Tara Murray
Keilor is still yet to hit its straps in the Bowls Victoria weekend pennant division 2, section 1 competition.
The side sits in fourth place at the halfway mark of the season with three wins from its first seven matches.
President Joe Watkins said they were going along OK.
“From an overall club point of going really well,” he said. “The top side is sitting in the middle of the road and hasn’t hit their straps.
“We’re still learning [new coach] Mark [Jacobsen]’s game style and getting the mix right. Sometimes it takes a while to settle down and we’ve got a few new players.”
Watkins said they had four new players in their top side, including one player who had risen through the ranks at the club, which Watkins said was exciting.
Jacobsen is the biggest new signing on the green, having played 400 games for Victoria and won Commonwealth Games gold for Australia.
He signed on for three seasons as player-coach, having had connections with the club for a number of years.
On Saturday it was a day to forget for Keilor against the City of Melbourne.
A match it was hoping to win, Keilor lost 78 (14)-66 (4).
Rajah Nithiananthan and Jason Silverii were the winning skips for Keilor.
“We had a bad day,” said Watkins. “We were one of the few matches to play.
“City of Melbourne are one of the lower sides so we were keen for a good performance. They ended up beating us.
“It wasn’t the most pleasant day.”
Despite the loss, Keilor remains in the top four, sitting 10 points clear of fifth placed Club Sunbury 2.
Watkins said there was still a lot of bowls to be played.
“We will get better, no doubt about it,” he said. “If you can make the top four then it becomes a different game and you have to take your chances.”
Watkins said overall the club was in a good position.
“It has been a bit of a change under Mark’s leadership,” he said. “There’s a lot of positivity around the club.
“The second side are going well, the third and fourth sides are going OK as well.”
Meanwhile, in premier division Deer Park was one of the teams affected by the weather.
The Parkers’ match with Altona didn’t get underway due to the weather, with the two teams sharing the points.
The Parkers remain on top 13 points clear of second.
