In Pennant this year we entered three sides in Weekend and two in Midweek. Due to a lack of available players the third weekend side had to be a 12-a-side team in Div 8. We also ran our usual Club Championships and a number of more social events and competitions that provided
all members with the opportunities to play bowls in the format and degree of competitiveness they liked. Summaries of the main activities follow.
Weekend Pennant
The first side started the season well, with a home win and followed it up by another success away, but then were only able to win three more matches during the competition to finish with a 14-5-9 record. Unfortunately, this resulted in the side ending up in seventh place on
the eight team ladder and therefore being relegated to Division 4 next season. Among the difficult times, one notable highlight was the 105 to 61 (44 shots) win over Middle Park. In that match, all four rinks were up, with President imon’s rink including Ahti ingh, Andy Owens and Terry Fitzsimons) winning by 20 shots (34-14).
The second side fared significantly better, finishing in fourth place with a 14-8-6 record and therefore remaining in Division 5 next season. They too achieved a 100+ side score during the year, with a 55 shot win (107 to 52) over MCC. But their biggest win of the season was one shot higher, with a 56 shot domination of Malvern (96-40) at home. The biggest winning rink for the season was skip tuart Kollmorgen’s including Peter Lee, Rex Magnusson and Susan McDonald), with their 31 shot (40-9) away victory against Malvern.
The third side (in the 12-a-side Division 8) struggled during the season with the weather (washouts), absent oppositions (2 forfeits) and our own players unavailability (1 forfeit). However, we still finished in fifth place on the ladder. Also, some magnificent results were achieved. In particular a 90 shot side win over Princes Park Carlton (110-20), which was also the highest score for a three rink APBC side on the available records. In that match we saw the highest 4 player rink win on record of 40 shots (45-5), from the rink of Joan Bacon, Bob Adler, Steve Smith and Jenny Condon. On the rink next door, another strong showing by Sally Dobson, Helen Lee, Judy Williams and Norm Armstrong resulted in a 33 shot win (38-5) for APBC. And, not to be overlooked, the third rink of Tony Edmonds, Lindsay Crozier, Brendan Harwood and Terry Norris also had a major win, with a score of 27-10. A great day to remember.
Weekend Match Committee: Rex Magnusson, Wayne Gill, Kel Edgar
Mid-Week Pennant
This year saw both teams playing in one division lower than in 23/24. The firsts had a solid season in a very competitive section in Div 3, winning seven of the fourteen rounds, including 2 away wins, and finishing in 6th place. Seventeen players took part, with four playing in all 14 games and four more missing only one game.
The Seconds, playing in Div 6, had an excellent season with eight wins and only one loss at home, finishing in fourth place. They unfortunately lost the elimination final but can be mightily proud of their achievements. There were 24 different bowlers who played for the team over the season, making it difficult to maintain stable rinks, so extra kudos to all involved! A special mention to Janine who topped the player rankings for the entire section (230 players) with 11 rink wins from the 14 games she played.
Midweek Match Committee: Tim Smith, Joan Bacon, John Mathews
