A stop-start week played out at the Mount Gambier RSL Bowling Club with the inclement weather playing a big part in the proceedings. Night Owls was able to be played on Tuesday night with a strong contingent, but midweek pennants were cancelled due to the hot weather.
The club’s Men’s Championship Fours saw its first appearance on Wednesday night with three games played in kinder conditions. The winners were skippered by Strawb Masters, Graham Ellis and Des Moulden.
On the same night the Ladies started their Handicap Singles event and after some close games the last eight will consist of Sandi Elliott, Jane Crowder, Joy Bilney, Julie Beaman, Kym Franklin, Merna Whitehead, Eileen Cruise and Kathy MacIntosh.
The Men’s Aggregate Competition and Ladies Pennant round both fell victim to the hot weather which means Mount Gambier RSL Division 1 Red finished fourth to secure a knockout finals game against Penola.
Neither Division 1 Blue or 3 could break into finals contention. Pennant bowls ere possible on Saturday afternoon and Division 1 Red finished its season with a home defeat to a strong Naracoorte sid.
Michael Fox was the only successful skipper winning a close encounter as Mount Gambier RSL lost by 13 shots. Naracoorte claimed top position on percentage, while RSL Red gets the double chance.
RSL Blue team had a fantastic end to its season travelling to Millicent and retaining a finals berth with a narrow 72-68 victory. Glenn Wright and Rex Heins were the winning skipper, while Chris Waugh went down narrowly.
The side will face Mount Gambier in next week’s semi-final. In Division 2 Mount Gambier RSL met cross-town rival Mount Gambier Blue with high expectations. But they were not able to get the necessary points and went down by 58 shots to 67 shots.
Graeme Smith and Wayne Legutko won their rinks, but a heavy defeat to John Schroeder proved costly. After finishing third, Mount Gambier RSL must face Naracoorte in the semi-final.
Mount Gambier RSL solidified its top spot on the Division 3 ladder with a big 39-shot win over the struggling Millicent Blue away from home. All three skippers Alby McIntyre, Noel Miller and Des Moulden were victorious.
Mount Gambier RSL provided lots of anxiety during its visit to bottom Division 4 club Mount Gambier Blue in what turned out to be a close encounter. A 71 shot to 68 shot was highlighted by an outstanding performance from Tony Freeman’s rink who recorded their best score for the season with a 32/13 victory.
This carried the team to victory and Mount Gambier RSL leapfrogged Port MacDonnell to second on the ladder with a visit to Robe next week. Mount Gambier RSL hosted its successful annual Legacy Day on Sunday with a strong entry of 28 teams consisting of four players.
After the conclusion of the games the top performing team Peter Roachock, Peter Gregory, Dougie McPhail and Max Schultz amassed three wins and 84 points, four more than runners-up Les James, Lindsay Moyle, Ian Gard and Graham Wilson.
