Does home advantage get Howrah to GF?
Ladies Division 1 report by Peter Kirby
30 March 2023
Does home green advantage get Howrah past Sandy Bay to the Grand Final?
Bowls South’s Women’s Thursday Pennant has reached the Preliminary Finals stage with Howrah at home in its Indoor Bowls Centre playing Sandy Bay in Division 1, Cremorne playing Sandy Bay at Sandy Bay in Division 2, and Beltana hosting North Hobart in Division 3. Claremont1 will be playing Royal Hobart at Buckingham in Division 4.
The Division 1 contest is expected to be close with each side having won one of their two encounters during the roster season, with no more than ten shots being the difference, with the most recent meeting having been at the same venue with Howrah triumphant on two rinks, winning by ten shots, 62-52.
Howrah boasts two of the top three Division 1 skips, Rosie Geeves (second) and Denise Tanner (third), while their third skip, Charon Foster is placed sixth overall, which gives Howrah a slight advantage to progress to the Grand Final. Sandy Bay’s top rated skip, Peri Buckley (fifth), is the only skip to have won both matches between the two sides this season, and an expected strong performance today could lead to a Grand Final appearance for her side.
Sandy Bay’s chances of success will rely on the performances of its other skips, Robyn Leggett, rated ninth on the skips’ ladder, and Jac Phillips (nineteenth). Buckley will need them to perform at their best if Sandy Bay is to cause a minor upset against the defending Division 1 premiers. Sandy Bay has good prospects but Howrah is a slight favourite to win.
The winner of the Division 2 Preliminary Final at Sandy Bay, between Sandy Bay and Cremorne is difficult to predict with each side having won at home against the other side during the season, although Cremorne will be heartened by their close loss to Sandy Bay in their most recent meeting, winning on two rinks but losing overall by three shots, 56-59.
Beltana, on their home green, will be hoping for a morale boosting win for their club in their Division 3 clash with North Hobart, with the prospect of playing on grass likely to be in their favour, giving them a slight advantage to advance to the Grand Final.
Royal Hobart and Claremont1, playing at Buckingham, will vie for a place in the Division 4 Grand Final next Tuesday against Glenorchy Rodman. It is hard to predict the outcome of this match, with Royal Hobart the sentimental hope but a win to Claremont more likely.