Glenorchy Rodman repels Sandy Bay challenge
A report for The Mercury by Peter Kirby
In a cracking game that came down to the last end in the final round of Bowls South’s Divergence Built Saturday Pennant Premier Division, home side, Glenorchy Rodman, withstood Sandy Bay’s challenge for second, winning by one shot to secure their place in the Qualifying Semi Final.
With Shane Peck and Greg Hartshorne playing well, Grant Allford had the better of Sandy Bay’s Lachie Sims, winning by 13 shots, 26-13. Allford led 22-2 after 11 ends before Sims mounted a comeback to cut the deficit.
Josh Lording was in fine touch for the Bay, coming from 18-20 down after 17 ends to defeat Anthony Clifford by 7 shots, 27-20, and Andrew Norris withstood a late challenge by Rodman’s Cam Tegg to win by four shots, 21-17 and a third rink win for the Bay.
Playing the last end in his match with Josh Mabb, Rodman’s Jack Ellis sacrificed a possible rink win, going down by a shot, 16-17, to secure Glenorchy Rodman’s overall one-shot victory, 79-78, ensuring Rodman meets Kingborough in the Qualifying Semi Final in two weeks, while forcing Sandy Bay to be satisfied with home green advantage against Brighton in the Elimination Semi Final.
Kingborough made light work of their trip to Dover, winning on three rinks by 25 shots, 87-62. Will Coad had a big win over Chris Norris, finishing seventeen shots up on his Dover opponent, 27-10, although Norris was in control early. Coad won eleven ends in succession from the eighth to the eighteenth end for a twenty-shot gain to put the result beyond doubt.
Ryan Guy-Rees, with his lead, Blake Sculthorpe, superb in his first appearance in Premier Division, led his Dover opponent, Shane Garth, by 19 shots, 27-8, after fifteen ends, but then allowed Garth to take out the last six ends, to finish a more respectable nine shots in arrears, 18-27.
Kingborough’s Jason Fowler started in aggressive fashion against Roger Dale, leading 7-0 after four ends. From that point on the match tightened up, with Dale winning on more ends than Fowler, but Fowler’s ability to score big multiples provided to be the difference between the two skips, Fowler winning by six shots, 19-13.
Brad Carver extracted some revenge on former teammate, Nic Courto, defeating the Kingborough skip by four shots, 18-14, to record Dover’s only rink win for the day.
Peter Jenkins’ twenty-five shot win over Brighton’s young skip, Riley Davie, 36-11, was enough to ensure a twenty-three shot win overall for Howrah, 90-67, in a split-rinks decision. Bill Butler backed up Jenkins’ excellent effort, defeating Brighton’s Grant Wakefield by eight shots, 23-15.
Although Brighton balanced the rink wins through Mick Daniels’ six shot advantage over Glenn Frame, 19-13, and Matt Breward’s four shot winning margin against John Sutcliffe, 22-18, the efforts of Howrah’s losing skips to minimise their losses ensured that Howrah ended their first season back in Premier Division on a high.
Claremont continued their solid late season form with a 79-73 victory over a valiant Buckingham, securing fifth spot in the process. Chris Chalker led the way with a 23-17 win over Todd Oakley, while Paul Hart secured critical shots at the end of a tight contest to overcome Andrew Chamberlain 20-14.
Nicholas Chilcott defeated Grant Chamberlain, 19-18 in another tight encounter. Stuart Rees took the remaining rink for Buckingham, 24-17, over Michael Taylor.
In their last match in Premier Division, New Norfolk proved far too strong for Cremorne, inflicting a three-rink, nineteen-shot defeat on their visitors, 84-65. Mitch Banks set the tone for his side, winning by twelve shots against Peter Marshall, 26-14.
Kerry Hill followed up with a solid eight-shot margin over Reiley Banks, 22-18, and Samual Winter rounded out the three-rink win for New Norfolk, sneaking in by four shots against Brad Knight, 21-17.
Ash Banks scored a rink win for Cremorne, defeating Barry Bone by five shots, 20-15.