Round 7 Pennant Report 2018/19
PENNANT REPORT – PAKENHAM BOWLS CLUB – ROUND 7 – 2018/19
With the Victorian Open in progress at Shepparton, there were no Midweek Pennant games played last week. This week however, everything is back to normal, although the Saturday players have a double header coming up on Saturday and Sunday 8 & 9 December.
SATURDAY
Sitting at eighth on the ladder with their backs to the wall, Pakenham One (Div 1) desparately needed a win last Saturday. During the pre match rev-up, Coach Neil (Big Dev) Devlin urged his players to exploit the home ground advantage and get an early jump on the visitors from Ringwood. However it was the Eagles who had the upper hand early in the game and after 20 ends the Lions had only one rink up, one level and were down overall by three shots. Pakenham players were bowling well but at that stage their opponents were bowling better – Geoff Van Vugt’s direct opponent, in particular, was playing remarkable bowls and the question was asked “He can’t keep this up can he?” The answer came as the game progressed and the Lions applied more pressure; although still bowling well, he began to make errors in judgement which cost him dearly.
Pakenham kept pushing hard and by the half way mark had two rinks up and importantly, a lead of seven shots overall. The visitors hit back immediately after the afternoon tea break but the Lions rallied and fought out a very good win with two rinks up, one drawn and an overall score of 77/66. Best rink with a score of 26/14 was Geoff (Voota) Van Vugt (S), Josh McQueen (3), Des (Grizzly) Leigh (2) and Glenn (Google) Bainbridge (L).
The 15 Pennant points which they earned did not elevate the Lions any further up the ladder but they are now breathing down the necks of Mulgrave Country Club and Ringwood (two points behind both) and are more than a full round clear of Warburton in ninth. Another win next week at home against second placed Croydon would really put the cat (or Lion) amongst the pigeons, particularly as Ringwood is scheduled to play Mulgrave Country Club.
Pakenham Two (Div 2) were on the road to Keysborough where on a surprisingly slow synthetic green they got away to a faltering start against a side which absolutely bolted from the barriers. As the afternoon wore on the situation became progressively worse and they were eventually soundly beaten to the tune of 98 shots to 59. Their only winning rink with a score of 20/18 was Keith Lewis (S), Kerry Lewis (3), Wally Noy (2) and Val Moore (L). The loss saw them drop from fourth to fifth on the ladder, equal on points with Berwick in sixth and only four points clear of Hampton Park in seventh. Needless to say, it is a must win game at Glen Waverley (ninth) next round.
The dismal weather on Saturday did nothing to lighten the spirits of Pakenham Three (Div 3) as they faced another tough game at home, this time against Chelsea’s number one side. After 20 ends had been played the Lions were still well in it, despite having only one rink up and one level and even at the half way mark, at 12 shots down, they were within striking distance; however as the game progressed the deficit grew and they eventually lost 71/95 with only one winning rink. The sole winners were Paul Currie (S), Reg Mattingly (3), Anna Barrie (2) and John Coote (L) with a 23/17 score card.
The Threes face another number one side in Cranbourne RSL, away, next round. It has very much become a case of grin and bear it and hope for a more competitive draw next season.
Both Pakenham Four and Pakenham Five both had byes last weekend. However it was heartening to see that despite the miserable weather, the majority of players turned out for an intra club practice match. As the Fours are in a section where the bye came about as the result of another club pulling out part way into the season, they received zero Pennant points for round seven and as a consequence dropped from fourth to fifth spot on the ladder. The Fives on the other hand received 18 Pennant points and moved from eighth to seventh without having to fire a shot – Pauline Hanson might well say, “Please explain!”
The Fours will be at home in round eight against second placed Ferntree Gully while the Fives will be away against Cranbourne (third).
HI-LO
The winner this week with number two was Keith Lewis.
Des Leigh
