Echuca skip Kerryn Evans has become the nemesis of decorated Moama bowler Marilyn Stephenson and the pair may continue its rivalry in a fortnight when the finals of the Campaspe weekend division one competition commence.
Stephenson is the top-ranked skipper in the Friday competition and third ranked bowler overall, having a 11-3 win-loss record this season.
Two of those defeats have come at the hands of Evans, who was a 19-14 winner against Stephenson in Friday’s clash of the two top teams.
Skips are randomly drawn to play one another, so the Evans and Stephenson rivalry may not become a reality during the finals.
Evans said the wind made conditions very difficult on Friday, as did the speed of the greens.
“We were behind most of the day. It wasn’t until the 16th end that we drew level.
“We picked up a three late in the day and held on from there. There were a lot of single-shot ends,” she said
She did not expect Stephenson to be too concerned about who she played in the finals.
“I think Marilyn has plenty of experience. She won’t be bothered too much by who she plays.
“I think we were a bit lucky on Friday,” Evans said.
Echuca won the match 70-46 in an almost carbon copy of the round eight result.
With one round of home and away competition remaining the Echuca team has locked away the top spot with 178 pennant points, 15 clean of Moama.
Deniliquin is in third, 40 points further back, and the last spot looks almost certain to be filled by Rich River.
There will be some nerves for the Rich River outfit though as it is drawn to play fifth ranked Rochester this Friday. Wins on all three rinks for Rochester, and a significant percentage alteration, could see it replace Rich River in the top four.
Sixteen pennant points, the maximum which can be awarded in a single match, is the difference between fourth and fifth.
The rivalry between Echuca and Moama this season is palpable, but it looks as though Echuca is on track to continue its midweek division one domination.
The Echuca and Moama battle started in round three when Moama won by just one shot, in the closest match of the three this season.
On that day Evans was pitted against Moama star Cassandra Millerick, the Echuca skip losing by two shots.
Roma Opie also lost in that defeat, to Marilyn Stephenson by 12 shots. Leica Roney was Echuca’s only winner in the early season battle, beating Sandra Connolly by 13 shots.
When the teams met for a second occasion in round eight Opie beat Connolly by 12 shots, Evans returned to the winners’ list with a 15-shot win against Stephenson and Roney won 19-15 against Denise Pappin.
On Friday is was a 27-18 win by Leica Roney, who is the only skip from either club to have won on all three occasions, that helped Echuca to its 16-0 win. On the remaining rink Roma Opie beat Sandra Connolly 26-14.
- Rich River stretched its margin inside the play-off four when it won all three rinks on the way to a 19-shot win against bottom-plced team Mathoura.
Rich River is 16 points clear of Rochester, its opponent next week, after it recorded a 57-38 (16-0) win on Friday.
It will start the finals a clear outsider, having not a single representative in the top 20 bowlers for the 2021-22 season. Its top skip for this season is Toni Beck with eight wins and five defeats.
Margaret Griffiths has also had a reasonable season, with seven wins and the same amount of defeats from 14 matches.
Griffiths won by 14 shots, 22-8, against Pam Limbrick on Friday to set the tone and the result was backed up by Beck — her three-shot win coming opposite Beryl Murray. On the remaining rink women’s singles club champion Elizabeth Easter won 17-15 opposite Christine Taylor.
- Deniliquin won 74-54 (14-2) in its match with Rochester, only Jane McCallum managing a winning rink. She beat the competition’s 12th ranked skip, Jill Grimshaw, 26-21.
Linda Harris continued a great season for Deniliquin, being the second ranked skip and eighth overall player this season. She beat Kaye Barker 22-16. In the remaining match Joanne Bovell had a big win, by 19 shots, against Rochester’s Helen Holzer.
- Moama’s domination of Echuca continued in the midweek division two competition, a 20-shot win locking away top spot a fortnight out from finals.
The teams had only met once this season, in round six, when Moama was a 40-shot winner and didn’t allow Echuca a rink win.
On Friday, at the Echuca rink, Moama did surrender one rink to the second ranked team in the 67-47 (14-2) win.
Denise Hogan and Beverley Button were winners for Moama, with the thorn between the roses coming in the form of Wilma Curnow’s 18-15 win against Moama skip Bev Trengrove.
Hogan’s win against leading Echuca skip Heather Trotter was only her third defeat of the season. She remains the competition’s top ranked skip, with Hogan (8-2 win-loss record) second and Trengrove third.
In other matches Tongala confirmed its finals status with an 83-50 win against Lockington and Rich River also locked away its finals position with a 73-35 (16-nil) win opposite Ky Valley View.
Rochester will not play finals this season after it lost two rinks against Elmore during its four-shot win, 54-50 (12-4), and is now 20 points behind fourth ranked Tongala with one round remaining before finals.
- Third ranked midweek division three team, Deniliquin, honed its skills in a seven-shot win against ladder-leading Moama Green on Friday.
Moama Green remains on top and with second-ranked Moama Red having the bye in the final round it will finish the season as the minor premier.
Deniliquin cannot drop out of the finals race and faces Mathoura this Friday, but there is a fight on for fourth. Mathoura is currently fourth, but only three points ahead of Tongala.
Tongala lost to Mathoura 33-48 (2-12) on Friday and lost its finals spot as a result. In order to snatch it back it will need a win against the top-ranked Moama Green team this weekend and has to rely on Deniliquin now allowing Mathoura a victory.