Clunes bowlers lead the way

CLUNES Bowling Club is enjoying a great start to the Ballarat-Highlands Bowls Region Saturday Pennant season, taking the lead in all three divisions in which it competes and winning all games so far.

The club’s top side is in Division 2, and bowlers had their third win away to Invermay last weekend.

In a comprehensive victory the visitors were three rinks up, with Geoff Annear finishing all square with Geoffrey Fraser on 24 shots.

Clunes’ rink of David Templeton had a standout performance scoring a 21-shot lead over Invermay’s Peter Shillington.

The Division 2 leader board is headed by three non-metro teams in Clunes, Bungaree and Daylesford.

Both Clunes and Bungaree have three wins and 87 points each, but former are on a higher percentage of 176.8. Daylesford holds third place with two wins and 78 points.

Back in Clunes the club hosted their Division 6 match against Victoria with the home team having a comfortable 16-shot win.

Both sides landed two rinks each but Josh Polson winning margin of 13 secured honours for the home team.

The victory secured the lead on the Division 6 ladder for Clunes, ahead of Central Wendouree with both sides on three wins and with 84 and 82 points respectively. Sebastopol and Victoria make up the top 4 positions each with two wins and a loss.

Clunes secretary Josh Polson said, “It was a nail biter out at Beaufort where our Division 8 team secured the single shot win over the home side”.

That win enabled Clunes to narrowly head that Division’s ladder ahead of Sebastopol each on three wins with a two-shot lead separating the clubs.

News off the greens Polson said that the club is organising a goods and services auction on Saturday, 12 December as a fundraising activity after COVID-19 lockdowns limited regular social activities around the clubhouse.

Back at Invermay’s the home side’s Division 2 squad started the season promisingly with a win over neighbouring Creswick, however losses in the following matches against BMS and Clunes has seen them slip down to eighth position.

The loss of the young four-time club champion Jarryd Evans who has moved to Clayton to compete in the Metropolitan Premier league competition along with a couple of players currently recovering from health issues has affected the side’s competitiveness in these early stages of the competition said Invermay’s John Moroney.

The Club is reaching out to the community to attract more players to take up the game where they can enjoy good fellowship with excellent facilities being located on the fringes of Ballarat.

Prospective members can contact Moroney on 0417 427 898.

– BY ANTHONY McCABE