By Ewen McRae
Deer Park got its Premier Bowls season off to a winning start at the weekend with a commanding victory over Bundoora RSL.
Playing at home, Deer Park had a huge win in one of its rinks, setting the side on the path to a strong 95 (16)-60 (2) victory.
Deer Park president Neil Cromie said it was pleasing to start the year off on the right foot, especially after losing two close matches to Bundoora last season.
“To be honest, it’s a win we had to have,” Cromie said.
“It’s always good to start the season with a good strong win … when you lose two games by tight margins against a side last season, you do really set yourselves to get over the line and do better this year. We felt like we owed them.”
While three of the rinks were very tight, with margins of one, three and 11, the rink of skip Brett Mahoney produced a powerhouse performance to claim a 31-9 win and blow the margin out.
The addition of some experienced bowlers in the off season paid dividends for the home side, with Australian representative Sam Shanahan proving her worth with a solid debut.
“We’ve brought a couple of extra players in, just to give us some more strength across all the rinks,” Cromie said. “We’ve got two guys who were skips at Yarraville-Footscray last year, and then Sam Shanahan has added a different dimension to our side as a young up-and-coming bowler who is a huge talent and has fitted in really well.
“All our recruits are under 30, so it’s a bit of youth through the doors and they’ll hopefully help take us that little bit further.”
After making a preliminary final last year in its first season in the Premier competition, Deer Park is aiming for finals as a minimum this season.
It will be hoping this week’s clash with Altona, under Friday night lights, will keep the momentum rolling.
“Last year was all about consolidation and making the prelim was a bonus, but clearly this year we have to aim for finals,” Cromie said.
“We’ve just got to get better each week and that starts with a huge game this week at home on a Friday night. It’s our first ever Friday night game and we’ve always had a strong rivalry with Altona.
“They’re the reigning premiers so this will show what we’re up against.”
FOR MORE BOWLS NEWS
www.starweekly.com.au/sports/sunburys-first-up-victory-a-top-fit-for-finals-drive/
www.starweekly.com.au/sports/whittlesea-bowls-off-to-a-good-start/
www.starweekly.com.au/sports/meltons-magical-victory/
