Linton's clash with Webbcona was the game of the round and it lived up to all expectations.
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Webbcona claimed a 12-shot win and in the process gave the Ballarat Highlands Bowls Region Saturday Pennant premier ladder its biggest shake-up to date.
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The rink skippered by Matthew Blackburn was the dominant group of the day for the victors, prevailing 29-12.
Their 17-shot win was able to counter Linton's impressive 21-12 win in another rink.
A tight four-shot win to Webbcona in the final rink sealed the deal and helped it climb to fifth on the ladder and drop Linton down to sixth.
With Learmonth, Buninyong and Ballarat to come, Webbcona is perfectly placed to make a run at the finals in the second-half of the season.
Linton 46 (2) def by Webbcona 58 (14)
Edward (stewart) Williams, Danny Pridham, Craig Williams, Brendan Williams 21 d Ross Brown, David Anderton, Nathan Mahoney, Barry McArthur 12; Glenn Landers, Eugene Grigg, Brendan Vandenberg, Craig Grenfell 12 lt Chris Steenhuis, Harold Worsley, Anthony Lange, Matthew Blackburn 29; Ray Wilson, Timothy Wilson, Rodney Hetherington, Peter Wilson 13 lt Sarah Braybrook, Alistair Van der Ploeg, Matthew Collins, Gary Johnson 17
It entered the game as favourites and Buninyong delivered the result it needed, a 15-shot victory over Ballarat.
As has been Ballarat's story for much of the season, the game was a competitive one, the side able to tie one rink 25 a-piece.
The remaining two rinks were decided by seven and eight shots, not blowouts by any stretch, but enough to hand Buninyong 15 valuable points and keep the gap between it and BMS in fourth at just one.
With Sebastopol and Victoria to come in two of the next three weeks for Buninyong, the win was an important one, not only for ladder positioning, but confidence as it looks towards the competition's best next round.
Buninyong 68 (15) def Ballarat 53 (1)
Norman Hand, Allan Donelly, Graeme Nicholson, Peter Aldred 22 d Lisa Tung, Bob Williamson, Colin (david) Eastman, Dean Campbell 15; Terry McDonald, Kevin Lee, Keith Chapman, Stephen Gollan 25 t Samuel (Sam) Craig, Bruce Sutherland, Stanley (Stan) Barnett, Greg Stewart 25; Ian McGregor, Phillip (john) Nunn, Wayne Morgan, Brian Wilcock 21 d John Crawford, Ben Horwood, Andrew Dalgleish, Paul Slater 13
With Buninyong breathing down its neck, BMS just needed to get a win against Creswick and it did so in dominant fashion, prevailing by 30 shots.
For the second time this season BMS was able to claim 16 points, enough to edge clear of fourth-placed Buninyong by a singular point.
Two rink wins by 12 shots each headlined the dominant display, an important six-shot win in the third steering BMS to 16 points.
The loss means Creswick's finals hopes seem all but finished, now trailing fourth-placed BMS by 40 points.
BMS 69 (16) def Creswick 39 (0)
Daniel Vagg, Lindsay Trounce, David Berry, Ryan Bedggood 23 d Geoff Antonio, Dale Chalmers, Jarrod Matthews, Stephen Hepworth 11; Graeme Inglis, Craig Hurdsfield, Robert Dickinson, Philip Clamp 21 d Dean Cooper, Rebecca Cooper, Michael Booth, Travis Hedger 15; Adam McLean, Keith Urch, David Schreenan, Michael Storey 25 d Trevor Booth, Robert Ohlsen, Gerry Flapper, Alan Annear 13
Sebastopol did what it needed to in a 22-shot win over Learmonth, claiming 16 points to keep its lead at the top-of-the-table at 15.
Learmonth's rink skippered by Craig Findlay put in a solid effort, going down by six shots.
That was as close as it would get on the day, however, Sebastopol prevailing by eight shots in each of the other two rinks to finish the job.
Buninyong, the top four's newest addition, now awaits Sebastopol next round.
Learmonth 49 (0) def by Sebastopol 71 (16)
Addison Ryan, Timothy Griffin, David Kelly, Craig Findlay 16 lt Shayne Bottrell, David Cassells, Paul Lovell, Scott Roberts 22; Gary Moy, David Ryan, Michael (mick) Casey, William Rowe 18 lt Bruce Carter, Noel Sutherland, William Matthews, Ian Warner 26; Gregory Ross, Ross Powell, Friedrich (fred) Lennecke, Brendan Pym 15 lt Frederick (fred) Reus, John Cameron, John Garvin, Murray Gannon 23
Two rink losses by six and three shots respectively certainly didn't rule Mt Xavier out of a win against Victoria.
A 33-11 loss in the other did though.
Victoria's rink skippered by Shaun Clark led the way for the victors, helping the side take home 16 points for the second-consecutive week.
The 31-shot win helps Victoria remain close to Sebastopol in first and drops Mt Xavier's shot differential down to -110, the worst in the competition.
Mt Xavier 48 (0) def by Victoria 79 (16)
Ray Bellingham, Ben McDonald, Kevin McKeegan, Phillip McGrath 16 lt Paul Tudorovic, Darren Britt, Barry Clark, Shane Pongho 22; Stacey Forrest, Malcolm Sargent, Frank Duggan, Chris McDonald 21 lt Donna Leeson, Kane Silbereisen, Marc Oswin, Craig Ford 24; Darryl Boyd, Lynden Henderson, Daryl Lamb, Paul Forrest 11 lt Kevin Coad, Shaun O'Loughlin, Wayne Lynch, Shaun Clark 33
LADDER
SEBASTOPOL +127 shots, 145 points
VICTORIA +109, 130
BMS +82, 110
BUNINYONG +1, 109
Webbcona +33, 107
Linton -5, 98
Creswick -76, 70
Mt Xavier -110, 70
Ballarat -100, 61
Learmonth -61, 60
DIVISION ONE
Victoria 92 (16) def Waubra 70 (2)
Ballarat North 54 (2) def by City Oval 73 (16)
Beaufort 64 (2) def by Midlands 92 (16)
Webbcona 84 (16) def Central Wendouree 70 (2)
Smeaton 81 (15) def Ballarat East 64 (3)
DIVISION TWO
City Oval 66 (2) def by Clunes 93 (16)
Sebastopol 71 (4) def by Bungaree 85 (14)
Creswick 65 (2) def by BMS 89 (16)
Daylesford 85 (14) def Invermay 76 (4)
Ballarat vs Buninyong (not submitted)
DIVISION THREE
Victoria 86 (14) def Sebastopol 70 (4)
BMS 70 (4) def by Ballan 81 (14)
Webbcona 65 (4) def by Smeaton 80 (14)
Central Wendouree 70 (4) def by Linton 76 (14)
Midlands 89 (17) def Learmonth 62 (1)
DIVISION FOUR
City Oval 76 (4) def by Mt Xavier 85 (14)
Sebastopol 74 (4) def by Victoria 77 (14)
Sebastopol 77 (3) def by Midlands 80 (15)
Central Wendouree 86 (16) def Daylesford 83 (2)
Buninyong 75 (16) def Webbcona 65 (2)
DIVISION FIVE
Bungaree 93 (18) def Ballarat North 52 (0)
Waubra def by City Oval (forfeit)
Learmonth 101 (18) def Ballarat 54 (0)
Creswick 82 (2) def by Smeaton 90 (16)
BMS 105 (16) def Beaufort 70 (2)
DIVISION SIX
Victoria 87 (14) def BMS 67 (4)
Clunes 132 (18) def Mt Xavier 38 (0)
Linton 90 (14) def Buninyong 72 (4)
Invermay 80 (4) def by Central Wendouree 83 (14)
Midlands 75 (5) def by Sebastopol 86 (13)
DIVISION SEVEN
Ballarat East vs Midlands (not submitted)
Ballan 117 (16) def Ballarat North 53 (2)
City Oval 115 (18) def Sebastopol 43 (0)
Webbcona 77 (4) def by Victoria 84 (14)
DIVISION EIGHT
Sebastopol def Ballan (forfeit)
Learmonth def Daylesford (forfeit)
Beaufort 17 (0) def by Clunes 56 (14)
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Ollie Nash
A keen sports follower covering the Central Highlands Football and Netball League's and the wider sports scene in Ballarat. Get in touch at ollie.nash@thecourier.com.au.
A keen sports follower covering the Central Highlands Football and Netball League's and the wider sports scene in Ballarat. Get in touch at ollie.nash@thecourier.com.au.
