Round 18 results to sort out final placings
Premier Division report by Peter Kirby
18 March 2023 (Round 18)
Bowls South’s Derwent Eye Specialists Premier Division pennant action restarts today with the playing of the final roster round before the finals series commence next Saturday. While there is little chance of any change to the order of the top three sides on the ladder, the last position in the top four could change with fifth-placed New Norfolk hosting Cremorne, currently fourth. Although Cremorne appears to be safe with an eleven point lead over New Norfolk, an all-rinks win to the hosts could see them steal fourth spot from their visitors.
Dover, on its home green, has the formidable task of winning a rink in its match with ladder-leading Kingborough, boasting a side at full strength for one of the few time this season. Although seemingly safe in eighth position on the ladder, with an eight point advantage over last-placed Beltana, and Buckingham (ninth) playing Claremont (seventh), any one of these four sides could finish their season in last place and relegation to Division 1.
To complicate matters further, Claremont visits Buckingham today and if either side has a three rink win over the other, the loser will have a very anxious wait on other results to find out their fate. Beltana, seven points behind Bucks and eight behind Claremont, host Sandy Bay (second), and a split rinks win could raise Beltana from the bottom of the table with any one of Dover, Buckingham or Claremont replacing them in the relegation zone.
The final match of the round has Brighton travelling to Glenorchy Rodman (third). The major interest in this match will be how well Rodman can prepare for its Elimination Semi Final contest next Saturday, as well as the determination of the visitors to finish their season on a high.
In other divisions, Howrah appears set for a big decision whether to accept an invitation to return to Premier Division, while Bucks is destined for relegation. With just two points separating the top two in Division 2, either Sandy Bay or Orford will gain promotion, with Beltana dropping to Division 3. Kingborough has an eleven point lead in Division 3 but must negotiate a tough encounter at Bruny to secure promotion, and St Johns Park will drop to Division 4. Howrah leads by one point over Cygnet in Division 4, and with a home game should win promotion, but Beltana will go down to Division 5. Claremont has confirmed their promotion from Division 5 already, and relegation for North Hobart is confirmed, also.
The large number of sides entered in Division 6 required the lowest division to be played in two sections with the top two sides from each section qualifying for finals action. Promotion from this division will be decided after the Qualifying Semi Final, played between the top side from each section, with the winner having the option to advance to Division 5.