BERWICK BOWLS CLUB
With the New Year starting on the weekend we had many teams needing a win first up to consolidate their standings in the lead up to finals in February…and they didn’t disappoint.
There was plenty of controversy and discussion over selection but the selection committee was justified with seven of the eight teams taking the points and only the fives – who had a shock loss – preventing the club from getting its first clean sweep for a long time.
Berwick 1 – Def St Kilda (away) 113 – 67 (16pts) – Ladder Position: 4th
As we stated in the last pennant wrap for the year, the loss to Pakenham showed that attitude, positivity and encouragement in a team sport far outweighs individual ability and performance. This was the main focus for the ones this week as they travelled to the very picturesque St Kilda club to start the 2023 campaign. They didn’t disappoint with three big rink wins to Mills (24 shots), Rich (16 shots) and Ellard (15 shots). Unfortunately some late changes to O’Donnell’s rink saw them go down by nine but that result was much closer than nine shots. With Whittlesea getting beaten on the weekend it now puts a small buffer between fourth and fifth of 18pts BUT, the ones travel to Whittlesea this Sunday to take on the might of a very strong team on their home deck in what will be a carnival type atmosphere. The Eagles have set up a fundraiser for our very own John O’Donnell who has been through some recent family tragedy. A great gesture by the Eagles but the ones need to win to consolidate top four and if they don’t, they’ll only have themselves to blame as the pack will near closer and closer. The changes to rinks this week saw some vast improvement but next week will be a much tougher proposition. No Predictions but let’s hope it’s a great Sunday for the ones.
Berwick 2 – Game Abandoned to due heat policy (9pts each) – Ladder Position: 1st
Hampton 1 didn’t want the early start when we rang them during the week to try and beat the heat and we are pretty sure we know why! Their players wanted the early start but their selectors weren’t overly confident of taking on the Berwick side and having a win so used the rules to their advantage and managed a nine-point share of the points. Disappointing, but rules are rules and they played it to their advantage. The twos still sit a massive 36 points on top of the ladder and look certain to finish the home and away on top and secure the home final. The rest of the ladder is ridiculously close too, with only 10 points separating second to seventh spot so the twos will keep on their winning ways and let the ladder below sort itself out. The twos had a shocker against Mordialloc away in Round 4 but will be back on the winners list as they take them on at Berwick this week. They’re strong and will show it this week.
Berwick 3 – Def Mulgrave CC 85 – 68 (16pts) – Ladder Position: 8th
The development side, our threes, finally got that all elusive first win of the season against a shocked Mulgrave CC at home on Saturday. This group has continued to improve and build this season and finally got some reward for their efforts on the weekend beating Mulgrave by 17 shots overall. Each and every one of the group had a reason to be happy after endless drubbings and wondering if learning the game at Div 2 level was actually worth it all. But they’ve stuck to it and our more experienced bowlers in the threes should be congratulated for their effort in bringing these bowlers through and sharing their knowledge with our newer bowlers. It doesn’t get any easier though for the threes this week as they travel to Ferntree Gully to play them on one of the quickest synthetic greens they’ll face.
Berwick 4 – Def Cardinia Waters (away) 93 -54 (16pts) – Ladder Position: 2nd
The fours are well on their way to finals now after a great win over Cardinia Waters away on Saturday. They now only sit half a game off top spot and, as we try and settle the sides heading towards finals, there is a possibility that the fours depth of those qualified will continue to improve. The weekend saw the win set up by the Rob Morley skipped rink including Jim Wier, Lois Adams and Doug Fisher who smacked their opposition by 24 shots. They were backed up by Karl Lapinskas’ rink of Peter Riordan, Brian ‘Hollywood’ Monaghan and John Kleverlaan who won by 18 shots. It’s always hard to cover those margins and the fours took away three rink wins. A top-two clash with Pakenham 2 this week and the fours will need to be on their toes and ready to go as the Pakky second side is very strong for Div 4.
Berwick 5 – Def by C. Waverley Golf 1 (Home) 66-100 (2pts) – Ladder Position: 3rd
OUCH!!!! This one hurts! Sitting one point clear on top of the ladder going in to this game the fives were looking good! They got a lesson on our home deck from the opposition this week and they’ve now dropped to third spot and put themselves in a very cautious position with only 14 points separating third to seventh. With only two forced changes from the last game we expected the fives at home to get the points but the opposition to their credit came out firing and all efforts were too late to get the win. They face another nervous task this week with Dandy Club 4, who is sitting fifth and only five points behind them, but they again have the home ground advantage. This week they need to take the bull by the horns and ensure a win by the end of the day to try and break free from the congested fourth spot.
Berwick 6 – Drew Dandy Club (Home) 73-73 (7pts) – Ladder Position: 2nd
This was a nailbiter and Bruce Shearer and his rink of Annette and Peter Kirby and Ray Findlay managed to get them the draw with a 14 shot win. A reasonable result, albeit only one rink win, but the sixes will need to be better than this come finals time. Still sitting second on the ladder and hosting Carrum this week, the sixes need to aim for the full 18 points and this should then keep them in the top two nearing finals. With the ever reliable Pat and Avril Steere missing for the next couple of weeks the sixes need to cover their absence and ensure they are getting all the points.
Berwick 7 – Forfeit by Noble Park (16pts) – Ladder Position: 1st
The sevens received the forfeit on Friday so had the hot day off which was nice for them. They’ll be fresh and ready to go this week when they take on Dandy Club away on the weekend. They sit well clear on top and we are tipping a big win.
Berwick 8 – Forfeit by Toorak (16pts) – Ladder Position: 5th
Here they come! The eights, with the full points on the weekend, now only sit 10pts away from a finals spot in fifth place. They take on Coatesville 3 who are only one win further ahead, but their at home on their home deck and we are tipping them to upset the third-placed Coatesville and put more pressure on the four coming in to the final weeks.
Plenty for all sides to play for this week and not too many sitting comfortably in their ladder positions so get out on the greens, practice, practice, practice and let’s continue to put our club in winning positions over the coming weeks.
-John Rich-
