By Peter Brennan
The Yarra Junction Bowling Club midweek team travelled to Mooroolbark for the final game of the season, and finished the season the way it started. It was a gutsy effort and a narrow loss that could so easily have been a win. It is a case of what could have been, so near and yet so far. It was a tight see-sawing match that went right to the wire, with the result of all three rinks coming down to the last bowl. On one rink Junction was playing with a depleted team one player down, but still managed to force a tie, a praiseworthy effort. The other two rinks were won by Mooroolbark by a solitary point apiece, and could so easily have gone the other way. But the gulf between winning and losing is so much greater than the actual margin. So the curtain comes down on a season full of promise, that yielded no reward at all.
The weekend team returned to Mitcham, to play the undefeated ladder leaders in a semi-final with a berth in the grand final the prize. On their home green Mitcham exerted their dominance and managed to neutralise the Junction attack, converting many losing situations to winning ones. The ability to transition a losing head into a winning one is the mark of a good player, and Mitcham are not short of good players. They ultimately won reasonably comfortably and progressed to the grand final, but Junction were left believing that on a neutral venue they would be in with a chance. But first they had to front up the following day and win a preliminary final, which against the odds turned out to be against Yarra Glen.
As everyone knows in any sport preliminary finals are often the most exciting and the hardest to win. Yarra Glen finished the season in good form after a scratchy beginning, and snatched fourth spot in the final game before comprehensively beating Upwey-Tecoma in their semi-final. They were not to be underestimated.
The game began with two wedge-tailed eagles circling overhead, which some construed as a good omen. However in warm and windy conditions Yarra Glen went out to an early lead. Junction settled and began to haul them in, and by half time the margin was close, and remained close for the duration of what was an engrossing and compelling match. The wind died away and the temperature increased. At the end of the day Junction won three of the four rinks by narrow margins, but lost the fourth by a sufficient margin to give Yarra Glen the overall lead. It was a cruel way to lose, but sport is not known for kindness and life is full of things that make you swear. So Junction bows out of the finals in a weekend that many would like to forget, but will be unable to.
Congratulations to Yarra Glen, and good luck in the grand final.
Thanks to all who participated in the Pennant seasons, and better luck next year to the Yarra Junction Bowling Club.
