After a thrilling one-shot loss to Belmont in round 4, Portarlington rebounded strongly against north Bellarine neighbour St Leonards in a match that didn’t really reflect the final scoreline.
The Pirates prevailed 85 to 67 and picked up 14 points in the round 5 Geelong Bowls Region Division 1 clash on Saturday 22 November, but St Leonards managed to win two rinks and it was close until late in the game.
Tony Demaria’s rink of Phillip Schmindt, Malcolm Weales and Michael Dennis won 35 to 10, which ultimately proved the difference, but there were some pivotal moments on the other three rinks.
Henry Dahler picked up a two-shot win for St Leonards and Andy Hills’ rink prevailed by 15 to have the match evenly poised for the majority of its duration.
David Dunlop skipped his rink of lead Ian Wiffen, second Ray Malcomson and third Brian Lockyer to a vital 22 to 12 win against Tony Long to help see Port home by 18 shots.
“It was a good game overall,” Dunlop said.
“We were very pleased to pick up 14 points. We were confident we’d give a good account of ourselves.
“It’s always a good match between one of our close neighbours. It’s always played in really good spirits.”
While Dunlop praised his rink’s performance, he also singled out St Leonards lead Michael Maddox, for what he described as an “outstanding” and “amazing” performance.
“I’d have given him best on green if I had to pick one,” he said.
“He was an exceptional leader, but to Ian Wiffen’s credit, he competed really well with him, even though Michael might have held the shot most times.
“It was the most consistent draw bowling from a lead that I’ve seen for a long time. He could have bowled for the state today as far as I was concerned.”
Dunlop felt his rink always had the edge despite the closeness of the game.
“Ian (Wiffen) always had bowls in the head, so he was a good contributor for us,” he said.
“And our second Ray (Malcomson) did his job very well. My third (Lockyer) put in some really good bowls and I had a pretty good day myself.
“It was pretty close for most of the game and then we sort of got away towards the last few ends to open up a bit of a gap. It was a pretty high-standard game.”
Port takes on Highton, Leopold, Geelong and Ocean Grove before the Christmas break in what is shaping as a close competition with Geelong the only winless side.
“We could easily be sitting second on the ladder,” Dunlop said.
“We’re happy where we’re sitting. It’s a terrific competition. You want evenness in the competition, you don’t want it one-sided.”
Portarlington and Ocean Grove still have a match in hand in Division 1 after their round 2 fixture was abandoned due to a medical incident on one of the rinks. The game will recommence from where it left off at a date to be set by Geelong Bowls Region.
GEELONG BOWLS REGION
Round 5, Saturday 21 November
Premier Pennant
Highton 106 (16) def Queenscliff 60 (2): David Priddle 16 def by Benjamin Russell 20, Adam Lee 33 def Steve Sullivan 9, Scott McLachlan 29 def Mitchell Hocking 17, Dan Priddle 28 def Ray Butler 14.
Drysdale 77 (16) def Lara 65 (2): M. Godbolt 22 def Michael Kelly 18, John Monahan 17 def Brendan Umbers 13, Ashley Rees 19 def Ian Polwarth Jnr 13, Luke Lawrence 19 def by Ben Cotter 21.
Torquay 81 (16) def Eastern Park 64 (2): James Banks 24 def Cal Inderberg 13, Luke Aiello 9 def by Nick Bell 23, Daryl Kitchin 19 def Adam Martin 15, Nelson Ball 29 def Scott McDonald 13.
Ocean Grove vs Bell Post Hill to be played Friday 5 December
DIVISION 1
Ocean Grove 95 (13) def Leopold 69 (5): Rod Brehaut 19 def by Brandon Anderson 21, Hugh O’Reilly 44 def David Alderuccio 5, Owen Clark 22 tied with Charlie Sproal 21, Michael West 11 def by Michael Willis 22.
Highton 91 (18) def Geelong 52 (0): Owen Landry 20 def Bryan Wilson 15, Ron Imanse 20 def Graham Harrison 14, Nick Oakes 30 def Troy Thompson 5, Mark Cavanagh 21 def Arthur Crooke 18.
Portarlington 85 (14) def St Leonards 67 (4): David Dunlop 22 def Tony Long 12, Barry Hirth 15 def by Henry Dahler 17, Gerard Reed 13 def by Andy Hills 28, Tony Demaria 35 def Antonia Doyle 10.
City of Geelong 81 (14) def Belmont 78 (4): Jayden Wombell 32 def Robert Agg 11, David Vogele 10 def by John Harris 29, John Shell 15 def by Robin Hayes 23, Sandra Tillson 24 def Steve Davies 15.
