ROUND 14 of Lower South East Bowls Association Open Midweek Pennant saw Mount Gambier Blue receive a forfeit from Millicent Red, while Mount Gambier Red had a bye for the final round of the season.
The Reds finished the regular season in second place, while the Blues finished fourth place and both teams will prepare for finals this week.
The Friday women’s Division 2 side was scheduled to meet Beachport Red in Naracoorte for the first week of the finals but the extreme weather meant the game has been rescheduled.
It was a very busy Saturday at the Bob Cranwell Centre with all five teams hosting cross-town rivals Mount Gambier RSL.
It was a unique situation with 120 bowlers in action and the visitors showed their class as they returned home with four wins.
The Division 1 clash of the Mount Gambier Bowls Club Reds up against the RSL Blues was a close affair on two rinks.
The rink of Dougie McPhail, Mick Ashby, John Reppin and Daniel Langdon started the game slowly and trailed 0-8 before they turned things around.
From then on it was a one-sided encounter as they dominated their opponents to secure a 36-20 win and help the Reds to a 85-71 win overall.
The rink skippered by Greg Carpenter trailed early and fought back for a 20-20 draw Brad Errock’s rink led their opponents for most of the day but suffered a narrow 29-31 loss.
The Reds will now prepare for their semi-final clash with Mount Gambier RSL Red with a grand final spot on the line.
Mount Gambier RSL Red was too good for Mount Gambier Blue as the visitors claimed wins on three rinks.
It was a difficult day for the Blues as they went down 91-40.
However, there was still a silver lining as other results throughout the day played out in their favour and as a result, avoided relegation to Division 2 next year.
The closest game of the day was the Division 2 clash where the visitors secured a 72- 69 win.
The rink of Kathy Gray, Milton Chant, Leanne Hentschke and Gary McIntyre gave the home team hope with an excellent 28-16 win but the visitors secured wins on the other two rinks to finish off their season with a win.
In the Division 3 South clash, the RSL Reds played the Mount Gambier Reds and the visitors enjoyed the conditions under the roof and claimed a 100-58 victory with wins on two rinks.
The home rink of Don Fraser, Beryl Versluis, John Kentish and Steve Smith had a good day as they claimed a 31-23 win.
The Reds started the season strongly but losses in the second half of the year saw them miss the finals.
The Blues in Division 3 South were looking to finish their season with three consecutive wins when they faced the RSL Blues.
The rink skippered by Bob Cranwell gave the home team a chance with their 27-18 victory and the Glenn McCallum rink scored a 22-22 draw.
However, a loss on the third rink gave the visitors a narrow 67-62 win.
It was a strong end to the season for Mount Gambier Blue and will look to build upon its late-season form next year.
