The first round of Midweek Pennant was completed last week, and there were some promising signs, even though we only came out on top in one of the three matches. Division one travelled to take on the strong Shepp Golf combination and remained in the match for most of the day before going down by 13 shots, with two of the rinks falling just two shots short. Division three was also at Shepp Golf and, despite only winning one rink, prevailed by 21 shots thanks to the mighty efforts of Gentleman Jim Perry, Kerrie Steers, Annette Barkley and Keith Kruse, who finished 26 shots ahead. The other two rinks were down early but fought hard to finish just two and three shots behind. Division four took on Alexandra at home and, despite losing by 17 shots, put up a mighty effort given they were up against the visitors' number one side. Pauline Naylor, Mavis Bruce, Marty (McFly) Taylor, and Dot Lomer got within three shots of their opponents. This week, Division one takes on Tallygaroopna at home, Division three hosts Shepp Park and Division four heads to Violet Town to lock horns with another club's number one outfit. Results: Division one versus Shepp Golf – 56 to 69 and 0 points. - Ken Sutcliffe, Steve Bates, Margaretha Cerini and Anne Sutcliffe, 19-21 - Bill Taylor, Peter Naughton, David Cerini and Bill Sargood, 20-29 - Tony Kingma, Charmaine Reid, Mark Jervies and Jan Sheargold, 17-19 Division three versus Shepp Golf – 69 to 48 and 12 points. - Jim Perry, Kerrie Steers, Annette Barkley and Keith Kruse, 34-08 - Greg Blatchford, Libby Byrne, Ray Day and Buffy McFarlane, 16-18 - Don Steers, Helen Brache, Tracy McConnell and Robin Brache, 19-22 Division four versus Alexandra – 42 to 57 and 0 points. - Pauline Naylor, Mavis Bruce, Marty Taylor and Dot Lomer, 16-19 - Marg Goode, Sandy Holmes, Kristeen Boyce and Beth Alston, 12-17 - James Dunn, Ross Withers, Mary Steen and Noel Moon, 14-21 Weekend Pennant It was a tough day at the office in the opening round of Weekend Pennant, as we finished second in all three clashes. There were some promising signs, however, with Division two winning two of its four rinks and Division five getting within five shots of Eildon. Interestingly, both of these teams were up against their opponents' top sides, highlighting the fact that each division is a separate competition and means just as much to the teams competing in it as Division one does to those playing at that level. Sadly, I think this point is sometimes lost on the powers that be. Division one was at home to Mooroopna Billy, with the visitors finishing 23 shots ahead. The rink of Ken Sutcliffe, Steve Bates, Brian Bamford, and Bill Sargood won by seven shots to collect two points in our only success for the day, while the rinks led by coach Bill and Tony Kingma came within three and four shots respectively. In Division two, Jamie (the Bear) Greasley combined with Annette Barkley, Lance Carracher, and Helen Brache to record a 10-shot win, while Don Steers, Graeme Goode, Len Wells, and Tracy McConnell also tasted success. However, their opponents prevailed in the other two rinks and finished nine shots ahead overall. The rink of Ian South, Ray Day, Damian Murphy, and Paw Marty led the way in Division five, finishing 15 shots ahead of their opponents. However, Eildon won the other two rinks to claim the overall victory. In great news for the club, two juniors, Billy Ruffells and Archer Grant, were part of the team, and we have also welcomed a number of other new members to the greens this year. Results: Division one versus Mooroopna – 77 to 100 and two points. - Ken Sutcliffe, Steve Bates, Brian Bamford and Bill Sargood, 25-18 - Bill Taylor, David Cerini, Sam Barkley and Tim Scarlett, 17-20 - Peter Naughton, Marc Stevens, Alex Grant and Doug Maconachie, 12-35 - Tony Kingma, Mark Jervies, Greg Blatchford and Keith Kruse, 23-27 Division two versus Nagambie – 72 to 81 and four points. - Lindsay Cocking, Libby Byrne, Buffy McFarlane and Anne Sutcliffe, 15-34 - Jim Perry, Kerrie Steers, Noel Moon and Janneke Kruger, 16-20 - Jamie Greasley, Annette Barkley, Lance Carracher and Helen Brache, 22-12 - Don Steers, Graeme Goode, Leonard Wells and Tracy McConnell, 19-15 Division five versus Eildon – 56 to 61 and two points. - Ian South, Ray Day, Damian Murphy and Marty Taylor, 27-12 - Geoff Barkley, Marg Goode, Archer Grant and Alice Wells, 16-25 - James Dunn, Robin Brache, Stephen Emms and Billy Ruffells, 13-24 This Saturday, Division one takes on reigning premiers and competition heavyweights Tallygaroopna at Tally, Division two is at home to Seymour and Division five hosts Seymour VRI. Last Wednesday, we hosted the Koala Cherries Preharvest Celebration, which proved to be a successful day. Thanks are extended to everyone who helped ensure things ran smoothly. There will be Social Bowls on Wednesday if we get enough numbers, so please put your name on the board to help us gauge interest. The first four winners in the Nifty 50 were Marg Goode, Sandra Cocking, Mat McGraw (the Parkdale Prince) and Lotti. All the best and bowl well.
