The club will compete in the new Bendigo Campaspe Goldfields Bowls Region’s Divisions one, two, three and four Saturday pennant competitions.
Rochester will be among six clubs to compete in the top flight of the Campaspe component of the new region, against Moama, Rich River, Deniliquin, Tongala, Echuca and Mathoura.
Rochester’s Graham Willis said Moama’s involvement in the new Premier League competition, which involved nine clubs from the Bendigo and Goldfields end of the region, would even up the Campaspe competition.
Moama has dominated the Campaspe bowls competition for several seasons, but will essentially be promoting its division two team in season 2021-22.
“This is the first year they will compete Bendigo Premier Weekend Pennant Division one. Them joining the premier league will even things up,” he said.
Mr Willis tipped Mathoura to be one of the bolters for the new season.
“They always recruit well and have a fair few younger players,” he said.
Mr Willis was a member of a dominant Rochester club that won four titles in a row between 2010 and 2014, before several of the team’s star skippers retired and re-located to Echuca.
“Several of them now play for Moama. We finished poorly in all divisions last season, but we have also done some recruiting,” he said.
In the divisional bowls, Bendigo and Maryborough will contest one zone and Campaspe the other. There will be no crossover between the two areas.
“We have recruited Kelvin Wiffen back to the club. He will skip in division one, as he did three years ago. He was at Tongala, but has returned,” Mr Willis said.
Peter Holzer and Richard Feuk will be the remaining division one skips.
Reuk was champion of champions two years ago and was runner-up again last year, belying his senior status (age wise) in the competition.
“He has been an outstanding player for decades. We have also recruited Rob Dennis from Merrigum, who will play number two in division one,” Mr Willis said.
Rochester’s midweek pennant teams will contest division one and two. The mixed competition is on a Friday.
“This year men cannot skip, but next year it will be wide open to skippers, which will be a big change,” Mr Willis said.
The Riverine Herald, in conjunction with Moama Bowling Club, will this year launch a $1000 Bowler of the Year Award. Keep an eye out for full details in next week’s Campaspe News.
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