Fourth Spot Open

The Sunday Age

Sunday February 17, 2008

Geoff Mathers

YESTERDAY'S second-last round of Premier division bowls confirmed the two teams to be relegated but left open the door for fourth spot on the ladder to three teams: Altona, Yarraville/Footscray and Moonee Ponds.

Lalor and Glen-Eira/McKinnon will be relegated to division 1.

Lalor needed to win all four rinks against fourth-placed Yarraville/Footscray to have any chance of avoiding relegation, but could only manage 14 points. The combine's Wayne Roberts continued his destructive form with a 35-12 win over Mathew Lucas, which included the maximum "eight" count. Lalor's Clark McEvoy tore Andy Myers apart 42-14 but it was all too late in the season. McEvoy denied the rumour that Lalor's coach and leading skip Ian "JR" Ewing was transferring to Altona next season.

Yarraville/Footscray dropped to fifth, having to play second placed Essendon next week.

Altona grabbed fourth spot with an 18-point whitewash of Glen-Eira/McKinnon. Brendan McCallum saved the day for Altona when he drove out the shot bowl with his last to get over the line by one shot. He was supported by young gun Nick McIntyre, who demoralised Trevor Leonard by 28 shots.

Melbourne took 14 points off seventh-placed Sunbury. Sunbury's young star skip Michael Vesekko led Melbourne's Premier skip Brett Leighton 20-3 at the break, but blew the lead and the rink points by scoring only two more shots to Leighton's 25.

Essendon, after the solid 16-2 win over Werribee, appears as the only threat to the dominance of Melbourne this season.

Moonee Ponds (third) should be the competition's favourite for the flag, but its form is too erratic. Yesterday it took 14 points by beating Bundoora.

© 2008 The Sunday Age

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