Sebastopol edged out Learmonth to secure a berth in the Ballarat District Bowls Premier Pennant competition finals.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Kookaburras overcame Central by three shots in a must-win contest with its season on the line.
The win brought a conclusion to a highly anticipated day of action, which saw four clubs vying for the last playoff spot.
In the end, it was Learmonth and last season's division one premiers Ballarat Memorial Sports which were left heartbroken, after falling just short of the postseason despite winning efforts on Saturday.
Players around the competition checked phones and bit finger nails as the last-placed Bears took Sebastopol to the final few ends at Central Wendouree.
The Bears took two rinks off the Kookaburras, but fell just short of victory, losing 75-72.
Sebastopol skipper Glen Sargent laid the platform to victory for his club with a resounding 14-shot win over Tony Gutteridge.
Teammate Anthony Holland fell to Col Johnson by five shots, while Bears skipper Col Wright overcame Ian Warner by six shots.
Sebastopol will join Webbcona, Ballarat and Victoria in the finals.
Meanwhile BMS ended its season on a high note after beating Mt Xavier by nine shots on its home turf.
The club won two out of three rinks against the visitors, who entered the match in good form after upsetting Buninyong the week prior.
BMS skipper Walter Whitehead described the match as a 'good tussle.'
"It was close majority of the day until the last two or three ends when we got away which was good."
BMS managed two out of three rink success over Mt Xavier. Whitehead came up big when it mattered for BMS, defeating Daryl Lamb by 14 shots to clinch the match on the final few ends.
Whitehead heaped praise on his lead Daniel Vagg for a 'standout' performance.
"He had an absolute standout game and was very consistent," he said.
"He made my life easier. He's really come on, he's only been playing for three years and it's a credit to him."
Teammate David Berry secured a one-shot win over Chris McDonald, while Phillip McGrath beat Ryan Bedggood by six shots in what was Mt Xavier's only win for the day.
The victory marked an end to a disappointing season for BMS, which had high hopes after taking out the division one premiership in 2019.
"The first half of the season was good but the second half was a bit of a capitulation," Whitehead said.
Elsewhere Victoria overcame Buninyong by seven shots, Learmonth beat Webbcona and Ballarat thumped Creswick.