Deer Park made history on Sunday winning its first Bowls Victoria weekend pennant premier division championship.
The Parkers proved too strong for Clayton in the grand final at Dandenong Club, winning 86 (16)-66 (2).
Aron Sheriff’s rink won 27-18, Ryan Tainton’s rink won 24-10 and James Pearce’s rink won 21-18.
Ryan Bester’s rink lost to Blake Nairn 20-14.
The premiership caps off a remarkable run by the Parkers, who last lost a game all the way back in round four.
Parkers head of bowls operations and player Mark Casey said winning the premiership was so special for everyone.
“This has been a work in progress for many years so to get the result this year was an incredible feeling,” he said. “It’s a reward for effort, that’s for sure.
“It was an excellent final, both teams played exceptional bowls and there wasn’t much in it for most of the game.
“We always held the advantage but it wasn’t until the last part of the game where we really kicked clear.
“Clayton are a very good, even side so to get over the top of them was a great feeling.”
Casey said there were too many standouts on the day to single out individual efforts. He said everyone played their roles and he couldn’t be prouder of them.
Overall for the season, Casey finished fourth on the player ladder behind a trio of three MCC players who all had the same score.
Koby Cromie finished in fifth and Tom Hicks finished in sixth, Casey and Cromie spent most of the year in the same rink, while Hicks finished the season in a different rink.
Casey said the premiership isn’t just for the group of players who played in the grand final, but for the whole club.
“This was the club’s first premier league title, so the 16 players who were out there created some history for the club, but it’s more about the members who have been at the club for decades,” he said.
“Deer Park Club president John Berry has been at the helm for over 20 years, he’s always wanted to win this title so it’s incredible that we could do it for people like that.
“It’s very special.”
Next up is the state pennant finals in May. Casey said they were keen to add more silverware to the cabinet.
“We will celebrate this win for a while but soon the focus will go to this and we will be going after the state title.”
