COBRAM BOWLS CLUB
After our greens were used last Sunday for the Regional Challenge, we thank our greenkeeper Greg Dunn for having a green prepared for the 60 and Over fours competition on Monday morning.
The field has lost a couple of regular teams as this season progresses so there were only 12 teams last week, but this produced four three-game winners.
The season is drawing to a close with the final local event to be at Wunghnu on Monday, March 21. But all players should be ready for the challenge event at Mooroopna on Monday, March 28, where they will be providing 14 teams.
So, if there are any bowlers out there looking for a game of fours, please contact Glenn on 0429 169 791.
Men’s Pairs semi-finals were played on Wednesday afternoon. One game saw the McDonald brothers play each other, and it was Allan who was victorious over Colin. On the other rink, Trevor Wood and Ross Smith took on Mal Beer and John Dixon, and it will be Wood and Smith to take on Allan McDonald and Garry Carter in the final to be played on Wednesday, March 16, at 3.30pm.
On Thursday we welcomed 28 teams (from 10 clubs) for the Doyles Gourmet Meats-sponsored Trade Day, where the winners and runner-up team members each took home a meat tray, as did the first two raffle prize winners.
There were three teams with three wins but with 53 points the winners were Cobram’s Tel Pearce, Garry Carter and Mal Beer, and runners-up with 50 points were Tocumwal Golf’s Ron Dixon, Ross Finlayson and Dave Hanson.
Best first game with 14 shots up were Don Collie, George Mynard and John Flannery. Best second game with 19 shots up were Tex Penna, Peter Ashford and John Wilson, while there had to be a countback for ends to separate Picola and Barooga with their seven shots up for the best third game, with the spoils going to Barooga’s Trevor Milne, Ken Newton and John Bruce. The jackpot survived for another week.
Cobram had two teams playing in the second week of finals and what fantastic games of bowls with nail-biting conclusions from Friday Division 2 who finished fourth on the ladder and Saturday Division 3 who finished third on the ladder.
Berrigan was the host club for the Friday preliminary finals and provided excellent greens and perfect weather for bowls.
Cobram was playing Numurkah, with the winner to set up a meeting with Numurkah Golf in the grand final.
Carol Mathers’ rink played Sue Shaw’s four and Numurkah managed the pace of the green a little
better than Cobram which resulted in more multiple shot ends against the Tigers. When this rink left the green first, despite their deficit, the overall scoreboard was almost level — with 59 of 63 ends played Cobram was only one shot behind. Brenda Smethurst’s four took on Merren Carr’s crew and after being held scoreless for six ends, the Tigers made amends by scoring 10 shots in three ends, followed soon after with a five-shot end. But conceding eight shots over two ends narrowed the Tigers’ lead to three shots with three ends to go. Tigers up by four shots on this rink.
Barb Turner’s rink played Lyn Cline and was in front all day, although their eight-shot lead at end 17 dwindled to two shots with one end to play. And, this was in fact to be the 63rd end of the game and the overall scoreboard showed Numurkah six shots in front. So, emotions among the spectators were running rampant when Aileen Williams kicked the jack out to the side, and then we heard the Numurkah third tell Lyn that she had to get one “in there” or it would be “five”. So, with last skips bowls played, it was up to the thirds to measure for shots, and for the spectators at the other end of the green watching the scoring bowls being removed, it was 1,2,3,4,5, and one more made 6.
Yes, we had a tied game, and for the second week in a row Cobram scored six shots on the final end of a game. With a tied game in a final, the procedure is that all rinks must play one additional end. While Cobram won the mat, they chose to give it to Numurkah — allowing Cobram skips to have the last bowl. There was only one shot scored on each of the three rinks — but unfortunately for Cobram, two of those went to Numurkah. So, it was a one-shot loss for the Tigers. Our club is so very proud of Cobram 2 to make it into the preliminary final and to push second-placed Numurkah to a tied game after 63 ends.
Saturday Division 3 preliminary final was played at Numurkah Golf, and again Numurkah was our opposition, with their third side having finished second on the ladder.
Carol Doherty’s four played Tom Brown’s rink and while the Tigers kept in touch for the first half of the game, not for the first time, Numurkah pulled away in the second half. Glenn Murphy’s crew were doing battle with Bert Visser’s four and the scores were 16 all on the 16th end. But in a similar story, Numurkah pulled away, and even a five-shot end on the final end could not balance out the deficit.
At 54 ends, the overall scoreboard showed the scores equal. The third Tigers rink skipped by Braidon Johnson was relentless
against Bill Werner’s four, with all bowlers contributing with draw bowls or conversion shots when requested and only allowing Numurkah to score on eight ends.
Unfortunately, the growing deficits on the other rinks were eating away at their 25-shot lead, and with 62 ends completed, Tigers were seven shots in arrears on the overall scoreboard. It was at this time that all players and spectators were shown how you can play to win, even if it seems the odds are against you. We all know that it is possible to score eight shots on an end, and Cobram only needed seven for a tied game and an extra end. So, three ends were “killed” so that Cobram could have another chance.
The drama even forced Bill to call for an alcoholic beverage. In what turned out to be the final end, Johnson was unable to kill the end, but did take out two Numurkah bowls to give Cobram three shots for a 26-shot rink win,
and the deficit for the overall game was only four shots.
Once again, our club is extremely proud of all players who contributed throughout the year, when a number of games were lost by only one shot.
The grand finals next Saturday afternoon will all be played at Berrigan. In all divisions the finalists are those clubs that finished the season in the top two positions on their ladders, so there should be some great bowls on display.
We congratulate all finalists, but we have special interest in Division 1 and Division 2 games where we will say “Go Tigers” as they take on Wunghnu and Katandra West respectively.
Rescheduling of McDonald Mixed Pairs
The delayed start to pennant and state events has meant a very tight schedule this season and unfortunately there have not been enough weekends for everything. One of our tournaments to fall foul of this is the McDonald Mixed Pairs which is being postponed from its advertised date of March 26-27 to a date in May. Please watch our Facebook page for the new date to be announced.
Reminders: New club raffle commences on Friday, March 18. Call Glenda if you want to pay cash for your entry, otherwise pay into club account.
The 2-4-2 pairs is on at the new start time of 10am on Tuesday morning. Names on the sheet at the club by Monday afternoon, or late entries to Glenda on 0407 040 208, no later than 8.30am on Tuesday.
Friday grand finals will be played at Finley on Friday, March 18. Bowls commence at 10am.
Regional finals of state events to be played at Wunghnu on Sunday, March 27, and at Numurkah Golf on Sunday, April 3.