Brett Wright and his Tallygaroopna teammates scored their second win on the bounce in Goulburn Valley Playing Area’s division one, beating Shepparton Park by 26 shots.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Cold, rolled gold sparkled at either end of the Goulburn Valley Playing Area Allan Matheson Shield table on Saturday.
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At the summit, reigning premier Tallygaroopna stamped its foot down as the rusted on flag fancy once more as it churned out its second consecutive victory over a fellow finals contender.
The Redlegs dusted off Shepparton Park at its Kialla dwellings a week on from knocking over Shepparton Golf, this time in more convincing fashion as David Daws and his green machine claimed an 18-96 to 0-70 scalp of the host.
But the result that produced the most chatter went to East Shepparton.
After a crushing 80-shot defeat to start the season, East pulled off the unthinkable to pick apart Mooroopna 18-93 to 0-60 and surge from flat bottom to fifth on the ladder.
Some could say the Easterners went from 0-60 in their own way.
Shepparton Park's Dennis Smyth releases slow and steady down the line.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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Tallygaroopna's Brian Hogg was part of a strong third rink win for the Redlegs.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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Shepparton Park's Ray Sellwood opts for the two-handed method.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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Tallygaroopna's Joey Lia showed his pedigree in a statement win for the reigning premier.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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Tallygaroopna's Chris Cooney studies the hot zone and assesses his options.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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Shepparton Park's Kate Bush keeps her head down and bowls straight.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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Shepparton Park's Jeff Boyle takes a big step forward off the mat.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Selector Ash Williamson was chuffed in the aftermath of such a significant turnaround, one which has drastically altered the mood at Zurcas Lane.
“I can’t think of any other side in recent memory that’s had a 113-shot turnaround in the space of a week,” he said.
“We were pretty embarrassed and disappointed with our performance against Hill Top in round one, so we went into this one with a point to prove to show ourselves and the rest of the competition that we are going to be a competitive side this year.
“We didn’t shy away from the performance in round one, we had a chat as a group on Thursday night on what we needed to improve against Mooroopna and we had a really solid night of practice in our rinks.
“I think that was the key, just trying to stick together and build a bit more camaraderie.”
Williamson said the mood during the round one defeat was “like a morgue” given the sad state of affairs, but against Mooroopna, the vibe was anything but dead.
Leads Terrie Crozier, Gary Lovell, Ray Saville and Vern Wright got the home side off to a flyer, with the former’s 26-15 rink victory the piece de resistance in a clean sweep for East.
“From the start of Saturday, the feeling was totally different. We started really well across the four rinks and built that enthusiasm and positive feeling,” Williamson said.
“Those four players leading in all the rinks, they were able to do that and it took the pressure off the rest of us and we were able to concentrate on the process rather than the overall result — it worked really well for us.
“The feeling at the clubrooms on Saturday night was much different compared to the week before, that’s for sure.”
With three out of the club’s four outfits saluting on the day, East’s trajectory appears to be north-bound.
And as Williamson and co eye off winnable fixtures in the following fortnight, he believes there’s no reason why East can’t be in a top four slot after the first month of bowls.
“We’ve got two golden opportunities the next couple of weeks against Euroa and Kyabram to really set our season off on a positive note,” he said.
“It’s right there in front of us in the next couple of weeks to repeat those results and then we can start to set that bar a little bit higher in terms of the overall season prospects.”
In the round’s other games, Kyabram shot to second place after securing a 13-84 to 5-78 win over Euroa, while Shepparton Golf had the better of Tatura-Hill Top 14-67 to 4-65.
