EUROA BOWLS CLUB

By GREG BLATCHFORD

WEEK one of the finals has been completed, and it was big on and off the green, with three teams competing and the club hosting four finals, including the Division One blockbuster between Shepp Golf and Tallygaroopna.

In Midweek Pennant, Division four won its way through to the Grand Final with a 12-shot victory over Shepp Park.

We got off to a strong start and managed to hold the lead, and even though the opposition finished strongly over the last few ends, we held on with two rinks finishing in front.

Division four versus Shepp Park – 70 to 58.

Doug Maconachie, Greg Blatchford, Mary Steen, and Dot Lomer 17-28.

Richard Noble, Don Steers, Beryl Harris, and Jan Sheargold 24-15.

Peter Naughton, Margaretha Cerini, Pauline Naylor, and Buffy McFarlane 29-15.

We will take on the winner of the Shepp Park versus Shepp Golf Preliminary Final in the Grand Final, which is scheduled for 4 March.

Both of our Weekend Pennant teams came up short in the Qualifying Finals, with Division four going down to Alexandra by 10 shots and Division six finishing just four shots behind Nagambie.

Division six was right in the hunt until the end, whilst Division four started slowly and, despite getting within seven shots on a couple of occasions, couldn’t make up the gap.

We congratulate Nagambie and Alexandra on their wins and turn our focus to trying to earn the right to have another crack at them.

Division Four versus Alexandra – 75 to 85 and four points.

Jim Perry, Brian Bamford, Charmaine Reid, and Buffy McFarlane 14-26.

Doug Maconachie, Greg Blatchford, Max Griffiths, and Noel Moon 16-28.

Alex Grant, Jamie Greasley, Lance Carracher, and Anne Sutcliffe 26-12.

Richard Noble, Lindsay Cocking, Kerrie Steers, and Margaretha Cerini 19-19.

Division Six versus Nagambie – 53 to 57.

Tim Scarlett, Ian South, Ray Day, and Rolly Simpson 22-14.

Ross Withers, Mark Jervies, Neville Harris, and Janneke Kruger 21-20.

James Dunne, Marg Goode, Ken Drysdale, and Beth Alston 10-23.

In the Preliminary Finals, Division Four comes up against Shepp Park at Shepp Golf, whilst Division Six faces Violet Town at Hill Top.

Players are reminded that finals venues and playing conditions are determined by the Goulburn Valley Bowls Division, which controls the greens on the day.

Unlike home-and-away matches, starting times and the requirement to play straight through are locked in and cannot be altered by agreement between participating clubs on the day.

We are holding a training session for all Divisions Four and Six players at 10am on Tuesday—uniform required—and all bowlers are welcome to attend.

The long-awaited Men’s Pairs Final between Ken Sutcliffe/Bill Taylor and Tony Kingma/Marc Stevens will also be on, so it will be another big day at the club.

A big thank you is extended to those who came along and supported club mates, as well as those who worked hard to ensure our greens, facilities, and hospitality were A1 for the games we hosted.

Such things are only possible because of the hard work and dedication of many.

It is the final round of Rodwell’s Business House Bowls this Wednesday, and whilst things are tight at the top with a few teams in a position to claim the prize, we need to remember it is not all about winning.

It is a great night out and provides an opportunity for many people who otherwise wouldn’t, to have a bowl.

Other Club Championship matches are continuing, and we hope to announce the date for the rescheduled Armageddon Challenge shortly.

The club will be holding a Footy Tipping Competition again this year, and if you want to enter, log on to the AFL Tipping site (tipping.afl.com.au) and search for our competition HWDUWSLR.

The final two Nifty 50 winners were Bill Jennings and Judy Jennings.

All the best and bowl well.

AVENEL BOWLS CLUB

By KATE DONOVAN

MIDWEEK PENNANT – Division Three.

AVENEL played Nagambie in the semi-final at East Shepparton.

Despite two winning rinks, Avenel lost the match 47 to 53.

Another chance at finals awaits at Shepparton Park when Avenel plays Mooroopna Golf in the Preliminary Final.

James Wall, Kate Donovan, Geoff Hateley, and Spud Furletti (s) led for all but the first four ends.

Four was the biggest margin for the entire game, with three shots up securing the win for Avenel, 17 to 14.

Pam Pedder, Grace Kenworthy, Glen Bell, and Dennis McGregor (s) won by two shots after another hotly contested game, with the scores even six times over the twenty-one ends, including the second last end.

Avenel held their nerve to score two on the last end for the win, 16 to 14.

Jenny Furletti, Graham Lewis, Fay Hateley, and Noel Slater (s) were in chase mode all game.

Despite their efforts, Nagambie was too good, winning by eleven shots, 25 to 14.

MIDWEEK PENNANT – Division Six

With Avenel finishing the home-and-away season in fourth place, a win was paramount to stay alive in the finals race.

Mission accomplished with a 37 to 34 win against Nagambie; they now face Colbinabbin in the Preliminary Finals to be played at Shepparton Park.

Moiann Papageorgiou, Ron Harrison, Nyoli Bell, and Rusty Schwab (s) had a five scored against them on the eleventh end, making the deficit eight shots.

In a determined fight back, they won seven out of the next ten ends to claim a hard-fought victory, 19 to 16.

Mark Morse, Marion Gittus, Marg Harrison, and Bill O’Connor (s) had a thrilling game with many lead changes.

When two evenly matched teams are pitted against each other, it’s probably karma that they can’t be separated, ending in an 18-all draw.

WEEKEND PENNANT – Division Three

That’s a wrap for Avenel for season 2024/25 as they lost to Shepparton Golf in the Elimination Final played at Tatura Hill Top, 71 to 92.

Dennis McGregor, Grace Kenworthy, Glen Bell, and Brett McDonald (s) led early in the game but lost the lead after Shepparton Golf scored eight over three ends.

Avenel immediately answered back, winning the next five ends and regaining the lead.

A six-shot win for Avenel was reward for effort, 23 to 17.

James Wall, Kate Donovan, Geoff Hateley, and Spud Furletti (s) lost the first two ends but won the lead on the third end with a four.

Maintaining the lead for the rest of the game saw them come away with a narrow two-shot win, 20 to 18.

Pam Pedder, Donna Rowley, Josh McDonald, and Jake Wall (s) were competitive in the first half, being only two shots down on end ten.

Shepparton Golf team found their stride, winning all but two of the remaining ends and secured a comprehensive win, 29 to 15.

The same applied to the next rink of Howard Geldard, Graham Lewis, Fay Hateley, and Noel Slater (s), who started competitively but fell away as Shepparton Golf took control of the game, resulting in a 28 to 13 loss.

VIOLET TOWN BOWLS CLUB

LEANNE RUSSELL-JONES

WEEKEND PENNANT Division Six.

The team is enjoying finals action, travelling to East Shepparton to play against Dookie on Saturday, achieving a good win of 14-2, 72-48.

We had slipped back to third on the ladder after suffering a big loss at Shepparton Park in the last game.

Good luck to the team when they meet Euroa at Hilltop this Saturday.

Midweek Pennant Division Five.

After a slow start, we had a great win over Euroa at Euroa on Tuesday, 11 February.

However, we were pipped at the post for finals this year, with third and fourth on the ladder finishing with good wins as well, leaving us in fifth.

We ran a successful Twilight tournament on Sunday, 24 February.

Many thanks to those who contributed to making it a great night.

It was hot and humid at 5pm when we started, so the air-conditioned rooms were very popular at tea time.

The night was won by Jean Sprague’s team from Rushworth, and the runners-up were Marg McNamara’s team from Shepparton Park.

An enjoyable meal was had by the players, and the supper was great.

I would like to thank the Violet Town Community Op Shop for their donation towards our prize money.

Our second night of Jack Attack saw a brief deluge come down before we could get the second half of our evening underway.

However, the raffles had been drawn, and one game of five ends was completed, so all was good.

Last Thursday was extremely warm again, and we had a terrific third night.

Our raffle prize donors continue to be very generous, with several prizes every week, so come along and join in the fun of the night.

You might even get drawn into a team.