Werribee has emerged from its trip to Altona with a gutsy win in Bowls Victoria division 1 action at the weekend.
In a second straight away match, the Bees were made to earn every shot over four tense rinks, but some clutch bowls late in the day delivered a 73 (16) – 72 (2) win to the visitors to lift them to third on the table.
While Peter Williams lost his rink by seven shots, the other three rinks all held sway in tight contests to give Ian Milledge the chance to be the hero late in the match.
With his side already holding two shots to draw level with Altona overall, Milledge sent down one of the bowls of his career to take three shots on the final end and give the Bees a one-shot lead for the day and a vital win.
Milledge won his rink 20-17, while Peter Yasar (22-20) and Brian Turner (15-12) also prevailed in close matches.
Werribee will now host Melton, which is fifth on the table and will present another stern challenge.
In division 2, Hoppers came away from its clash with Maribyrnong Park with a convincing 94 (16) – 63 (2) triumph.
Hoppers jumped out of the blocks to hold a 20-shot lead after 23 ends and held a similar lead for most of the match, extending it to 31 points by the end of play. Conditions were difficult all day, with swirling winds making it tricky for both sides. Hoppers adjusted better, especially skip Bill Russell, who set the match up with a thumping 35-12 win on his rink.
It was a memorable day for several bowlers in the Hoppers side, with Billy Russell, Geoff White, Greg Gardiner and Jerzy Dubczyk completing the rare feat of getting all eight shots in one end.
Adrian Marston, who grabbed a strong 21-13 win on his rink, said his side was perfectly able to execute its game plan.
“As a team we wanted to start well and build on that during the game and that’s exactly what we did,” he said.
“Consistent bowls by all rinks kept the pressure on right ’till the very end.
“I tell my rink that the first thing to do is have fun and the good bowls will follow – and
that has been progressively building each week.”
Hoppers Crossing has held on to third place on the table and will take on the Werribee twos in this weekend’s games.
