The Gippsland Bowls Region weekend pennant season will culminate this Saturday at the Bairnsdale Bowling Club with five grand finals to be decided.
They include the Premier League decider, three divisional finals featuring the eastern and northern conference premiers, and the division four eastern title match.
THIS WEEK
Lakes Entrance and Bairnsdale will clash in the Premier League grand final, with minor premier Sale eliminated in straight sets.
The sides met twice during the home-and-away season, sharing the spoils, with the home team victorious on both occasions. That may not be an encouraging sign for Lakes Entrance, with Saturday’s match to be played at Bairnsdale, who will be keen to atone for last year’s disappointing grand final loss to Paynesville when they entered as warm favourites.
Both teams boast quality line-ups, with most rinks recording better than a 50 per cent winning rate across the season. With strong personalities on both sides, there will be no shortage of intensity. The team that settles first and establishes an early buffer may prove difficult to reel in under grand final pressure.
The three divisional finals are harder to predict, with cross-conference opponents unfamiliar with each other’s form.
Division one features two teams relegated from Premier League last season — Heyfield and Orbost — who were evenly matched in 2024–25.
Unbeaten Yarram enters the division two final brimming with confidence, but Lakes Entrance 4 produced its best bowls last week and, if it can replicate that intensity, is capable of causing an upset.
In division three, Metung and Sale 7 have both peaked at the right time of the year, though only one can claim ultimate honours.
Division four shapes as a genuine toss-up, with Orbost and Bairnsdale 7 splitting their past two encounters in the past three weeks.
LAST WEEK
Bairnsdale secured its place in the Premier League decider with a thrilling 60–59 come-from-behind win over Sale at the Lakes Entrance Bowling Club, despite winning just one rink.
With 15 ends remaining, Sale led 49–46, but Bairnsdale finished strongly. The result came down to the final end, with Sale needing two shots to force a tie and a one-end playoff across all rinks. Peter Nikitin, Christopher Frew, Neal Taylor and Andrew Bell managed only one shot, allowing Bairnsdale to hang on.
Sale’s Nikitin rink had staged a remarkable fightback from 7–14 down, winning nine of the next 10 ends to claim a 24–16 victory. Sale’s other winning rink was Keith Pritchard, Ian Jones, Nathan Stewart and Stephen Chalmer, who prevailed 19–18. However, conceding nine shots across the closing ends proved costly.
Bairnsdale’s winning rink of Geoff Woodward, Christopher Mackintosh, Trevor Melotte and Stephen Sroczynski (skip) triumphed 26–16, winning six of the final seven ends.
In the division one east final, Orbost edged Lakes Entrance 2, 59–57, at Lakes Entrance Bowling Club. Winning rinks for Orbost were Susan Robinson, Ross O’Brien, Geoff Robinson and Ron Hatcher (20–14), and Maurice Frank, Bruce Kneebone, Peter Coulton and Hayden Lancaster (18–17). Wayne Denning, Kevin Watson, Jack Light and Kevin Dowie claimed Lakes Entrance 2s sole rink, 26–21.
Minor premier Heyfield won the division one north title comfortably, defeating Sale 2, 66–39, at Maffra Bowling Club. Rohan Kelly, Barry Anderson, Peter Ronan and Hayden Sellings dominated 28–7, well supported by Bill Gilligan, Brendan Fleming, Rodney Sherrin and Bert Middlehuis (23–14). Sale 2s winning rink was Robyn Jones, Bruce Hughes, Alan Reid and Leon Woods (18–15).
Lakes Entrance 4 reversed a heavy qualifying final loss to Paynesville to claim the division two east crown, 56–53, after having been beaten 62–26 a week earlier. Winning rinks were Ryan Dobson, Colin Grassby, Bob Lucas and Tony Spink (29–22), and Joseph Hales, Roy Roberts, William Gilbert and Charlie Abela (24–14).
In the north, unbeaten Yarram advanced with a 44–36 victory, splitting the rinks. Donald Cook, Edward Tindale, Bruce Penney and David Gunton led the way, 25–12, while Karen Telling, Jason Smart, Andy Bye and Alan Boyd were gallant in defeat, winning their rink 24–19.
Metung claimed the division three east title with a clean sweep of Bairnsdale 5, 50–27, despite finishing third on the ladder. Winning rinks were Robert Garbutt, Rhonda Sadovsky, Robert Anketell and Gary Cooke (20–11), and Christine Elliott, Clint Overton, John Heggie and Mandy Beale (30–16).
Sale 7, also third-ranked, won the northern conference final with a 39–28 clean sweep of Sale 6 in a local derby. Sue Mazins, Sandra Kupfer, Peter Warner and Barry Williams (23–14), along with Mary Jackson, Pauline Hughes, Les Jackson and Ian Fox (16–14), delivered a memorable victory.
In division four, Bairnsdale 7 defeated Tambo Valley 44–34 in the preliminary final, highlighted by Rhonda Kerr, Graham Bromwich, Adam Docherty and Greg Fenton’s decisive 22–12 win.
THIS WEEKEND
Saturday, February 21 – grand finals at Bairnsdale Bowling Club
Premier: Lakes Entrance 1 v Bairnsdale.
Division one: Orbost v Heyfield.
Division two: Lakes Entrance 4 v Yarram.
Division three: Metung v Sale 7.
Division four east: Orbost v Bairnsdale 7.
