Deer Park has set a good platform early in the Bowls Victoria weekend pennant premier division competition.
The Parkers started the season with three wins against strong opposition and are hoping to continue that before Christmas.
Among the wins was an 18-0 win in the grand final rematch in round one against Yarraville-Footscray.
“We are delighted to start the year off with two victories in premier division,” head of bowls operations Mark Casey said.
“It’s going to be a really tight, even competition to beat last year’s winners Yarraville-Footscray and MCC is a great start.
“The grand final replay is always a big clash in round one.
“We needed to begin the year off well and we knew it wasn’t going to be easy given we have a number of new combinations that we are trying.
“To win 18-0 was very sweet I must say.”
Casey said he hadn’t been surprised by any of the players performances so far after a really strong off season.
He said they expect strong performances week in, week out with some of the playing group having taken that next step.
“One player in particular has raised the bar on his game so far and that’s been Chris Ball,” Casey said.
“He’s such a good player, we know how important he is to our mix so to see him start the year off like this has been great to see.”
The Parkers had a big weekend with matches against Moonee Valley and Altona.
Casey said before the match that both matches would be a massive challenge.
“We have given ourselves a really good platform to build on, it’s important we keep the momentum going this weekend against two good sides in Moonee Valley and Altona,” he said.
“We are missing a few key players this weekend and with it being a double header we are putting trust in some new players coming in and doing their role. It’s a great opportunity to test out our depth.”
The Parkers claimed win on Friday night against Moonee Valley, 84 (14)-81 (4) before losing to Altona on Sunday, 87 (16)-59 (2).
It’s been a good start for the Parkers across the board with the club going undefeated in round two in both the weekend and midweek competitions creating a good vibe around the club.
Casey said they know they have the talent, they just need to keep working hard and chalking up these early wins in the season to give themselves a good platform.
It’s been a busy time with Parkers bowlers Aron Sherriff and Matt Baus playing in the recent Bowls Premier League competition.
The pair were part of the Moama Steamers team that claimed the title, with Sherriff named in the all-star team for a record fifth time.
“We were certainly cheering for Aron and Matty in the BPL,” Casey said.
“We all know how amazing Aron is, but to see Bausy get his opportunity in the BPL and get success was pretty special.”
