Pennant Season 2019-2020 Round 6

PAKENHAM BOWLS CLUB – ROUND 6 PENNANT – 9 NOV 2019

Due to the Melbourne Cup holiday there were no Midweek Pennant games played last Tuesday.  On Saturday, with one exception, it literally and figuratively rained on Pakenham’s parade.

SATURDAY

As a result of the rain which fell during the week, Pakenham One (Div 1) fully expected that the grass at Mulgrave Country Club would have been unplayable and that their game would have been washed out – given the final result, perhaps it would have been better if it had.  Although two of the Lion’s rinks were competitive for most of the day, many of the Pakenham players struggled in the cold and the wet and as the conditions deteriorated the situation on the score board grew worse.  In the end, with wins on all four rinks, Mulgrave (unexpectedly) picked up maximum Pennant points and sent the Lions home with their tails between their legs.  The rink of Trent Gribbin (S), Stephen (Krusty) Bentley (3) Terry (Tmac) McRedmond (2) and Graeme (Wildman) Wilde (L) were at least honourable in defeat, going down by only four shots after having been competitive and at times in front, all day.  The final scores were Mulgrave 94, Pakenham 51.

There will not be any Pennant games this Saturday, 16 November as the Victorian Open will be underway in Shepparton.  Round Seven will be played on Saturday 23 November – Pakenham One (eighth) will be at home to Cheltenham One (ninth).

Pakenham Two (Div 2) hosted Cranbourne One which has been strengthened this season with the return of a number of former (nomadic) Div One players.  The visitors got the jump on the locals from the get go and were never seriously challenged, although at the half way mark the Lions were still in with a chance, being only 11 shots down overall.  From that point forward the Lions more or less held their own but were unable to make any inroads into the deficit, eventually losing by 66 shots to 80.  Their only winning rink with a score of 18/15 was Peter Ellis (S), Gary (Crow) Crowley (3), Adrian (ATrain) Wheelan (2) and Sandra (Wildwoman) Wilde (L).  Now on the eighth rung of the ladder, they will be away at Mordialloc (third and another former Div 1 side) next round.

The one brilliant ray of sunshine in a gloomy weekend was provided by the resurgent Pakenham Three (Div 4) from its match against Berwick.  Although one rink struggled all day and another, despite staging a great fight back, still fell short by two shots, the other half of the team more than compensated.  Pakenham trailled in the early ends and even at the half way mark had only one rink up – however the overall deficit at that stage was only two shots.  All rinks pushed hard in the run home to reverse the situation on the score board and the final outcome was a good win by 21 shots, 86/65 and 14 valuable Pennant points.  Best of two winning rinks with an outstanding score of 34/8, was Ave Jones (S), Ken Clifton (3), John Moore (2) and Alan Wilcock (L).  Now in third spot as a result of the win, they will play away against Cranbourne Three (fourth) next round.

The cold, the rain and the wind weren’t the only source of misery for Pakenham Four (Div 5) at Narre Warren – in fact the only thing which could have made it worse would have been if the game had been played closer to Christmas when it’s impossible to get a park anywhere near Fountain Gate!  The game seemed to get away from the Lions before it even started and by the half way mark they were a little over 50 shots behind.  The conditions continued to deteriorate and the game was abandoned with eight ends still to be played and Pakenham down to the tune of 35 shots to 111 (perhaps the umpire invoked a non-existent mercy rule?).  Under the old arrangements the Pennant points would have been shared but under the new provisions sufficient ends were played to provide a (sorry) result: Pakenham zero Pennant points, Narre Warren eighteen.  Although they have a home game, they face a tough assignment next round against top of the ladder The Dandenong Club Three.

HI-LO

The winner for this round was Ray Leggett with number twelve.

Des Leigh