Led by 2024 world No 1 Kelsey Cottrell, Drysdale is four points outside the Geelong Bowls Region Premier Pennant top four after upsetting Ocean Grove.
Playing as marquee players, Cottrell, currently ranked 7th in the world, and husband Andrew Howie, who is the brother of Drysdale player Bryant Howie, lined up in front of a big crowd at home on Saturday 17 January and helped the team to a six-shot win against the premiership favourites.
“I couldn’t come down over Christmas, so we planned to come a few weeks later and when my partner Andrew and his brother said ‘we should have a game of bowls together while we’re down’,” Cottrell said.
“And then one thing led to another and next thing we’re going to play Pennant for them. So it just was meant to be, I think.”
Cottrell skipped her rink of lead Maya Rees, second John Fry and third Mark Godbolt to a 29-18 win against Matt Flapper, Hayley O’Reilly, Jason Bertrand and Zac Abro.
“I let them know that I’m a pretty cruisy, easygoing, fun skip and I don’t get cranky at anyone and I don’t want to dictate the rules or anything like that,” she said.
“I just wanted it to fit into their mould and let them just enjoy the day.”
The experience of playing with Cottrell would have been invaluable for 18-year-old emerging star Rees while Ocean Grove youngster Hayley O’Reilly was on the opposing side.
“She (Rees) was lovely,” Cottrell said.
“I spent a little bit of time with her on the Thursday night at the coaching clinic, so we worked a little bit on her delivery.
“I was very happy to hear that they had put me with her. I thought that was just a really great thing that the club did for her.
“That was good just to see the two young girls, the future of that Geelong area, going head to head.”
It wasn’t the first time Cottrell had stepped onto the same rink as 2014 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Flapper.
“I have played against Matt more than people would probably realise,” she said.
“When we were in the Australian team together, he skipped the men’s triples for quite a while during our lead-up to the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and I was skipping the women’s triples.
“So we’ve actually come head-to-head quite a number of times. So I was quite excited when I saw the draw. I just thought it’d be really cool to play against him, just giving our history of playing for Australia together.”
The win put Drysdale within reach of the finals with four rounds left to play while the Grovers still hold top spot with a nine-point buffer.
Highton defeated Torquay in a high-quality match, 73 to 69.
Highton is six points clear in second while Torquay still clings to fourth spot.
Both sides won two rinks with Dan Priddle skipping the winners to a 15-shot win while Nelson Ball enjoyed a 14-shot victory.
Eastern Park kept its finals hopes alive with a 36-shot win against Lara with Adam Martin getting the better of Ian Polwarth Jnr by 18 and Glenn Slattery prevailing by 19.
Queenscliff is pretty much assured of playing finals after a 56-shot win against Bell Post Hill.
Skip Mitch Hocking, lead Craig Heard, second Jackson Mahoney and third Jackson Reilly had a mammoth 42 to 8 win.
Round 10, Saturday 17 January
Premier Division
Eastern Park 104 (16) def Lara 68 (2): A. Martin 33 def I. Polwarth Jnr 15; C. Inderberg 23 def D. Grellet 15; S. Field 20 def by B. Cotter 29; G. Slattery 28 def MJ Kelly 9.
Highton 83 (14) def Torquay 69 (4): Dan Priddle 24 def B. Irvine 9; J. Fitzgerald 12 def by N. Ball 26; A. Lee 14 def by L. Aiello 15; David Priddle 23 def J. Banks 19.
Drysdale 91 (15) def Ocean Grove 85 (3): A. Rees 20 tied with B. Pavey 20; K. Cottrell 29 def M. Flapper 18; B. Howie 14 def by P. Loe 25; J. Monahan 28 def T. Cromie 20.
Queenscliff 113 (18) def Bell Post Hill 57 (0): M. Hocking 42 def A. Pratt 8; S. Sullivan 21 def D. Gillett 17; R. Butler 22 def B. Bottrell 14; B. Russell 28 def B. Toner 18.
Division 1
St Leonards 89 (16) def Geelong 69 (2): T. Long 25 def K. Petzierides 20; M. Kennedy 26 def T. Thompson 11; A. Hills 17 tied with B. Wilson 17; H. Dahler 21 tied with G. Harrison 21.
Leopold 80 (14) def Belmont 70 (4): M. Willis 17 def by R. Agg 18; L. Cameron 16 def by S. Davies 17; B. Anderson 25 def R. Hayes 14; T. Dickson-Arthur 22 def J. Harris 21.
Ocean Grove 99 (18) def Highton 67 (0): A. Drury 28 def O. Landry 20; H. O’Reilly 21 def P. Monk 14; M. West 22 def M. Cavanagh 19; O. Clark 28 def R. Kerr 14.
City of Geelong 78 (14) def Portarlington 71 (4): M. Nitchie 20 def T. Demaria 15; N. Craven 30 def B. Hirth 17; J. Shell 8 def by D. Dunlop 18; S. Tillson 20 def by G. Reed 21.
