By Lance Jenkinson
Deer Park and Melbourne produced a home-and-away game worthy of a final in the Bowls Victoria premier division at Ballarat Road on Saturday.
The Parkers went down 74-71 in a thriller, but left no doubt about their contender status, picking up two rink wins, tieing another and only let down by one rink, which ultimately cost them glory.
Parkers president Neil Cromie was enthralled by the quality of bowls on show from two finals-bound teams.
“It was a brilliant game, absolutely brilliant,” he said. “The standard of bowls, the shots played and how tight it was all day long, it was just a brilliant game to watch.
“Unfortunately we had one rink go down by eight and the others just couldn’t quite cover it.”
Brett Mahoney’s eight-shot defeat proved costly for Deer Park.
It was a rare off day for the Victorian representative and his rink.
The Parkers still managed to reap five points from the match, moving them closer to clinching a finals berth.
Aaron Wood (up three) and James Pearce (up two) were victorious, while Chris Ball had a tie.
Despite losing overall, Cromie is confident the Parkers are a genuine shot at this year’s premiership, going by this performance.
“We don’t fear anyone,” he said. “With the standard of bowls that we’ve played, the quality of the play, you’ve got to have confidence going into finals.”
With finals just about locked up, Deer Park has turned its attention to making a play for a top two finish.
In a close season, having a finals double chance will be extremely valuable.
“This season that double chance could make a difference for a side,” Cromie said. “If you’re third or fourth and you have a bit of an off day, you’re out. If you finish first or second and have a bit of an off day, you can always redeem yourself the next week.
“It’s not impossible to win it from third or fourth, but it does make it harder.”
Deer Park will travel to play bottom-of-the-ladder Whittlesea on Saturday.
The Parkers will be red hot favourites going in, but Cromie is still wary of the threat the opposition poses.
“They have struggled a bit this season being the new side up, which is always challenging,” Cromie said.
“By the same token, they’ve got nothing to lose now and can go for broke.
“Any time you’re not on your game, you can get beat.”
In division 2, Keilor earned a split of the rinks against Aberfeldie CBC, but lost 85-76 overall.
The defeat has left Keilor’s finals chances in tatters – a massive 37 points out with three games to go.
In division 3, Sunshine VRI was crushed 101-51 by Sunbury, rubbing further salt into the wounds of the relegation-bound one-win side.
