Sport

Murray bowls wrap | Cobram continues bright start with nail-biting win

By Zac Standish

Dec 8, 2021

Getting his side over the line: The work of Greg Dunn in rink two helped lift Cobram to its fourth straight victory. Photo by Contributed

Cobram continued its electric start to the Murray Playing Area Saturday Pennant division one season with a thrilling 12-60 to 4-58 win over a gallant Numurkah Golf side.

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One win clear on top of the table, the Tigers came into this clash full of confidence, having easily accounted for all in its wake over the first month of the season.

Bowls is a funny game however, and a determined Numurkah Golf team was up for the challenge, starting brightly to claim early leads in rinks one and three to put pressure on the ladder-leaders.

Claiming 18-17 and 21-17 wins behind skips Geoffrey Sutcliffe and Mark Jones, Golf was seemingly on its way to an upset victory.

But as they have all season, Cobram found a way to take control of the contest courtesy of a standout performance by Greg Dunn’s squad in rink two — winning 26-19 to reverse the deficit and come away with the nail-biting victory.

Despite the loss, this result will give Numurkah Golf great confidence moving forward as it continues to cement itself as one of the division one contenders heading into the Christmas break.

Wunghnu pushed its way up into the top three with a hard-fought 14-81 to 2-72 win over Tocumwal Golf.

A big 30-15 win for Peter Revell in rink three would be the catalyst for the victory, as Wunghnu also took home the chocolates in a tight rink two battle, 35-28.

Tocumwal Golf would experience some success in rink one, with Chris Philpot’s squad coming away 29-16.

But it wouldn’t be enough as the reigning premiers secured a third win of the season.

Finley fell agonisingly short of claiming its first win of the season, losing 12-62 to 4-56 in a nail-biter against Numurkah.

Winning two of the three rinks, Finley would be undone by the work of Ross Higgins’ squad in rink two, as it prevailed 22-13 in a result that swung the game slightly in Numurkah’s favour.

Despite the disappointment of not coming away with the win, the Finley bowlers can take confidence out of this performance as they continue to search for that elusive first victory.

The final division one clash of the weekend saw Barooga make a bold statement, crushing Strathmerton 16-77 to 0-45.

Enjoying a clean sweep of all three rinks, Barooga was on song from beginning to end and didn’t give Strathmerton an inch in a dominant display of bowls.

The work of Ian Smethurst in rink three was particularly impressive, as his squad set the platform for the victory with a 28-13 win helping boost the side’s healthy percentage.