Sunbury is on a roll in Bowls Victoria Pennant division 1, section 1.
After some early struggles, Sunbury has won its past three matches, including taking the scalp of Deer Park on Saturday.
Saturday’s 81 (16) – 72 (2) win was made even more impressive because Sunbury was missing two of its regular skips.
Sunbury’s David Glennon said getting the win against Deer Park while missing Carla Krizanic and Mark Cowan was a bonus.
“It was a fantastic result,” he said. “We’ve now had three wins on the spin and all have been against good sides. Everyone has stepped up when they have needed to.”
Regular skip Elise Cowan won 24-18, while Brad Janner’s rink lost 20-16. Brad Willoughby returned to the side, his rink winning 24-18, while Shane Trewarne made his skip debut for Sunbury’s top side, winning 17-16.
Glennon said Willoughby would skip the next two weeks while Krizanic and Mark Cowan were in New Zealand with the Australian team.
“Brad can’t play every game due to his work,” Glennon said. “We asked if he could play while Carla and Mark are away,” he said. “He’ll play all three of those games, but we’re not sure how many games he’ll play after that.
“It’s good that we can pull someone of his calibre in when we need help.”
Glennon also praised the efforts of Trewarne, whose rink came from 10-2 down.
The win moves Sunbury to sixth on the ladder, 19 points behind fourth-placed Melton. The closesness of the top six sides means Sunbury is only 26 points from top.
Glennon said the three weeks before the Christmas break would be vital for Sunbury if it is to secure a shock finals berth.
“If we can get a couple of wins, we could sneak into the top four,” Glennon said.
“We play Werribee, who are second bottom, away this week, and then the next two games at home. Those games include Preston-Reservoir, who are really struggling this year. The other is Glenroy – they are just above us on the ladder.”
Sunbury’s other teams didn’t have as much luck at the weekend, with only the division 5 side recording a win.
In Central Highlands Bowls Division, Kyneton Golf moved back into the division 1 top four with a 107 (14) – 87 (4) victory over Bacchus Marsh. Gisborne and Lancefield remain undefeated after victories against Kyneton and Lancefield respectively, while Trentham was too good for Romsey.
Bacchus Marsh, Diggers Rest, Mt Cottrell and Kyneton were the winners in division 2.
