City Oval roll into grand final

BY MARG WILKINS

PRELIMINARY finals for the Ballarat District Bowls Division Monday Pennant resulted in some very close games.

The top flight division final was played between last year’s premiers Buninyong and City Oval and competition was extremely close all day.

On the 44th end the difference overall was only one-shot in favour of the reigning champs. Yet following the lunch break City Oval were playing well in all rinks and hit the lead by three-shots at end 60.

Individual rinks were up and down with close heads on all greens. The rink Skippered by Jenny Harman were holding four shots on end 15 before Buninyong’s third Patti McGregor, sent down a brilliant bowl trailing the kitty and her bowl sat on the edge of the green to give Buninyong the end.

End 16 was also a great result for Buninyong as Keith Chapman’s rink picked up five and went one-shot up over City Oval skipper Ian Robinson. ‘Robbo’ stirred the troupes and two ends later they regained the five shots and scores were level by end 23.

With two rinks finished, all eyes were on Chapman’s chargers, who were in front by two-shots and the result determining who would play claim a spot in the grand final. By this stage the overall score was City Oval 62 to Buninyong 61.

In a nail-biting last end, Buninyong was holding one-shot and gallantly trying to get another to tie and, two to win. But it was not to be as City Oval covered all bowls and came out the overall victors by 1 shot.

City Oval’s rink skippered by Wayne Roberts won by six shots over Buninyong’s Wayne Morgan. Harman defeated Brian Wilcock, 25-20, and Robinson lost to Chapman, 18-21.

City Oval will meet now meet BMS in the Premier Division grand final on Monday.

In other results Webbcona defeated Beaufort, 100-53, in Division 1. Division 2 saw Linton get over the top of Learmonth, 78-74. Division 3 ended with Victoria beating Webbcona, 67-58. Lastly, Ballarat North got the job done against Creswick in Division 4.