Rochester’s division one Campaspe weekend pennant bowls unit has its best chance to improve its bottom of the ladder status in the next three weeks.
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With four defeats and a draw (wash-out) from its five matches this season, Rochester is the seventh ranked team in the competition and some 18 pennant points from sixth-ranked Tongala.
This weekend it has an opportunity to make up some ground on Tongala when the pair meets at Tongala in the first match after the Christmas break.
It completes a full round of matches, with every side having played each other once at the completion of the weekend’s seventh round of home and away matches.
Rochester faces Tongala, Deniliquin (second) and Rich River (fifth) in the next three weeks.
In round two this year it lost all three rinks and suffered a 26-shot loss to Rich River, something it will be hoping to improve on the second time the teams meet.
Echuca remains unbeaten on the top of the seven-team table, 19 points clear of Deniliquin, while Moama is a clear third from Mathoura.
Echuca and Deniliquin are involved in the match of the round at the Echuca rink on Saturday, with third ranked Moama the last team to have the bye.
- Rochester’s top of the ladder Campaspe weekend division two team faces fifth ranked Mathoura in its return to competition after a three-week break.
A 20-shot win in the final round before Christmas, against Moama, was influenced by an 18-shot win from Tim Quinlan and Don Gillies’ six-shot win.
The team is currently six points clear of Echuca, the pair having met in round five of the season when Rochester took an 11-shot win.
Rochester did lose its round two match to third ranked Deniliquin, in spite of winning two of the three rinks, by two shots.
A round six win against Moama, which is currently fourth, has it marginally on top with premiership favourite status.
Echuca has an opportunity to make up some lost ground on ladder leader Rochester this weekend when it faces second from the bottom Deniliquin RSL, while Moama and Deniliquin meet in the match of the round.
- Fourth ranked division three weekend team Rochester has a pair of matches against teams ranked below it before its biggest test of the season in round nine against ladder leader Moama.
Rochester entered the break in red hot form, beating third ranked Mathoura by 24 shots, winning two of the three rinks.
Gerard Browne was outstanding in his 15-shot win, while Hedley Moon won by 10 shots to make up for a one-shot Anton Gusak defeat.
This weekend Rochester faces Elmore (one rung below them on the ladder, in fifth) and the following week it has second from the bottom Echuca.
Rochester is four points behind third ranked Mathoura, but some 40 pennant points off top of the ladder Moama.
The match of the round this weekend will be between first and third ranked Moama and Mathoura, with a win by unbeaten Moama opening the door for Rochester to sneak up one place on the ladder.
- Rochester’s division 4A team is ranked second, but is equal on points with top of the ladder Rich River White.
The team entered the break with a fighting two-shot win after Gregory Watkins combined with Graham Prince, Norm Christie and Yvonne Smolenaars for a four-shot win to cancel out the two-shot defeat of Jenny Major in its match against Moama Red.
Rochester and Rich River White meet this weekend in what is shaping as the match of the round, closely followed by the third versus fourth match of Moama Red and Echuca Blue.
Rochester and Rich River White are equal on 59 pennant points, both having had the one washout (Rich River White had a no result due to the heat rule) and won four of their other five matches.
This weekend will break the deadlock between the pair and give a clearer indication of premiership favouritism.
- In midweek bowls the Rochester division one team has won just one of its seven matches this season, extraordinarily against top of the ladder Moama.
The round five win, by two shots, is a clear highlight for the team, which is 20 points behind second from the bottom Rich River.
- At division two midweek level, Rochester is second bottom on the table and this Friday confronts fourth ranked Tongala.
Rochester is part of a logjam from fifth to seventh, where just two points separate three teams.
A win this weekend and positive results against fifth ranked Ky Valley View and bottom placed Lockington could see it knocking on the door of the top four.
Serena Sholl and Lyn Moon have shared skipping duties for a majority of the season.
Kyabram Free Press and Campaspe Valley News editor