Classy Highton monsters Lara
THE battle for ladder leadership took another turn in Division 1 as the Highton (1) team took a one-point lead over Highton (2) after its handsome 18-0 (61-shots) win over 10th placed Lara on the well-paced green at Highton on Saturday.
Highton (2) moved back to second place following its vital loss to Torquay on the Fisherman’s Beach green at Torquay.
Highton (1) showed no mercy as it took complete control over Lara.
The work from the Jeremy Fitzgerald rink of Ric Stephens (lead), Graeme Ott (second) and Graeme Wright (third) was outstanding and led the way with its crushing 43-16 win over the Tony Gilmore rink. The Nick Bell rink joined in the shotfest with a 37-18 win over the James Derham rink. This gave Bell his 4th rink win of the season and he moved into the top 10 on the leading skips ladder.
Torquay spoiled the party for Highton (2) taking a 14-4 (14-shot) win.
This match featured the winning form of the competition’s leading skipper in Alan Sampson with a 45-18 win over the John Jackson rink.
Sampson has now won six and drawn one to be on 13 points, one clear of Neil Jones from Highton (2). Jones’s rink also maintained its winning run with a 31-19 win over the Robin Chambers rink. Jones has won six from seven.
Belmont kept the pressure on the top four with its clean sweep win by 40-shots over Geelong Cement. Belmont is in fifth position, equal on points with fourth-placed Torquay and 84 shots behind in shot difference. The work from all four Belmont rinks was solid with winning margins between five and 18.
The number one rink of James Reed (lead), Stephen Giles (second), Shane Carbines (third) and Stephen Davies (skip) led the way with its 17shot win over the Brad Sheills rink from Geelong Cement.
Drysdale and Portarlington played a bowl-for-bowl draw at Drysdale while Ocean Grove took a 16-2 (21-shot) win over St Leonards to hold down third place on the ladder.