Kingborough through to Grand Final at a gallop
A report for The Mercury by Peter Kirby
Kingborough moved into the Grand Final of Bowls South’s Divergence Built Premier Division in emphatic style, defeating Glenorchy Rodman on three rinks by 37 shots, 96-59, in the Qualifying Semi Final, while Sandy Bay ended Brighton’s season in the Elimination Semi Final, winning by a similar rinks margin by 28 shots, 103-75.
Kingborough’s Will Coad continued his recent good form, giving Rodman’s Anthony Clifford little opportunity to gain any headway in their clash, limiting Clifford to just nine shots for the match to win by 25 shots, 34-9.
The Division’s top skip, Kingborough’s Nic Courto, also had a solid victory over Rodman’s Grant Allford, claiming a good thirteen-shot win, 26-13. In a contest between two evenly matched opponents, Jason Fowler withstood the challenge posed by Rodman’s Cam Tegg to post Kingborough’s third rink win, 21-15.
In a tussle with Kingborough’s Ryan Guy-Rees, Rodman’s Jack Ellis came out on top to secure a rink win for his side, finishing seven shots in front, 22-15.
In the Elimination Semi Final, Sandy Bay’s Josh Lording started slowly against Brighton’s Matt Breward but quickly took the ascendancy, with a six on the twelfth end all but ensuring victory in the match. Although Breward won each of the last three ends for a six-shot gain, the damage was done with Lording home by fifteen shots, 30-15.
Brighton’s Mick Daniels surged to a 10-0 lead after seven ends, but big early leads need to be consolidated over the length of a match. Mabb slowly wore down Daniels’ big advantage to finally get in front with a three on the seventeenth end, then picking up a further nine shots to Daniels’ three for a comfortable eight shot win for the Bay, 26-18.
Undaunted by his opponent, Brighton’s Riley Davie had the better of Sandy Bay’s Lachie Sims until the tenth end when Sims drew level. Winning four ends in succession, from the fourteenth to seventeenth ends, to add seven shots to his total Sims moved five shots clear only for Davie to get back to within a shot. Sims’ experience proved too much for Davie as the Bay skip won the final two ends to win by six shots, 23-17.
Sandy Bay’s Andrew Norris started strongly to lead his opponent, Grant Wakefield, by 12-0 after four ends, then 16-9 at the eleventh. A four to Wakefield on the twelfth end brought him to within three shots of Norris, after which both skips swapped the lead until a three to Wakefield on the final end sealed a one-shot win, 25-24.
The win to Sandy Bay kept their season alive and earnt them a spot in the Preliminary Final against Glenorchy Rodman, with the winning side going through to meet Kingborough in the Grand Final next Saturday.
Other Divisions
Preliminary Finals in other divisions has Beltana playing Orford in Division 1, Sandy Bay and Howrah contest Division 2, in Division 3 Bruny Island meet Sandy Bay, Claremont plays Royal Hobart in Division 4, Division 5 matches Huonville against Howrah, Orford and Howrah play off in Division 6, and Division 7 pits Royal Hobart against Sandy Bay.