By Jack Rollings
There were strong, gusty winds and variable temperatures, but no rain, on round two of the Saturday pennant.
Monbulk 1 played away against Croydon 2 on their grass green. It was a bit mossy, but not the worst. Croydon had lost their first-round match, so they were looking to get on the ladder with a home win. Whereas Monbulk had a close first-round win at home and still had to prove their worth on an away grass green.
Brian Smith’s team had a close match. They won eleven ends to ten. On the first end they picked up a four, then dropped a four on the very next end. It is amazing how often that can happen. They then steadied and won the first half convincingly, with a seven-shot margin, helped by a couple of three shotters. In the second half Croydon grabbed a couple of their own three shotters and managed to level the scores on the 16th end. The scores on the composite scoreboard were also very close so the run home was crucial. Brian’s team won five of the remaining six ends and won the rink 20 shots to 17.
Jim Bras’ team won fourteen of the twenty-one ends. That would normally point to a good winning margin, but the wins in the first half were all singles, whereas Croydon grabbed some multiples and were able to level on the ninth end. In the second half Monbulk again kept winning more ends, while Croydon won few ends, but they were big scores. With two ends to go, Monbulk trailed by one shot and the composite board was calling out for support. With some creative moves by the Lead, Ian Rice, and some carefully controlled draw bowling by the Skip, Monbulk won the final two ends with doubles and won the rink 20 shots to 17.
Tony French’s team led all day. They won thirteen ends including some good multiples and doubles and only dropped two doubles. At the halfway mark the margin was seven shots. After that, Monbulk kept the foot down. These rink scores were crucial to Monbulk’s composite score. So it was a heart-stopper when Tony, with his last bowl of the day, bowled into the head, where Croydon was holding shot. But the Monbulk supporters breathed easy when Tony’s bowl gently arrived, rolled over and nudged out the Croydon bowl. Monbulk won the rink 24 shots to 10.
Eric Markham’s team had a tough task all day and didn’t get on the scorecard until the ninth end. The Croydon team, skipped by Kevin Purvis, had a morale-boosting win last week and they were ready to defend their reputation on their home turf. In the second half, Monbulk managed to put a few wins together. They didn’t drop any clangers, which gave some protection to the composite score, but they couldn’t reduce the losing margin. Monbulk lost the rink seven shots to 20.
Overall, Monbulk 1 defeated Croydon 71 shots to 64 with three rinks up. They have proven they can win on grass as well as carpet. After this week, Monbulk is still on top of the ladder and next week they will play the second-placed Mooroolbark, the only other undefeated side. The match will be on Saturday afternoon at Monbulk, and it should be a humdinger.
Monbulk 2 played at home against Ferntree Gully 4.
Peter Lee’s team struggled to win the mat in the first half, but one of their wins was a big four shotter and that kept them in the game. In the back half, they took some intense wins and almost levelled with four ends to go. But Ferntree Gully came home stronger and even claimed a three in sight of the finish. Monbulk lost the rink 13 shots to 18.
Case Broekhof’s rink was a topsy-turvy affair. Ferntree Gully didn’t win the mat until the fifth end and then they were able to draw level by the halfway mark. In the back half Monbulk dropped back and trailed by eight shots on the 16th end. And that was when Case’s crew claimed a big five-shotter to get back in the game with some momentum. The run home was tight but Monbulk gradually pegged back the margin. Finally the teams had to settle for a draw, 16 shots all.
Graeme Goller’s team had a good leading margin at the halfway mark but gave it up in the back half, where Monbulk was able to claim only three wins, all for single results. Ferntree Gully took the lead on the 14th end and managed to keep their noses in front during the tightly contested run to the finish. Monbulk lost the rink 15 shots to 18.
Jim Anderson’s team had a strong start and won equal number of ends in the front half but gave up a four-shot clanger just before halfway. It was then a seesaw game, with the lead changing or level for several ends. With just two ends to go, the scores were 16 shots all. And that’s when disaster struck for Monbulk and they dropped a painful five-shotter from which they couldn’t recover. Monbulk lost the rink 17 to 21.
Monbulk 2 lost overall 61 shots to 73, with just one ladder point earned for the drawn rink. They are now seventh on the ladder, still waiting for a win. The matchup next week will be an interesting one – Cockatoo, our buddies from last season. But don’t expect any favours – Cockatoo are undefeated on top of the ladder and they will be giving away nothing.
Monbulk 3 played at home against Mooroolbark 7.
Maria Baas’ team had a blinder. They dropped only five ends for the day, with only one double given up. Their wins included a five, a four, three threes and eight doubles. At the halfway mark they were already 15 shots up, and in the back half they ran away with the game. Monbulk won the rink with a massive 37 shots to six.
Chris Sullivan’s team played with just three bowlers for the day because a late withdrawal from Monbulk’s second side required a redistribution of players. Chris’ team started slowly and was down by six shots going into the seventh end. Then they won a big four shotter and that got the show happening. They won eight ends in a row to lead by 10 shots going into the fifteenth end. Mooroolbark fought back in the race home, but Monbulk steadied and collected the final three ends to win the rink 22 shots to 11. A great effort from an undermanned team.
Graeme Godkin’s team trailed in the front half, mainly due to a four-shot clanger. Early in the back half they picked up a four shotter of their own, took the lead and increased the margin to the finish. They won twelve ends to nine and won the rink 20 shots to 14.
Overall Monbulk 3 won the round 79 shots to 31 with three rinks up. They have now jumped to second on the ladder. This round’s win was a decent scalp for Monbulk to take – Mooroolbark had a big win the previous week and were on top of the ladder. Next week Monbulk 3 will travel to Healesville who will be coming off a strong away win. They will be looking to consolidate that success at home. Monbulk will also be looking to repeat their euphoric win from this week’s round. It should be a thrilling matchup.
