By Jack Rollings
The weather was warm, but not too hot, no rain, not much wind and perfect for bowling on the most recent Saturday Pennant, the last round before the Christmas break.
Monbulk had asked Santa for a big win and Santa delivered.
The three Monbulk sides all had overall wins this week, including the two away games.
Monbulk 1 played at home against Croydon 2. Going into this round, and on paper, it looked like Monbulk’s game because Croydon were sitting bottom of the ladder with just one win and six losses, whereas Monbulk had four wins and three losses.
And the game was on Monbulk’s fast and wide synthetic home ground. Croydon had other ideas. Their bowlers came with the determination and confidence of a top side. Each rink was a close contest. The overall scoreboard was tight all day with several lead changes. The result went right down to the wire, with only the final two ends on the final rink making a certain overall win for Monbulk.
Jim Bras’ team won 11 ends and had level scores several times. They picked up some good multiples with four 3s and a 4, but they also dropped two bad 4s. With two ends to go, the scores were 20 shots all. Monbulk added four shots to take the rink 24 shots to 20.
Tony French’s team won 12 ends with one good 4, but they also dropped two 3s and 4. They trailed for most of the day but won five ends in a row in the race home. Going into the last two ends, the scores were 17 shots all. The Croydon bowlers were able to take both ends and Monbulk lost the rink 17 shots to 21.
Brian Smith’s team won 11 ends including a 3 and two 4s, but they gave away two big bad 5s which let Croydon stay in the game. With two ends to go, Monbulk was up by just a single shot. Croydon grabbed the lead with a double on the second last end. Then Monbulk responded with a double on the last end to take the rink 21 shots to 20.
Eric Markham’s team won 10 ends in another tight game where the lead changed several times. The Monbulk team gave away two 3s and a 4 but they picked up some good multiples of their own. With three ends to go, Monbulk trailed by six shots, the biggest margin for the day. And that’s when they pulled out their best results for the day, winning a 4, a 3 and another 3, to win the rink 24 shots to 20.
Overall Monbulk won the round 86 shots to 81 with three rinks up. They are still fifth on the ladder but on equal wins and losses with the next three sides above them, so it is very close. The breakaway leader is Mooroolbark and that’s who Monbulk has to face in the first game back after the break.
Monbulk 2 travelled to Ferntree Gully to play a much lower-placed side, although the away ground can usually be a challenging factor. The Monbulk bowlers played the green as though it was their home and came away with wins on all four rinks.
Case Broekhof’s team took a few ends to work out the green then picked up seven ends in a row to lead by 14 shots on the 12th end. For the whole game they dropped only eight ends. On the 15th end they dropped a bad five-shot clanger but steadied in the race home and took the rink 25 shots to 14.
Graeme Goller’s team struggled to get on the board early on and was down by nine shots going into the fifth end. But halfway through the game they came good with five strong wins, to take the lead. In the race home, they built up an 11 shot margin, and, even though they dropped the final three ends, they were able to hang on to the finish and win the rink 25 shots to 22.
Peter Koomen’s team won 11 ends, and, for two thirds of the day, the scores were close. Then, in the final third, Monbulk took control, winning some big multiples and only dropping some minor scores. They won the rink 23 shots to 14.
Don Barnetson’s team also won 11 ends. Each time Ferntree Gully came close or levelled, the Monbulk team was able to respond with a good winning end. Monbulk won the rink 29 shots to 20.
Overall Monbulk won the round 102 shots to 70 with all four rinks up. Monbulk is sitting second on the ladder, close behind Cockatoo, on the same 5/2 win/loss ratio. And it is Cockatoo who they have to face in the first round back after the Christmas break on 20 January. It will be on Monbulk’s green and it should be a ripper of a matchup.
Monbulk 3 played away against Mooroolbark 7. Both sides were sitting around the middle of the ladder so the away ground was expected to be the tricky obstacle. But the Monbulk bowlers were not overawed. All three teams in this 12 a side competition came away with wins.
Mike Harris’ team trailed on the first half of the card, then dominated on the second half, dropping only two singles. They took the lead and grew the margin, winning the rink 17 shots to 11.
Chris Sullivan’s team won thirteen ends, but scores were close throughout the day. On the 17th end Monbulk dropped a four-shot clanger to trail 15 shots to 18. But they steadied in the race home, picking up the final four ends to win the rink 20 shots to 18.
Graeme Godkin’s team dropped a few big ones in the first third, to trail by 10 shots. Then they picked up some whoppers of their own to lead by eight shots in the second third. In the race home Mooroolbark edged closer, but Monbulk claimed a massive six-shotter on the last end to claim the rink 31 shots to 23.
Overall Monbulk 3 won the round 68 shots to 52 with all three rinks up. They have now nudged their way into the top four. The next game, after the Christmas break, will be at Monbulk against Healesville who are sitting second. Monbulk will be hoping their home ground will give them enough advantage to take the points.
