morton, Wayne Marsden and Ian Johns were in sparkling form for Stratford, winning 27-13 despite conceding seven shots in the final four ends. They were joined by Jan Morton, Stephen Dare, Kirstie White and Robert Grant, who held on for a 20-17 victory, also dropping the last four ends. The only winners for Lakes Entrance were Daniel Roberts, Daffy Rawlings, Wayne Jones and Brendan Addison, who claimed a tight 16-14 win, maintaining their strong season form.
Fifth-ranked Metung made it back-to-back wins, strengthening their finals bid with a comprehensive 86-40 victory over last year’s premier, Paynesville, on their new green. Maurice Carroll, Bill Rowley, Glenn Barker and Ronald McDonald were sensational, winning 34-6, while teammates Chris Wain, Rhonda Sadovsky, Jim Beale and Ray Crossley added a 29-15 win. Brett Shields, David Roberts, Richard Dooley and Jack Sharman rounded out the winning effort with a 23-19 success.
Fourth-placed Lindenow maintained its slim hold on fourth spot with a hard-fought home win against third-placed Bairnsdale, who suffered their fourth loss of the season. While the end results were shared, the Cockies secured the maximum points, 58-51. Kathy Richards, Dick Johnston, Lloyd Hammond and Stephen Brill were standouts, taking their rink 27-7. Danny Prazza again led Bairnsdale with Stewart Pyers, Stephen Sroczynski and Geoff
Woodward, winning their rink 27-14. The other rink was drawn 17-17 between Lindenow’s Donald Banks, Jeff Watts, Michael Giddings and Nigel Plunkett, and
Bairnsdale’s Christopher Mackintosh, Adam Easton, Dennis O’Keefe and
Brad Montant.
With two rounds remaining, six sides are still in contention for finals action. Sale leads with 116 points, closely followed by Lakes Entrance (111) and Bairnsdale (109). The battle for fourth place is wide open between Lindenow (89), Metung (86)
and Stratford (79).
THIS WEEK
Round 13, Saturday, January 31
Premier: Stratford v Sale; Bairnsdale v Lakes Entrance; Metung v Lindenow; Paynesville v Maffra.
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: Bairnsdale Golf v Paynesville; Lakes Entrance 5 v Bruthen; Lindenow v Howitt Park; Lakes Entrance
4 v Bairnsdale.
Division two north: Stratford v Sale 5; Maffra v Sale 4; Yarram v Heyfield; West Sale bye.
Division three east: Bairnsdale Golf v Lindenow; Howitt Park v Paynesville; Metung v Bairnsdale 6; Lakes Entrance v Bairnsdale 5.
Division three north: Heyfield v Rosedale; Sale 7 v Stratford; Maffra v Sale 6; Yarram v Loch Sport.
Division four east: Bairnsdale Golf v Orbost; Bairnsdale 7 v Bairnsdale 8; Paynesville v Bruthen; Tambo Valley bye.
