Three weeks into the new Campaspe Playing Area division one pennant bowls season Stanhope Bowling Club has matched its winning record from last season and has three bowlers ranked in the competition’s top 10.
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The team sits second on the ladder, behind the other unbeaten club Moama Steamers, having notched a third straight win to start the year against Echuca on Saturday.
Stanhope finished bottom in 2023-24, its first season back in the Campaspe Playing Area, with three wins and 11 defeats.
On the weekend it was Ben Fletcher who responded to the disappointment of being the team’s only losing his rink last week by taking a 12-shot win against highly decorated Echuca skip Stan Barker.
Greg Fitzpatrick then made it three straight wins by beating Steve Cunnington and it was only the hero of last week’s win against Deniliquin, Tim Hancock, failed to register a rink win in the 66-54 (14-2) victory.
Stanhope made no change to its 12-member round two team.
Stanhope has the chance to firm up its top-two spot in the next fortnight when it faces the bottom and second-bottom teams in successive weeks, Rochester and the winless Rich River.
Fitzpatrick, the second seeded skip after three weeks, has been flawless alongside Peter Myers and Austin Maxwell. They have been the three constants in an unbeaten foursome and occupy the six-to-eight seed positions on the 2024-25 season playing ladder.
Last year the three highest ranked players for Stanhope were Robert Armstrong (58th seed), Hayley Hancock (60th) and John Patterson (62nd).
This year Stanhope has six in the top 20, with Tim Hancock and two of his lead bowlers, Jamie Stokes and Jono Thorne, sitting in 14th-to-16th position on the player ladder.
Despite losing his rink, Hancock’s comeback contributed strongly to the overall outcome. He trailed by 11 shots with five ends remaining, but won four of those and reduced the margin to two, losing 21-23.
Fitzpatrick led 8-1 after four ends, but by end 18 faced a two shot deficit. He and his lead bowlers won all three remaining ends to win 21-19.
Fletcher was never headed on his rink, leading 13-5 after 12 ends. That lead was cut to four by end 19, but he secured seven shots on the final three ends to win 24-12.
– Brad Tinning won his first game of the division one pennant season in a dominant display by Tongala that saw it win by 36 shots against Rochester.
Last year’s top bowler in the division one Campaspe Playing Area had Connor Trewren as his third and led 8-0 after five ends. By end 14 the margin was 12 in the Tongala skip’s favour and he finished with 15 end wins for a 27-13 result.
Tongala won the game 80-44 (16-0) and now sits third with two wins from three games and an appointment with top team Moama Steamers this weekend.
While the Tinning win was a highlight, it paled against the seven-shot opening end result of Stephen Hammond in his 10-shot rink win.
Hammond’s rink, which included Hayden Crilly, Steve Usher and Matt Liverton, lost the next three ends and trailed by two before squaring the match after 11 ends.
After securing 12 shots in the next four ends Hammond’s team led by 11 and held that advantage despite losing four of the final six ends.
On the remaining rink Glenn Fields picked up six shots on the second end of his game and led his team to an 18-3 lead after 10 ends. Despite losing seven of the final 11 ends they still won the match 24-12.
– Tongala is one of two unbeaten teams after three rounds of the division two weekend competition, maintaining its perfect record with a six-shot win against Rochester on Saturday.
The Bulls sit second on the ladder, the 60-54 (14-2) win built on the back of an 18-shot win by Danny O’Brien. His rink led 23-5 after winning all but two of the first 18 ends and despite sharing the last four ends won the match 25-7.
Kelvin Walsh is his team’s best performed skip this year, winning by one shot on the weekend with Stanhope recruit Jorja Ponton, Peter O’Brien and Leigh Polkinghorne in support.
Walsh led by nine shots with six ends remaining, but lost five successive ends to trail by two with one end to play. In a great comeback his rink took three shots on the final end for a 22-21 win.
Noel West was never in the hunt on his rink, despite winning seven of the first 13 ends. He dropped six shots on the 16th end and was eventually beaten 13-26.
Stanhope’s division two team lost its match with Echuca 41-73, losing all three rinks.
– Robet Hosking has set an early benchmark for skips in the division four competition, securing 43 shots in a big round three win against Ky Valley View’s Rod Donohue.
Hosking’s rink secured a pair of six shots ends during the afternoon and won shot bowl on 15 of the 21 ends for the 43-9 victory. He had support from Dale Hateley, Ruth Lennie and Ray Hughes.
Ken Black put Valley View on the board with a win against Tongala skip Kim Hanson, while the 11-shot win of Leanne Busch on the remaining rink allowed Valley View to reduce the margin to 17 - losing 53-70 (4-12).
Stanhope lost its division four game by 20 shots to Echuca, 51-71 (2-14), Graeme Nurse’s rink its only winner for the afternoon.
Nurse, Norman Cheong, Debbie Hoye and Thomas Burgess won 26-13, having built a 15-3 lead after just seven ends. A six-shot haul on the fourth end was a highlight and the Stanhope foursome finished with wins on 14 of the 21 ends.
Mark Summers’ rink won four of the first seven ends, but dropped the next 13 ends and trailed 32-4 with an end remaining. They won a shot on that final end, but were no match for their opposition.
Anthony Trist came home with a rush on the remaining rink, trailing by 13 after 15 ends before taking 11 shots in wins on four of the final six ends. He eventually lost 20-26.
Kyabram Free Press and Campaspe Valley News editor