Neerim in another nail biter
After a draw earlier in the season, Neerim District played in yet another nail biter against Traralgon.
Playing at home, the result came down to the last end of the day.
Division two: Neerim District defeated Traralgon (3) 85/84.
Peter Throup (skip), Peter Brooks, Gerry Engelstad and Colin McKay defeated M. Cumming’s team 22/19.
Scoring was tight early before Neerim got a three on the 10th for a five-shot lead. Traralgon finally hit the lead by one on the 18th end before Neerim steadied and won five of the next six ends for a lead of six shots. Traralgon managed a three on the last end.
Neil Adams (skip), Trevor Kuhnell, Stephen Fish Halligan and Karen Sheers lost to R. Davey’s team 15/31.
Neerim had a steady start and led 5/1. Traralgon levelled then scored a four to lead by six. After that, Neerim could only manage ones or twos while Traralgon continued solidly.
Ray Watts (skip), Jim Fallon, Rob Cook and Wes Ellis defeated R. Dykstra’s team 24/20.
Scoring was even in the first half, with Neerim leading 11/9 on the 13th end. A four on the 20th end gave Neerim a small buffer and by the 23rd end they led by seven shots. Traralgon picked up a five on the penultimate end, but Neerim steadied with a two on the last.
Angus McGillivray (skip), Pat FraserAurisch, Tony Thornton and Julie Adams defeated T. James’ team 24/14.
Angus and his team have performed beautifully this season, only losing one game by two shots.
In another solid performance, Neerim led by three on the 20th end after scoring was tight throughout. They came home strongly, winning four of the last five ends and picking up nine shots.
The 17th end needs mention due to no score since opposing shot bowls were identical distance from the jack. Had the Traralgon bowl been 1mm closer, the overall match result would have been another draw.
Division five: Neerim District lost to Morwell Club (2) 55/68.
Tom Goodwin (skip), Gerald Winter, George Rymer and Di Tame defeated A. Shepley’s team 18/16.
Tied on the eighth end, Neerim won the next three ends to lead by six only for Morwell to cut the margin to three on the 14th end. In the remaining 11 ends, neither side could manage more than a one as Neerim held on to win.
Russell Meehan (skip), Jim Schroeder, Cookie Halligan and John Rochford lost to G. Unwin’s team 18/30.
Neerim had a poor start, dropped a five on the seventh end on the way to trailed by 14 shots on the 13th. However, they hung tough and started to win their share of ends. A seven on the 22nd end cut the margin to just six but Morwell picking up six shots over the last three ends to win.
Bruce Mironow (skip), Thelma Schroeder, Neville Cousins and Greg Bond lost to H. Wright’s team 19/22.
In another tight game, Neerim won 10 of the first 13 ends but only led by five. Morwell cut the margin to one before Neerim responded with a five. However, Morwell won five of the last six ends to run out winners.
Division one: Neerim District lost to Traralgon 44/84.
Pat Fraser-Aurisch (skip), Di Tame, Gerald Winter and Gerry Melling defeated K. Garry’s team 23/17.
A four on the first end got Neerim off to a good start but they were down 5/10 on the 10th end. Neerim got back with scores level on the 19th. They picked up six shots over the last ends to win.
Karen Sheers (skip), Liz Hodge, Gerry Engelstad and Steve Halligan lost to P. Trewin’s team 9/31.
It was a tough day for Neerim with scoring hard to come by. They had a disastrous second end - dropping seven shots - and Traralgon were 12 on the fifth end before Neerim got on the board.
Thelma Schroeder (skip), Cookie Halligan, Kay Cousins and John Rochford lost to D. Wylie’s team 12/36.
Neerim were competitive over the first six ends but dropped to trail by 13 shots. A four on the 13th end gave encouragement, but Traralgon piled on 15 shots in the next four ends.