By Peter Brennan
The Christmas break is finishing for Yarra Junction Bowling Club, and the remainder of the Pennant season is getting underway. It has been a funny sort of summer, and one can’t help thinking the Bureau of Meteorology was correct to be so hesitant in declaring an El Nino when the rest of the planet called it so quickly. Hot dry and drought-ridden it has not been, rather it has been either hot and humid, or pouring rain. In some sections of the club the desire for a roof over the green is growing, for others a roof seems a little over the top. Healthy discussions abound. Meanwhile plans for more realistic renovations are progressing, such as improving disabled access, and work should hopefully be starting soon.
The club championships were decided just before Christmas, in two high-quality games. Congratulations to the runners-up, Liz Luckhurst and Marc Barton-Johnson, and the new champions Carol Beaumont and Jason Rush. Brand new names for the honour board.
The midweek team is still paying the price for those agonisingly close defeats early in the season. Two losses by only one point could so easily have been different. Now at the bottom of a reasonably close ladder with five games remaining, finals are still mathematically possible, so long as they win. It would be a comeback for the ages. The more realistic aim is to avoid relegation, and with winnable games to finish off the season that is definitely possible. The season resumes this week with a trip to Monbulk.
The weekend team has finals in their sights, touch wood. Currently firmly in second place, two games behind the unbeaten ladder leader Mitcham, a top-two finish is the aim. The recent cricket World Cup in India shows us that going through the season undefeated is no guarantee of winning the flag. Junction travelled to Vermont South for a tricky appointment on a slow synthetic green. The green played quite narrow and seemed to have its own quirky idiosyncrasies. Junction started strongly and went out to an early lead, and managed to hold it throughout. Vermont South mounted a spirited comeback, but the lead was too great and Junction ran out strong winners, taking all four rinks and maximum points. It was a valuable away win, and the next game is at home against fourth-placed Eastwood Golf.
Barefoot Bowls is underway on Friday evenings and is proving very popular, with healthy crowds flocking to the club to enjoy an evening on the green, with the bar open, music playing, and sausages sizzling. Why not join them, and take advantage of long summer evenings in our beautiful spot down by the river? Yarra Junction Bowling Club is a friendly club, and visitors are always welcome.
