GARFIELD BOWLS
MIDWEEK PENNANT
On Tuesday 14 December the Div-3 Midweek side played host to the team from the far end of the division at Traralgon and, despite only winning one rink, Garfield won the day by 53 shots to 50.
The rink of Helene Newton, Gordon Moxey, Lexi Taylor and Damian Brick started out slowly, then came good and stormed home to win convincingly by 22 shots to 14.
Maureen Lamport’s rink, consisting of Jan Johnson, Malcolm Newham and Bob Lamport, were in a tight tussle with their opponents, which included three times when the scores were level; this was the case on the second-last end. However, on the last end, their opponents scored two shots, so Garfield lost by 16 shots to 18.
The team comprising Barrie Smith, Gillian Harper, Barry Johnson and skip Sue Stansfield, had a game in three parts.
The first eight ends saw a tied score at six shots all; then their opposition had a purple patch, jumping to a nine-shot lead after 14 ends, but the Garfield team made a stirring comeback to lose in the end by only three shots, 15 to 18.
This win maintains their third place on the ladder going into the Christmas break.
SATURDAY PENNANT
On Saturday 18 December the Div-3 side travelled to far-off Yinnar to play their last match before Christmas.
With two rinks up and two down, they came home with a win overall by 107 shots to 75.
The team of Barrie Smith, Gary Payne, Les Pumphrey and skip Steve Bassed had an up-and-down tussle with their opponents, each team taking turns to win three or four ends, so the scores were close all through.
Indeed, it came down to who won the last end to decide the match; unfortunately for Garfield, that was Yinnar, and the team lost by the narrowest of margins, 24 shots to 25.
Nick Henwood’s rink, of Frank Prins, Ron Saunders and Tom Cleary, also started evenly, being five shots all after six ends; then they began to pull away from their opposition, never looking back, and finished up winning by 29 shots to 13.
Ray Biffin, Joe Lenders, Gary Helmore and skip Steve Whyte were down by five shots after just two ends, but then they got into gear and swept away to win by 32 shots to 13.
Shane Oliver and his team of Graeme Burton, Lexi Taylor and Alan White bolted out of the gates to be seven shots in front after eight ends; their opponents then started to peg them back and, with four ends to go were six shots in front.
Despite a valiant last-ditch effort by the Garfielders, they lost by 22 shots to 24.
Another good win entrenches the side’s top place on the ladder, going into the Christmas break.
The big question in Division 5 this year has been why last year’s runners-up, Churchill, were sitting in second last place on the ladder when they had so many good players.
Unfortunately, on Saturday, they brought their side of reputation, not their side of ladder-standing, to Garfield Arena to play the last match before Christmas.
Garfield’s Div-5 side was, on the whole, no match for them, losing two rinks by 13 shots or more each, and losing overall by 57 shots to 81.
The only bright spot for Garfield was the team of Lois King, Gwen Fabris, Helene Newton and skip Gordon Moxey.
They too were well down by eight shots to 19 at the tea break, but whatever they put in their tea, they came out firing in the second half to win the game by 25 shots to 22, with five shots on the last end.
This result pushes the side back to third place on the ladder.
-Damian Brick
