WALLAN Bowling Club division four side secured the sectional title in the Northern Gateway Bowls competition on Sunday, with a hard-fought 85 to 76 win over Gladstone Park.
The previous day on Saturday, Wallan had a convincing 106 to 43 semi-final win over Strathmore, with all four rinks recording comfortable wins.
However the Wallan bowlers knew the job was only half done as the team had to front up the following day against a spirited opposition.
As extra inspiration, a grand final victory would ensure the side was promoted to division three next season.
From the outset Gladstone Park seized the initiative, and raced to an overall 16-shot lead after just nine ends, which Wallan was able to reduce to 11 shots after 14 ends.
Wallan was able to chip away at the lead from then on, courtesy of some multiple scores being achieved and by end 19 had secured an overall three shot lead.
Purposeful bowling by Wallan continued over the last three ends to hold their opponents at bay to secure a nine-shot win.
“Greg Cowan’s rink and Paul Warren’s rink both had good wins, seven and 17 shots respectively, while Steve Williams rink had a real tussle with their opposition but dropped eight shots in the last three ends to lose by that margin,” club secretary Peter Glass said.
“The notable comeback was achieved by Steve Duncan’s rink. After trailing two to 17 after 10 ends, the side found their mojo, scoring 12 shots to four over the remaining ends which certainly helped the club win the game.
“Remarkably, the win was the side’s 16th for the season, undefeated, and the side will now go on to play other sectional winners next weekend.
“The win is also the club’s fourth sectional win in four years and all members look forward to the challenge of division three next season.”
The club’s division six side could not overcome Greensborough, going down by 17 shots in the semi-final, but Glass said the players put in an excellent effort to get the club that far, and should be one to watch next season.
Today, Wallan’s midweek team takes on Strathmore in the midweek semi-final with a win taking them into Thursday’s grand final.
The side is also undefeated and hopes to emulate the weekend side by winning both the semi-final and final.
Last Tuesday the side played second placed Kingsbury and had the perfect warm up winning the game by 63 shots.
