Sport
21 November, 2025
Zsigmond four draws crowd in gripping end
ROUND six of North Central Pennant bowls delivered strong results for Wedderburn, with both Division One and Division Two teams recording victories over St Arnaud.
ROUND six of North Central Pennant bowls delivered strong results for Wedderburn, with both Division One and Division Two teams recording victories over St Arnaud.
The double win places both Wedderburn sides on top of their respective ladders.
Country Club also boosted their finals prospects, securing important wins over Wycheproof in both divisions to move to fifth position, just outside the top four.
Charlton broke through for their first Division One win of the season, defeating Donald.
In Division One, Wedderburn asserted control early, leading St Arnaud by seven shots after just five ends and maintaining command for the remainder of the match.
The quick Wedderburn green proved challenging for the visiting Saints, who struggled to adapt.
The highlight for St Arnaud was a gripping one-shot win by Steve Zsigmond, Glendon Hancock, Greg McNally and Kerryn Dyke over Allan Jackson’s four.
Their rink continued long after the others had finished, drawing a crowd as the result remained uncertain until the final bowl.
Another close battle saw Ashley Dyke, Phil McRae, Col Marchment and Darren Shepherd locked at 14 all with Neil Holt’s team after 17 ends. But Wedderburn surged home, scoring 15 shots — including a five and a six — to seal a comfortable victory.
In the remaining rink, Terry McSwain, Allan Welsh, Maurie Wood and Tony Marland never recovered from an early 8–0 deficit, outplayed by Laurie Witham’s four across the day.
Despite St Arnaud winning two of the three rinks, Wedderburn secured overall victory thanks to a sizeable winning margin on the third and the Division Two results by seven shots.
Laurie Goodwin, Gerald McIntyre, Andrea Tyler and Heather Stevenson trailed by one against J. Grant before finishing strongly over the final five ends to claim an important win.
Paul Micallef, John Prendergast, Marg McRae and Peter Duncan also rallied late, coming from behind G. Burnside and pinching the lead with a crucial five on the 18th end.
St Arnaud dominated the remaining rink, with L. Standfield’s four controlling the game from the outset against Lloyd Goddard, Colin Coates, Diane Ostarcevic and Jason Barron, who managed to win only eight ends for the match.
This Saturday: St Arnaud v Charlton, Country Club v Donald Golf, Donald v Wycheproof, Boort v Wedderburn.
Last Thursday proved a busy one for the St Arnaud Bowling Club, with the annual November Tournament finishing around 5pm before the Twilight Bowlers took to the green from 6.30pm.
Although numbers were slightly down, six teams enjoyed ideal evening conditions though some participants were handed light-hearted fines for various “misdemeanours,” adding to the night’s entertainment.
Sandra McIntyre, Clive Hancock and Gerald McIntyre finished seven shots up after winning nine of the 12 ends played. Terry McSwain and Craig Cheesman were runners-up, finishing five shots clear.
The club will host three more Twilight Evenings before the Christmas break.
St Arnaud Country travelled to Wycheproof. It was a good day for a game of bowls as there wasn’t all that much wind about but still enough to affect your bowls a little. It was a close battle from all players in both divisions going to the lunch break. It was a close game in the afternoon the vibe of the game was starting to swing in favor of the St Arnaud Country Club across both divisions where eventually they ended up getting the upper hand over Wycheproof.
St Arnaud Country returned with the points in both divisions.