Murray Downs has returned to the winner’s list in a big way, with a commanding 73-shot win over Swan Hill in round 3 MVPA weekend pennant bowls.
The 113 to 40 shot win sees the reigning premiers climb to second on the Division 1 ladder, eight points behind ladder leader Racecourse.
With wins on all three rinks, Murray Downs was back following their shock round 3 loss to Lake Boga. The combination of Josh Thornton, Matt O’Bree, David Alderuccio and Garry McCaig lead the way with a 49-9 shot win over Glenn Evans side.
The tale didn’t get much better for Swan Hill, with John Caldwell’s team securing a 17-shot win over Brian Quaife’s combination, while Brian Lehmann’s side completed the rout with a 30-14 victory over Greg Scandolera’s team.
Murray Downs’ win sees them leapfrog Moulamein on the ladder into second, after Moulamein were unable to hold off a determined Racecourse in the top of the ladder clash.
Racecourse’s Norm Smith, Glenn McIntosh, Kylie Gardner and Ron Wolfe proved to be the difference in their team’s eight shot overall win. The quartet’s 11-shot victory over Dennis Compton’s combination proved to be the decisive rink in the closely fought contest.
A five-shot win by Martin Stephen’s team kept Moulamein in the contest, but it would be the only winning rink for the home side on the day, with Racecourse’s Glenn McKissack denying Moulamein’s Garry Armstrong with a hard-fought two-shot victory, 24-22.
The final match of the weekend also went right down to the wire, with Nyah District still searching for their first win of the season after falling to Lake Boga by five-shots.
The 72-67 win also sees Lake Boga move 12-points clear of Swan Hill in the race for fourth spot and a potential semi-final berth.
Lake Boga didn’t have things all their own way, however, with Troy Magnusson returning for the Demons to lead his rink to a commanding 34 to 16 victory over Ken Hamill’s team.
The Demons were unable to ram home their advantage on the other two rinks. Lake Boga’s Daniel Kelly defeated Bruce Macdonald 29 shots to 16, while Peter Philp’s combination had a 10-shot win over Bryan Smith’s combination to complete the victory.
Lake Boga will face their next big test this weekend, when they host ladder leaders Racecourse, while Nyah District will attempt to break their losing streak against fellow bottom two side Swan Hill when they clash this Saturday.
