IT was a close match between two fierce competitors in the grand final bowls in the Blue Lake city last weekend.
Spectators were treated to an exciting game as the Port MacDonnell Bowling Club and Mount Gambier battled it out for top place.
Friday Pennant
IN the Friday Pennant Division 1 grand final, Port MacDonnell’s first rink saw Heather Richards lead Barbara Milstead, Jan Dowdell and Joy Bilney to a narrow 25-22 win over Mount Gambier’s Gaylene Leggett, Judy Saint, Margaret Marshall and Beryl Versluis.
Spectators were treated to a close match, with the Bay just ahead for most of the game, not including the level scores on the 16th and 22nd ends.
From there, Richards’ team held on to win the last three ends and claim the victory.
Sharon Perryman, Robyn Burley, Carol Schmidt and Judy Grosvenor played Mavis Edgecombe, Jan McCarthy, Barbara Butchart and Leanne Hentschke.
Winning 10 of the first 14 ends, the Grosvenor side established a good 17-6 lead.
Over the next seven ends Por MacDonnell scored another five shots to Mount Gambier’s two, but in the run home the Mount Gambier side played well to finish with just a three-shot deficit.
However, with the Bay taking out a 22-19 victory, this was enough to see it with the overall honours.
Champion of Champions Men’s Fours
SUNDAY saw the men’s and women’s Champion of Champion Fours played in terrible conditions at the Mount Gambier Bowls Club.
Despite the conditions, the Port MacDonnell men’s team of Chris Richards, David Gould, Bill Richards and Marcus Pietersma progressed through the rounds to the grand final, where they went on to take out the title.
With wins over Mount Gambier RSL, Penola and Kalangadoo, the Bay then met Robe’s Ken Smith, Wayne Peters, Dean Burgoyne and Baxter Kennett in the grand final.
Port MacDonnell was off to a good start and looked to be in the box seat for the win, but Robe fought back to be only two shots down coming into the final end.
Holding the two shots needed for a draw, it was looking like another end would be needed, but Pietersma was up to it and drew in to reduce it to one shot down in the head and a one shot win for his team.
For the women, Alison Mitchell, Shirley Taylor, Robyn Burley and Cheryle Doddridge met the Mount Gambier RSL team of Kym Franklin, Jane Crowder, Shirley McIntyre and their skipper Fiona Pearson.
The strong wind made accurate bowling difficult and the stronger RSL team took the win and went on to make the grand final.
This will be played against Beachport on Saturday April 7 at the Mount Gambier Club.
Spectators applauded the teams for continuing to play in conditions that were both cold and windy, while still producing some good bowls.
