Last chance for Midweek’s big dance
A preview of the upcoming Midweek Preliminary Finals
By Peter Kirby
Preliminary Finals in Bowls South’s Men’s Midweek Pennant will be played on Wednesday with Orford (Division 1) and Claremont (Division 3) having the right to play on their home green due to their position on the ladder. Division 2 and 4 will be played at Buckingham Bowls Club, a neutral venue for all sides in those matches.
Orford will be feeling fairly confident of defeating Glenorchy Rodman to fill the vacant spot in the Division 1 Grand Final after having won both the home and away games between the two sides during the roster season. Rodman’s hopes will rest on its ability to field all of its regular players on Orford’s home green.
Orford will be expecting their top skip, Chris Martyn, to make a strong showing against any of the Rodman skips he will be drawn to play, and set up the win for his side. Rodman’s chances for a reversal of fortunes against their hosts will rest on their strong competitive culture, and never-say-die spirit.
Minor premiers, Royal Hobart, face a very confident Sorell at the Buckingham Bowls Club in Division 2. While the two sides won one each of their encounters during the roster season, Sorell was victorious in their last meeting, and will be hopeful of their winning form bringing them success. The synthetic surface at Bucks should not favour either side but Royal Hobart would be smarting from their Semi Final loss and this may just give them the motivation necessary to win.
After finishing in second position on the ladder, and losing the Division 3 Qualifying Semi Final, Claremont will enjoy home green advantage when it plays the winner of the Elimination Semi, Buckingham, in the Division 3 Preliminary Final. Only a point separates the two sides on the competition ladder and the result of the match will depend on how well Bucks carries its good late season form into this match, but a narrow win to Claremont is the likely result.
Stunned by its home green loss to Kingborough in the Division 4 Qualifying Semi Final, minor premier, Brighton, will be determined to win its Preliminary Final match against Claremont, and will be feeling very confident of success in their meeting at the Buckingham Bowls Club. Superior knowledge of the intricacies of playing on synthetic surfaces should guarantee Brighton’s progress to the Division 4 Grand Final, although an expected strong performance could result in an upset win for Claremont.