Smeaton rolls to success

BALLAN’S top division travelled to Smeaton endeavouring to settle and move up the competition having won last year’s division three premiership and being promoted into division two, but lost out to the home side with only Ballan’s rink of Marcus Durley managing a narrow two shot win.

The Smeaton win of 25 shots was set up by Jim Taylor’s rink overcoming Anne Draffen’s rink by 15 shots together with Graeme Perry and Geoff Pickering also winning through. The Smeaton team are now placed sixth after recording their second win whilst Ballan, with only the one win to date, are in eighth position.

“We are still trying to settle all sixteen players in the division given the difficulty of player availability we have experienced in the first part of the season,” said club president David O’Hanlon.

“We will welcome back Paul Braybrook and Luke Murnane shortly and this will boast us, bringing our squad back to full strength and enabling us to challenge our opposing teams. As long as we stay close, we can go on to get the momentum and numbers needed to move up the ladder during the remaining season so we can get through to play finals.”

Ballan’s Division 6 team hosted division leaders City Oval and remained competitive before going down 74 shots to 84 but still managed to hold onto 4th position with three wins from their five games.

“With more player availability, this will flow through and strengthen our Division 6 team too,” said O’Hanlon.

“This season we have entered a Division 9 side which is the first time in twelve years the club has fielded three divisional sides in the Saturday competition. This has been possible as we have attracted new interest in our community to the game and managed to keep onto our existing players.”

Smeaton’s David Toose took a positive look at their wins at home in Division two and six saying more home games later this season will enable them to dig deeper to get back into finals contention.

Smeaton’s Division 6 side hosted the strong Webbcona side and came through with a narrow one shot victory placing them eighth on the ladder after the home team’s second win. The club’s Division 4 side travelled to Creswick where the home side narrowly won by four shots with each team having two rinks up.

Clunes’ Jenny Cameron said the club’s Division 2 side is still in the process of regrouping having lost several players a couple of years ago.

“We are competing well and remaining competitive and in a tight game at Waubra our side managed to win through by 12 shots taking us to three wins for the season,” she said.

At home the Clunes Division 6 side hosted Waubra and with each having two rinks up it was Waubra’s Peter Goldsmith’s rink with their 14 shots up that saw the visitors take out a close game by eight shots.