Bulls set sights on top spot

Stanhope will host Tongala on Saturday in one of two blockbuster games, the other being the match between second ranked Moama Steamers and Echuca (which is fifth, but beat the Bulls handsomely only two weeks ago).

Stanhope is coming off a 25-shot loss to the Steamers, while the Bulls have won five of their past six games after being beaten by the much-improved Stanhope in round one.

Stanhope won that game by 24 shots, Tim Hancock, Ben Fletcher and Greg Fitzpatrick taking rink wins in the victory.

However, since then there have been a few personnel changes to the Bulls, including the return of multi-premiership-winning bowler Greg Lyon and the inclusion of young star Connor Trewren.

Trewren has won four of his five games as third to Brad Tinning, whose slow start is a distant memory as he now sits seventh on the skip ladder for the top division.

At the weekend Tinning and Trewren partnered with Sally Beach and Peter Tinning for a 23-10 win.

They dropped shot on only four of the opening 16 ends and on three of those occasions gave up just one shot.

That 15-shot lead was marginally cut back when they lost three of the final five ends.

Steve Hammond recovered from a 16-shot loss the previous week to win his match 26-12, opening a 10-shot lead early before that margin was cut back to six with four ends remaining.

He won three of those, including a five on the final end, to win comfortably.

Glenn Fields lost his match by seven shots, dropping three shots on the first end and trailing from start to finish.

· Greg Fitzpatrick suffered his first loss of the season against Moama Steamers on Saturday as top-of-the-ladder Stanhope was beaten by 25 shots.

The 53-68 (2-14) loss came despite Ben Fletcher winning his sixth game of the seven-week-old season, the combined losing margin of Fitzpatrick and Tim Hancock cancelling out his six-shot win.

Stanhope remains on top of the ladder and has a percentage far superior to the teams below it at this stage of the season.

In its three games before the Christmas break it faces third and fourth Tongala and Deniliquin, then Echuca on December 14.

· Tongala and Stanhope will face-off this weekend in an attempt to return to the top four of the division two Campaspe Playing Area competition ladder.

Fifth ranked Tongala lost to third placed Deniliquin by 12 shots at the weekend and Stanhope lost to second seed Moama Steamers by 11 shots.

Only two wins separate first to sixth in the division two competition, so this weekend’s match between the Bulls and Stanhope could have serious consequences.

Neither club has had a standout individual in the division this year, Tongala’s top ranked player is third bowler Mark Gold (the competition’s 24th seed) and Stanhope’s best performed player is Neville Cowie (53rd on the players ladder).

· A shock 34-shot loss for Tongala’s previously second ranked division four team came at the hand of Lockington on Saturday.

The high performing rink of Tanya Kesson, Ruth Lennie, Dale Hateley and Robert Hosking lost by 15 shots as neither Beth Vistarini or Frank Walsh could come up with wins on their respective rinks.

Tongala will now face fourth ranked Stanhope this weekend after that team was beaten by top team Moama Steamers at the weekend.

Stanhope’s top bowler, skip Anthony Trist, guided his rink to the only win of the day with a seven-shot win in the 43-59 (2-14) defeat.

Trist is the seventh ranked skip in the competition.

· In the division six competition Stanhope has another tough assignment this weekend, facing third ranked Deniliquin, after losing its round seven game to second ranked Moama Steamers by 16 shots.

Ian Douglas, who before the weekend hadn’t lost a single game despite the team sitting fifth on the ladder, lost by 11 shots and now has to be content with his second seed status on the player ladder.

Douglas won his opening match of the season by 18 shots, then registered 11 and three shot wins in successive team losses, before winning by two shots, 13 shots and by seven in another team loss.