General News
4 February, 2020
Cockatoos clinch vital points
THE smile could not be wiped off Cobden selector Damian Riches’ face following his side’s victory over Camperdown on Saturday.
THE smile could not be wiped off Cobden selector Damian Riches’ face following his side’s victory over Camperdown on Saturday.
The Cockatoos, who have traditionally struggled on Camperdown’s green, finally ended a run of outs with a 95-75 victory.
It ensured the Cockatoos remained 10 points ahead of Colac in second position with three games of the season to play.
Riches said the win was huge for his side but added the respect between the two clubs grew somewhat as both sides’ battled wet conditions.
“To Camperdown’s credit they needed to play in the wet as well,” he said.
“They had to be out there as much as we needed to be but it’s the first time we’ve beaten Camperdown here for probably six or seven years.
“It’s a great win for our club. If we had have lost today (Saturday) we were probably looking at fourth or fifth spot. That’s why we’re pretty happy.”
While the conditions may have taken away both sides’ opportunity to produce their best bowls, they failed to limit Cobden’s skippers from leading their sides to victory.
Three of the Cockatoos’ skippers – Ben Robertson, Peter Richardson and Riches – scored wins in their matches, while the fourth Graeme Fitzgerald suffered a narrow loss.
Robertson easily defeated Mark McDonald 31-18, Richardson accounted for Matthew Brewer 24-17 and Riches beat Kelvin Rundle 25-20, while Fitzgerald lost to Luke Wright 20-15.
But Riches praised all four of the club’s rinks for their efforts, which ensured the Cockatoos were not only competitive but also walked away with the result they desired.
“The good starts by Ben Robertson’s and Richo’s rink set it up from the start,” he said.
“My rink and Fitzy’s rink were tight all day except for the last few ends of Fitzy’s but our start set us up and we capitalised on it really well.”
Riches said his side’s win now opened up the chance for the club to lockdown a finals spots against Apollo Bay this weekend after the Wolves’ clash with Colac was washed out.
Both clubs got five points for the abandoned game, which helped open up Cobden’s buffer just a tiny bit more.
Riches said both clubs had plenty to play for in the contest, which will be on Cobden’s green.
“We’ve got a little bit more leeway on the ladder (because of the draws) and if we win at home next week we might shore up second spot so that will be the plan of attack,” he said.
“But Apollo Bay will also have a lot to play for after only getting five points this week. We’ve gone pretty well against them in the past but they’re playing good bowls as well.
“They’re going to be hunting next week but we need to keep hunting too.”
Saturday pennant round 13 results:
Division one defeated Camperdown 95-75 away.
P. Richardson, C. Hammond, Brendan Hammond, Joe Hutt def M. Brewer 31-18;
G. Fitzgerald, D. Mulgrew, N. Ross-Watson, C. Cobbledick lost to L. Wright 15-20;
D. Riches, J. Warton, J. Carlin, C. Whiteside def K. Rundle 25-20;
B. Robertson, N. Kemp, T. Beasley, B. Hammond def M. McDonald 31-18.
Division two: lost to Camperdown 57-71 at home.
T. Roberts, K. Robertson, P. Hickey, L. Carrigan lost to R. Simcox 14-23;
D. Staggard, D. Robertson, G. Work, P. Neal lost to G. Finlay 13-15;
B. Hutt, S. Thow, L. Pekin, B. Howard lost to D. Coverdale 13-14;
R. Lacy, J. Hester, J. O’Shea, P. Giblett lost B. Dudley 17-19.
Division three defeated Colac (4) 76-45 at home.
N. Grayland, K. Farquharson, C. Spokes, T. Newcombe def R. Nowell 14-8;
R. McVilly, D. McLeod, K. Lynch, D. Crowe def N. Dowie 15-12;
P. Dwyer, G. Matheson, E. Loveday, L. Scott def M. Riches 25-16;
L. Simmonds, D. Luker, B. Noy, R. Perkins def T. Uwland 22-9.
Midweek pennant round 12 results:
Division one: Cobden lost to Winchelsea 60-75 away.
J. Lynch, M. Hester, P. Neal, B. Howard lost to H. Davie 20-23;
A. Scott, J. Beaton, S. Couch, E. Telford lost to J. Johnson 19-30;
E. Harrison, B. Hammond, K. Spokes, K. Lander lost to A. Littler 21-22.
Division three: Cobden defeated Winchelsea 68-61 at home.
D. Coverdale, G. Work, M. Brittain, K. Walsh def J. Gardner 26-22;
C. Reynolds, P. Dwyer, E. Grayland, D. Luker def P. Lourey 29-17;
L. Andrews, J. Hammond, H. Lydford, R. Perkins lost to E. O’Brien 13-22.
Over 60s results:
Cobden (1) defeated Simpson 69-66 at home.
R. McVilly, B. Noy, P. Walsh lost to L. Neale 26-28;
J. O’Shea, G. Ovens, D. Anderson def J. Mungean 23-13;
G. Matheson, P. Giblett, M. Holloway lost to J. Wetemans 20-25.
Cobden (2) away to Terang lost 66-76.
D. Staggard, J. Hester, M. Smith def H. Elford 30-17;
N. Grayland, D. McLeod, C. Spokes lost to M. Lynam 14-31;
P. Hickey, R. Lacy, K. Farquharson lost to R. Bond 22-28.