Although it remains the dominant minor premier, Moama suffered its first setback of the Bendigo Campaspe Goldfields Bowls Region Premier League season on Saturday, February 7.
The Steamers were defeated by Bendigo in the final home-and-away round of the season, coming away unsuccessful in all four rinks, 1-62 to 17-84 at White Hills Bowling Club.
The Cameron Keenan-skipped rink was the only one to earn any points for Moama, as his squad managed to eke out a draw 17-all against the Daniel Gloury-led Bendigo squad.
Kevin Anderson came next closest, falling 15-17 to Nick Rowley, while Matt Robertson (15-23) and Alex Marshall (15-27) both went down by more significant margins.
The result adds intrigue to a league it looked like Moama would run away with for the third successive season, having been previously unbeaten in 2025-26.
Moama and Bendigo are now set to clash again this Saturday in a critical grand final qualifying final.
Should the Steamers slip up again, they will need to battle through a preliminary final against the winner of Golden Square and South Bendigo in order to earn a third shot at Bendigo in the decider.
A win would afford Moama a week off, giving Bendigo the harder road.
Moama has won the past two BCGR Premier Leagues, and went on to claim the weekend state pennant in 2024-25.
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