The Ballarat District Bowls Division has released the Geelong-Ballarat premier division fixture for the 2017-18 season.
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Round one will get underway on October 7 for the new-look premier division which is made up of six Geelong teams and four Ballarat.
Geelong’s Eastern Park and Ballarat Memorial Sports join the premier division as Buninyong and City Oval exit.
BDBD chairman Sandra Chapman said the main reason for the 6-4 split, as opposed to the traditional 5-5, was to ensure the premier division’s standard was kept as high as possible.
Last season’s ladder highlighted the Ballarat teams as weaker than its Geelong counterparts, with just one side in the top four and two occupying the bottom rungs.
Chapman said the hope was the top division will return to a 5-5 split, but it provided incentive for the Ballarat teams to regenerate and return to the premier division stronger.
“We want the premier division to be as strong as possible...our clubs will be working extremely hard to get back there,” Chapman said.
The bowls community will have to wait until round nine for a grand final rematch between premiers Queenscliff and Ocean Grove.
For convenience, none of the Ballarat clubs will travel in the final round of the home and away season.
The full fixture for the remaining divisions will be released on Monday.