The battle for supremacy between the top two sides in Central Highlands division one pennant bowls on Saturday came down to the very last end, with Gisborne edging out Lancefield by a solitary shot overall.
And what a difference it makes with the double chance now wide open again. Ladder leader Lancefield fell to Gisborne for the second time this season, and third-placed Kyneton is now gaining momentum after two big wins in succession.
At Gisborne, there was only one close rink and this was the last to finish after Lancefield’s early first half lead had been pruned back with the match in the balance over the last few ends.
When the crunch came, Aaron Young’s four needed three to tie overall against Gisborne veteran Graham Quaife, who has ditched retirement plans at least for this season.
With plenty of tension among those watching from the sidelines, the jack ended up in the ditch on the 100th end, and Lancefield’s two shots was one short of delivering a tie overall.
Gisborne was understandably happy, with a knack of winning close matches leaving the “new look” side in second spot, just two points behind the Tigers.
The quartet of Glen Gascoyne, Flo Roche, Doug Scale and Darren Fletcher (s) quartet was dominant, ending the winning streak by Jeff Holmes with a 21-shot margin.
Strong wins to the Barry Godbolt and P.J. Linehan fours almost got the Tigers over the line.
At Kyneton, the home side demolished arch rivals Kyneton Golf by 31 shots, largely due to the runaway 39-12 buffer from Jim Cooper, Christine Plowman, Desma Budd and Mark Smoljo (s).
Adrian Plowman’s four was the only winner for Golf, now back in fourth spot with fifth placed Romsey looking to advance.
Romsey struck a purple patch of form at home to cellar dweller Bacchus Marsh, with multiple scores flowing on two rinks. The final margin was a massive 71 shots.
New skipper Steve Trodd had a runaway 49-18 result to celebrate, and Matt Brundell ended up 46-12 ahead as the visitors failed to fire. Only the consistent Barry Steenholdt prevented a Romsey whitewash.
The ninth round this Saturday sees two big matches: Kyneton Golf at home to Lancefield, and Romsey going to Gisborne. Kyneton will be chasing maximum points at Bacchus Marsh.
Current ladder: Lancefield 95 points, Gisborne 93, Kyneton 80, Kyneton Golf 74, Romsey 65, Bacchus Marsh 25.
Jam at the top
There is a real traffic jam at the top of the division two ladder after Saturday’s round, with Macedon taking over top spot after a good win at Kyneton.
With skipper John Shaw playing his 200th game for the club, Woodend replaced Trentham in the top four, and it would be a brave soul predictor who could confidently predict how the final four will finish up come finals time.
Gisborne Yellow heads the division three ladder, four points clear of Lancefield. Trentham gained maximum points through a forfeit from Bacchus Marsh.
Scores in all three grades were
Division one
Kyneton 106 d Kyneton Golf 75 – R. Dwyer 24 d R. Turner 16, M. Smoljo 39 d C. Schmidt 12, A. MacDonald 26 d S. Taylor 22, S. Paterson 17 lost to A. Plowman 26.
Gisborne 94 d Lancefield 93 – D. Beardmore 17 lost to P.J. Linehan 27, N. Jamieson 16 lost to B. Godbolt 29, G. Quaife 24 d A. Young 24, D. Fletcher 37 d J. Holmes 16.
Romsey 142 d Bacchus Marsh 71 – S. Trood 49 d K. Stewart 18, M. Brundell 46 d C. McAullife 12, B. Groom 31 d R. Greening 20, J. Beaumont 16 lost to B. Steenholdt 21.
Division two
Woodend 71 d Trentham 60 – J. Shaw 22 d N. Cooke 19, M. Dornau 29 d B. Halpin 19, N. Bickerdyke 20 lost to C. McKeone 22.
Gisborne 82 d Kyneton Golf 53 – A. Higgins 32 d K. Kirwan 17, R. Paterson 21 lost to J. Boyce 22, R. Kelaart 29 d G. Kirwan 14.
Kyneton 60 lost to Macedon 75 – W. Hillhouse 18 lost to I. Guymer 29, J. Wells 26 tied with Gayle Hobbs 26, M. Robertson 16 lost to M. Pjekne 20.
Diggers Rest 69 d Kyneton Golf 61: R. Grant 69 d P. Williams 61, R. Reidy 29 d R. Birkin 17, E. Nolan 18 lost to G. Williamson 25.
Ladder: Macedon 74, Diggers Rest 72, Kyneton 72, Woodend 71, Trentham 66, Kyneton Golf 49, Gisborne 30, Romsey 14.
Division three
Kyneton 73 d Gisborne Red 49 – C. Irvin 23 d R. Black 13, T. Webber 30 d R. Sellman 16, R. Regan 20 tied with M. Wilson 20.
Woodend 55 lost to Lancefield 105 –T. Sturt 19 lost to G. Charles 33, R. Read 12 lost to M. Walsh 36, D. Appleyard 24 lost to B. West 36.
Gisborne Yellow 71 d Diggers Rest 50 – T. Watson 27 d D. Ryan 15, J. Hunter 18 lost to D. Higgins 21, K. Amos 26 d P. Marinier 14.
Trentham won on forfeit against Bacchus Marsh; Macedon had the bye.
