By Jack Rollings
Round 8. The weather was in-betweenish, with jackets on, off and on again. The breeze was at times refreshingly cool then biting cold. All three Monbulk sides had wins.
Monbulk 1 played at home against Upwey/Tecoma. Monbulk lost to them in the first round by one lousy shot. Not this time.
Jim Bras’ team dropped a 3 on the first end and then shook themselves into the game. By the fifth end, they had a 7-shot lead. After that, Upwey won some ends, including some multiples, but the Monbulk wins were bigger. In the back half, the margin doubled and Monbulk won the rink 31 shots to 17.
Brian Smith’s team had the close one. Any time that one team grabbed a multiple, the other team would reciprocate the next end. Scores were level on several occasions. With just two ends to go, Monbulk was down by 3 shots. Then Brian’s team picked up a 2, to be just 1 shot down with one end to go. On the last end, they managed to snare a big 4-shotter, and there were no ends left for Upwey. Monbulk won the rink 28 shots to 25.
Eric Markham’s team picked up a big 5-shotter on the first end and that set their tone for the day. The Monbulk team dropped only four ends, and yes, they included clangers of a 3 and a 5, but the Monbulk wins included one 3, four 4s, and four 5s. Monbulk won the rink with a huge 49 shots to 11.
Overall Monbulk won 108 shots to 53 with all three rinks up. A big win by any standard. Monbulk has now jumped to the second spot on the ladder, just one point above Lilydale who they play next week, at Lilydale. There’ll be a lot riding on that match.
Monbulk 2 played away against Narre Warren 3
Graeme Goller’s team trailed early in the day but picked up a massive 7-shotter on the fifth end to get back in the game. By the lunch break, they were in front with a useful margin. In the back half, Narre Warren won more ends, but Monbulk won a 5-shotter to maintain the lead to the finish line. Monbulk won the rink 27 shots to 20.
Peter Lee’s team had a close game all day. With three ends to go, they were leading by two shots and Monbulk was holding a narrow lead on the big overall board. Monbulk dropped a 3 and then a 2 so that the big board then had Monbulk leading by just 2 shots, with one end to go and the other rinks all finished. A loss of more than 1 shot would have meant an overall draw, or worse, a loss. On the last end, Monbulk managed to contain the loss to just a single shot which meant a win for Monbulk on the big board even though they lost this rink 15 to 19.
Tim Stapleton’s team won twelve ends and looked to be the stronger team for most of the day. However, they dropped a 6 and a 3 in the front half and both times that meant they gave up the lead. The race home was close and Monbulk finished with momentum but could pick up only singles on the final ends. Monbulk lost the rink 16 shots to 18.
Overall Monbulk won 58 shots to 57 with one rink up. They have also jumped into the second spot on the ladder, but it is very close between all the top four spots. They will be aiming for a home-ground final, so the run home will be crucial. Next week Monbulk plays at home against Berwick 4. They have had only two wins this season, so it may be a chance to solidify Monbulk’s position.
Monbulk 3 played away against Boronia 3.
Mike Harris’ team had a game of swings. Monbulk lost five ends in a row, then won seven ends in a row. Going into the seventeenth end, Monbulk trailed by 6 shots. But they managed to win the remaining ends, including a big 6-shotter. Monbulk took the lead and then sealed the win with a couple of doubles to finish. Monbulk won the rink 21 shots to 15.
Graeme Seymour‘s team dropped a 5-shot clanger on the first end and that proved to be the difference in the final scores. After that start, Monbulk won more ends and, with two ends to go, had a 1 shot lead. Unfortunately, Boronia finished strongly and won a couple of 3s. Monbulk lost the rink 16 to 21.
Peter Donders’ team had a low-scoring match, with neither side conceding big numbers. Scores were level around the lunch break. Then Monbulk scored the only multiple for the day with a 3-shotter. In the run home, Monbulk took more ends and maintained the lead to win the rink 17 shots to 13.
Overall Monbulk won 54 shots to 49 with two rinks up. They are fourth on the ladder with equal wins and losses. Next week they play at home against Lilydale 3 who are undefeated on top of the ladder. But this time the game is on Monbulk’s home turf.
