IN what was no doubt an exciting weekend of bowls action, Murray Downs faced off fourth placed side Barham for a spot in the preliminary final.
It was a cracking final, with Murray Downs winning two rinks led by Josh Thornton and Brian Lehmann.
Thornton’s rink cleared Barham by 18 points, with them getting 36 shots and Mark Quor’s rink only managing 18 shots.
Lehmann’s rink was a bit of a different story, as it was an incredibly close contest, with only one-shot separating Lehmann’s rink and Brody Harker’s rink with the scorecard being 22 shots to 21 shots.
Barham’s Brian Mansbridge and his rink managed to have a big 13 shot win against John Caldwell’s rink, with them having 30 shots to 17 shots.
Murray Downs would pull away with the chocolates, having 75 shots all up while Barham had 69 shots and winning 10 points to two points.
Now Murray Downs will proceed to the preliminary final to face up a hungry Cohuna Golf side who are desperate to make the grand final, while Barham’s season has come to a close.
Despite the loss, Barham should be proud of the way they played in the inaugural Northern Valley Premier League, they will believe that they can make finals again and will most likely look to strengthen their side so they can have a deeper run in finals next season.
Across the greens, Kerang have come away victorious against Cohuna Golf by eight points in a crucial match where the stakes couldn’t be any higher.
Coming into the weekend, ladder leaders Cohuna Golf were the clear favourites for the semi-final, despite them losing their final match of the season.
Kerang were looking very confident, however, as they were the only team that could defeat Cohuna Golf, and they were planning on repeating the same feat on the weekend.
It was an even match however, as both Cohuna Golf rinks led by Jarred Hammond and Harrison Keely won their rinks in very tight fashion, with Hammond’s rink winning 26 to 22 and Keely’s rink winning 24 to 23.
But it was Kerang’s Jason Lunghusen and his rink that made the key difference in the match, as they won by nine shots, 33 to 24.
So, Kerang would end up being victorious with them having 78 shots all up while Cohuna Golf having 74 shots and winning eight points to four.
That means Kerang will now proceed to the grand final, an incredible feat for the team for not only getting to the grand final but also defeating the top side twice.
For Cohuna Golf, they have to dust themselves off having two straight defeats and now will have to look towards the preliminary final which they will hope to bring back their winning ways.
The preliminary final will be played this weekend on Cohuna Golf’s home green at the Cohuna Golf Bowling Club, an exciting match which will no doubt bring a lot of home supporters so they can bring their side into the grand final.
In the Murray Valley Playing Area, Murray Downs 2 faced Moulamein 1 for a spot in the grand final at the Swan Hill Bowls Club.
Moulamein would end up coming home as the winners by three shots, as they won 69 shots to 66 shots along with 10 points to two.
Across the green, Racecourse 2 faced Lake Boga 1 in a sudden death match up.
Lake Boga 1 was victorious in a close encounter, with Lake Boga 1 getting 69 shots and Racecourse 2 having 65 shots along 10 points to two points.
This weekend Murray Downs 2 will host Lake Boga 1 in the preliminary final of the Murray Valley Playing Area for a spot in the grand final.
