Mathoura has moved into the top four of the Campaspe division one weekend pennant competition after a 13-shot win against Rochester in a heat-affected match.
Mathoura was leading two rinks prior to Saturday’s match at Rochester being called off under the heat rule.
Skips Mick Humphreys and David Hicks were both clear of their opposing skips when the Mathoura team manager called the match shortly after noon.
Rochester’s Garth Wiffen, playing as third to Peter Holzer, said as far as he knew points would be awarded for the match.
"We were told that the temperature was 39°C in Deniliquin and we had to finish,“ he said.
Holzer’s rink was down by 11 shots to Humphreys, while Kelvin Wiffen was four shots in arrears of David Hicks when play was abandoned.
Richard Feuk was two shots clear of his opposing number, Rodney Werner, winning 23-21.
Humphreys had a 26-15 win against Holzer and in the remaining match Kelvin Wiffen suffered a 17-21 defeat at the hand of Hicks.
Rochester remains on the bottom rung of the seven-team ladder and its next match will be on January 15 against Tongala, with a three-week break over Christmas now in place.
Echuca, which had the bye on the weekend, remains well clear on top of the ladder. The interest is now between Deniliquin and Moama, who are separated by just two points.
Then there is only five points separating fourth to sixth, Mathoura, Rich River and Tongala. It will make for an interesting final eight rounds of the home and away season.
- Rich River has moved to within striking distance of the top four on the Campaspe division one pennant bowls ladder after its five-shot win against Tongala in a heat-affected round on Saturday.
Rich River is now on the fifth rung of the ladder after pennant points were awarded late for the Mathoura and Rochester match.
Keith Hewitt’s spectacular effort on the final end of his match with Jack Hammond and a win for Jason McCloy against Greg Lyon allowed Rich River to collect the lion’s share of the points, despite Colin Hayes drawing with Bradley Tinning.
Mathoura earned 14 points for its weekend result at Rochester, having collected two of the three rink wins. That has taken it to 36 points, one clear of Rich River.
At Tongala meanwhile, the players continued despite the temperate teetering around the 38°C mark.
The match started three hours early to avoid the predicted 40°C-plus conditions, an early start agreeing with the Rich River team which won the match 60-55 (15-1).
- Deniliquin has replaced Moama on the second rung of the Campaspe division one pennant bowls competition after winning two of the three rinks at Moama on Saturday.
The five-shot win, 56-51 (14-2), was dominated by Jamie Shields’ rink of Graham Nisbet, Lindsay Franklin and Stephen O’Brien.
Their 16-shot win (27-11) against George Thornley’s rink, his first defeat of the season at division one level, was the major influence on the outcome.
Neville Varcoe, Moama’s only winning skip, almost squared the ledger when he Brian Franklin, Laurie Campbell and Russell Kelly were 25-10 winners against Simon Chisholm.
But the four-shot win of Deniliquin skip Shane Laing (19-15) ensured Deniliquin walked away with the lion’s share of the pennant points.
Deniliquin is now two points clear of third-ranked Moama, with Echuca (which had the bye on the weekend) still nine points clear on top of the ladder.
There is now a three-week break in the Campaspe weekend division one competition, with round seven not due to be contested until January 15.
That will be a blockbuster match when top-of-the-ladder Echuca and second-ranked Deniliquin are drawn to contest the round-seven match at the Echuca rink.
- Moama has moved further ahead at the top of Bendigo Campaspe Goldfields Bowls Region’s Premier league ladder.
Moama remains unbeaten from its five matches, with its closest competition being South Bendigo and Kangaroo Flat, the latter of which was upset by seventh-ranked Golden Square on Saturday.
After seven rounds Moama has accumulated 82 points and is 12 per cent clear of any other team’s percentage. Kevin Anderson and Bradley Campbell, who have produced outstanding results this season, set up the 70-39 (16-2) victory.