The weekend of the 27th and 28th of March 2021 was a busy one for the Pennant bowlers at Bowral Bowling Club.  Round 4 was held on the Saturday and the replay of round 5 on Sunday after this fixture had been postponed the previous weekend due to heavy rain.  Fortunately the weather was much kinder this weekend and all matches were completed.

Grade 2 was away to Penrith  on the Saturday and with no green to play on played away to Blacktown Workers on Sunday.  As I was unable to obtain the rink information details are a little short this week.  Against Penrith  Bowral lost 65 shots to 44 shots.  With Penrith winning all three rinks they obtained a maximum 10-0 score.  On Sunday Bowral fared much better and won their second match of the season.  I gather that the selectors changed the bowlers around into new teams and this would seem to have had a positive effect as Bowral beat Blacktown Workers 66-47 winning two of the three rinks and scoring 9 points to 1.  On the Grade 2 ladder Glenbrook leads on 38 points followed by Austral on 36.5.  Third is Penrith with 22.5 and close behind are Bowral and Blacktown both on 20 points.  Provided there is a playable green Bowral should at last have the home advantage for the next five matches and be hopefully able to string a row of wins together to come closer to the leaders.

Grade 6 also had a win one lose one weekend.  Playing at home at last on Saturday they were up against Campbelltown City.  Match was played on the synthetic and though I heard no complaints about the surface Campbelltown were left struggling with the speed of the green which they seemed to think was running around eighteen seconds.  A far cry from the prescribed 14.5 seconds it should be but a handy advantage to the Bowral bowlers who are playing this green all the time.  Bowral won 66-62 and winning two rinks had the points advantage 9-1.  Best Bowral win was Ted McPhee, Bob Crowley, Gail Fraser and skipper Jim Neely. This team trailed during the first half of the match and after twelve ends were 7-10 behind.  Scoring 8 shots on the next two ends had them take the lead by a shot before Campbelltown leveled the score next end.  Scoring 11 shots on the next four ends including a 6 shot end saw  Jim’s team pull away to a very good 30-19 win.  Graham Hunt, Terry Norwood, Julie Hayden and Robin Staples won 21-19.  Losing 6 shots on the last end certainly was not a good way to end the game having led all the match.  Luckily it did not effect the big board and the team held on to a 2 shot lead.  Noel Fraser, David Noble, Dennis Beatty and skipper David Coltman lost 15-24.  The teams for Sunday’s game at Camden were the same for the Coltman and Staples team with Tom DeGreenlaw and Chris Forrester taking the lead and seconds spots in Jim Neely’s team.  Bowral came within two shots of their second win but went down 56-58 shots and 2-8 points.  Camden held the big board lead until about three quarters of the way through the match when Bowral inched ahead only to lose this lead in the last two ends.  The Staples team won 24-16.  Leading 21-7 after 14 ends they allowed the Camden team back into the game over the last few ends and giving away a 4 on the last end did not help the big board.  Jim Neely with his new bowlers followed the pattern of his Saturday game trailing 7-14 after 13 ends and then coming home strongly for a 18-15 win.  David Coltman and team were 3-3 at end 4 but then lost 10 shots over the next 5 ends  and even though they scored a 5 shot end later in the game they lost 14-27.  On the Grade 6 Section 1 ladder Bowral trails the field on 13 points with Camden ladder leaders on 37 points.  Taralga are second followed by Picton.  Five games at home will hopefully see some more wins in this grade and a climb up the ladder.

Grade 7  did not win either of their weekend matches.  Information on the matches is again scarce.  On Saturday they were away Picton and the Zone score board indicates they lost 46-76 and Picton won all three rinks.  Sunday Bowral was home to Bargo and these results are not registered with the Zone although I understand that Bowral also lost this match.  Bowral also holds the wooden spoon in Grade 7 Section 3.  Leaders are Bundanoon on 38 points, followed by Bargo on 27.5 (the points from the Bowral game have not been added to this score)  and third is Camden on 25.5.  A week off for the Easter break and I am sure Grade 7 and the other grades will start notching up the wins in the second half of the competition.  Please also note that the entry notices for the Club Championship Pairs and Club Minor Pairs are on the notice board.  More details may be seen in the “Draws and Results”section.