WITH just two rounds remaining, the Highlands Saturday pennant is heating up in the race for finals spots.
Romsey remains second on the division one ladder after accounting for local rivals Lancefield 68-54.
It was a clean sweep for Romsey, with Damien Ely winning his rink 23-11 over Aaron Andrews, while Aaron Young’s 22-21 win over Jeff Holmes and Cameron Austin’s 23-22 win over Andrew Brandolin was played with all the hustle and passion that brings about a matchup between these two clubs.
Kilmore took a big step towards a finals berth with a strong 59-46 win over Woodend which sees it maintain third position.
Lance Whitnall’s 25-9 win over Mike Dornau made a big difference for the men in Blue, while Matthew McMaster also scored an 18-15 win over Norman Bickerdyke. These results nullified Tony Lennie’s 22-16 win over Daniel Noonan for Woodend.
Romsey and Kilmore’s cause was helped by Broadford’s 58-43 win over Gisborne, in a clean sweep which disrupts Gisborne’s bid to make the finals.
David Ellis took care of Alan Higgins with a 22-14 win, while Robert Chapman was similarly comfortable with a 20-15 win over Braidon Johnson. Daryl Kelly’s 16-14 win over Russell Walker helped finish the job for Broadford in its best result of the season.
In division two, Kilmore took a 74-53 win over Diggers Rest as it looks to finish its season positively.
Andrew Cassidy lost his rink to Leo Wels 20-22, but it was all Kilmore on the remaining two rinks, with Mark Hodgson defeating Lawrence D’Lima 30-14 and Ken Campbell defeating Johnathan Beckett 24-17.
Broadford is still seeking its first win of the season, falling just short of defeating Gisborne, 63-56.
Rodney Campbell got Broadford on the board with a 23-20 win over Barry Wylie, but Ian Ball’s 26-17 win over Kevin Inness and Edward Evans’ 17-16 win over Allan Cowen was all the difference for Gisborne.
Romsey fell short of defeating Kyneton Golf, losing 63-57.
Lloyd Dyamond took a 20-19 win over Dale Bond, and John Beaumont’s rink with John McQualter was tied at 18-apiece, but John Trounce’s 26-19 win over Gary Gilligan was all the difference for Kyneton Golf in a setback for Romsey’s finals chances.
In division three, Romsey took a solid 78-45 win over Lancefield.
John Fryer’s 27-11 win over Jeff Smith and David Culpan’s 31-11 win over Frederick Shipcott gave Romsey the initiative, but could not complete the clean sweep, with Mick Gilligan losing to Peter Shannon 20-23.
Kilmore was no match for Mt Cottrell, losing 77-36.
The Blues lost all three rinks, with Leighton Bloomfield losing 15-22 to Jeffrey Langley, Carol Wright losing 6-27 to Shaun Taylor and Sandra Bloomfield losing 15-28 to Liam Glascott.
Meantime, in Tuesday pennant, Kilmore has secured a division one finals spot with a thrilling 59-57 win over Kyneton Golf.
All three rinks went down to the last end, with Stephen McNamara defeating Adrian Plowman 18-17 and William Hanna defeating Trounce 26-23. Mark Hodgson could not complete the clean sweep, losing 15-17 to McQualter.
Kyneton Golf’s loss means Romsey only needs a win to secure a finals berth today, despite losing to Kyneton 82-35.
Romsey was no match on all three rinks, with Simon Mayger losing 10-27 to Conrad Dawson, Cameron Austin losing 19-23 to David Kennedy and Andrew Macdonald falling 6-32 to Anthony Mathison.
In division two, Kilmore was unable to get over Gisborne, losing 74-43.
Gisborne took all three rinks, with Sean Lawless defeating Joan Grindlay 23-16, Ian Ball defeating Wright 21-16 and Evans defeating Bloomfield 30-11.
Broadford’s quest to secure a spot in the finals took a blow when it lost to Macedon 48-63.
The team still holds fourth by 12 points, but if they can win today and Macedon lose, the team will secure finals.
Campbell defeated Barry Swan 23-13, but Macedon was too strong on the other two rinks, with Ian Guymer defeating Cowen 18-15 and Ian Matthews defeating Barbara Goddard 32-10.
Romsey was defeated by Kyneton, 68-44.
Romsey lost all three rinks, with Culpan losing to Neil Jamieson 14-23, Mick Gilligan losing to Michael Plowman 12-26 and Hazel Rose losing to Michael Bermingham 18-19.
In division three, Lancefield was too strong for Kyneton, winning 52-33.
Trevor Young lost to Eleanor Kennedy 19-20, but Holmes got Lancefield across the line with a strong 33-13 win over Jamie Epps.
