Werribee has been dealt an unlucky hand in the first month and a half of the Bowls Victoria division 1 season.
The Bees have been forced to play without key personnel at stages and had a “gimme” game against winless bottom side Preston-Reservoir washed out.
Bees skip Snowy Barker has implored his players to rise above the challenges thrown their way – something they have failed to do at this early stage, with just a win and a draw to show from six outings.
“We’re just battling on with the soldiers that we’ve got,” Barker said.
“We’ve had a couple of skips out at different points, but it’s been disappointing all the same. We need to change a few things and see if people can step up.”
On Saturday, the Bees suffered a disappointing 78-70 home loss to Altona Sports, a side that is sitting below them on the ladder.
The Bee Hive was once considered a fortress for Werribee, but that advantage has decreased somewhat last season.
They are hoping to regain a semblance of control over their own carpet in the rest of this season.
“It’s always disappointing to lose at home,” Barker said. “We should perform better than that.”
The Bees were in the contest for most of the day against Altona Sports, but loosened their grip late on.
The Bees picked up four competition points after claiming two rinks, with both Barker and Rob Panton ahead plus-four. The overall score was impacted by a 14-shot loss to the Rob Smith rink, while Mick O’Neil went down by two.
Smith, the Bees’ newest skip, is still finding his feet at the club.
“He’ll gel with the new players soon, but it takes time,” Barker said.
Werribee travels to third-placed Moonee Valley on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Hoppers continued its fine start to the season in division 3 with a 99-80 win over lowly Footscray Park.
Hoppers Crossing sits third on the ladder with three wins and a draw from six games, 14 points behind ladder leading Williamstown. Hoppers Crossing will face City of Melbourne, a team with an identical record, at home on Saturday.
