Sweet revenge for Sandy Bay in the Tiger’s Den
A Premier Division report for The Mercury by Peter Kirby
Kingborough v Sandy Bay
The match of the round in Bowls South’s Leumas Accounting Saturday Pennant Premier Division pitted last season’s Grand Finalists against each other In Kingborough’s indoor centre, with Sandy Bay prevailing by 6 shots in a high standard game, 78-72. As befitting of a high-quality contest, a single shot separated the sides on three of the rinks, with the overall result decided on the fourth. Sandy Bay started well and led by four shots after forty ends against last season’s Premiers.
Sandy Bay’s Alby Norris and his team of James Howell, Rohan Cooper and Ryan McCoull got out to a 21-7 lead after sixteen ends against Kingborough’s Jason Fowler which extended Sandy Bay’s lead to twelve shots after sixty-four ends played.
Kingborough’s Jason Fowler and his team of Jason Commane, Health Seabourne and Michael Andersch won three of the next four ends, picking up four shots on each end to put the home team right back in the contest, with Norris leading 23-19. Sandy Bay was leading overall by just four shots with six ends to be played.
Alby Norris scored a single on the last end to win 24-19, with Sandy Bay leading by five shots. Kingborough skip, Will Coad, and his team of Jordan Seabourne, Clinton Seabourne and Treb O’Neill scored one shot on the nineteenth end to keep the home team right in the game.
Sandy Bay’s Josh Lording and Kingborough’s Ryan Guy-Rees were tied at 18-18 after twenty ends. Ryan Guy-Rees and his team of Jack Butler, Crystal Brooks and Darryn Reeve had led for nineteen of the twenty ends played. Sandy Bay lead, Jan Hobbs, put down the winning bowl of the game on the last end to give State player Josh Lording and his team of Jan Hobbs, Kyron Daly and Lucas Howell their second one shot win on the last end in their last three games.
Sandy Bay’s Justin Plummer and Kingborough skip, Nathan Dinning, were also tied at 16-all going into their last end. Jarrod Long, playing three for Nathan Dinning, drew a toucher with his last bowl but Sandy Bay’s Bryce Guy responded with a very good bowl that slid off Peri Buckley’s bowl and landed right on the kitty. Nathan Dinning played two very good bowls to finish, his first landing jack high to give him something to work off with his last bowl of the game, which was executed with precision and looked to have won the rink for his team when he touched the kitty, which somehow rolled backwards to Bryce Guy’s bowl, which gave Plummer a one-shot victory, 17-16.
Keghan Booth picked up a shot on the twentieth end to tie his match against Will Coad at 18-all. The last end was killed and, on the replay, Kingborough’s Treb O’Neill had the shot 20mm from the kitty and despite two magnificent bowls from Keghan Booth, Coad hung on to win by one shot, for the home side’s single rink win on the day.
Rosny Park v Cremorne
In the closest contest of the round, the home side, Rosny Park, prevailed by one shot overall, 73-72, over visitors, Cremorne, winning on two rinks and drawing a third. Peter Bannister won by six shots over Cremorne’s Pat Hoffman, 21-15, and Darren Monks accounted for the Scallops’ Ashly Banks by the same margin, 24-18.
Nothing could separate Rosny’s Nic Courto and Cremorne’s Phil Ions after twenty-one ends, the match ending in a 16-all draw. Peter Marshall all but stole the result to the favour of the visitors, enjoying an eleven-shot romp over Andrew Blake, 23-12, just falling short of a miraculous victory for the visitors.
Brighton v Howrah
Brighton had a solid three-rink victory over their visitors, Howrah, by fifteen shots overall, 80-65. Riley Davie recorded the biggest winning margin of the day, nine shots to the better of Howrah’s Adam Butler, 23-14.
Brighton’s other successful skips each won by six shots, and the same score, 20-16, Michael Daniels beating Steven Howard, and Matt Breward over Peter Jenkins. Howrah’s sole rink win went to Bill Butler, defeating Brighton’s Grant Wakefield by two shots, 19-17.
Dover RSL v Glenorchy Rodman
Dover had a three-rink win over visiting side, Glenorchy Rodman, and drew the fourth for an overall win by twenty-two shots, 85-63. Brad Carver monstered Rodman’s Grant Allford, winning by seventeen shots, 30-13.
Chris Norris had a mighty battle with Rodman’s Cam Tegg, with neither skip able to break clear, the match ending in a 17-all draw. Dover won by narrow margins on the other two rinks, Jarrah Allan by four shots against Anthony Clifford, and Cam Norris by a single shot over Rod Turner, 17-16.
Buckingham v Claremont
On their home green, Buckingham slid to their fourth consecutive defeat of the season, this time going down to Claremont on three rinks, 97-65. Only George Kovacs saluted for the home side with a convincing 25-16 win over Chris Chalker. For the visitors, John McDonald defeated Alvin Cooke, 21-18, Michael Taylor accounted for Stuart Rees, 26-14, and Paul Hart enjoyed a comprehensive 34-8 victory over Craig Owen.