They Did It! St Ives Wins Grade 7 Pennants Flag

The Final Score

(L to R) Standing: Kevin Latham, David Bottomley, Ross Johnson, Andrew Murphy, Iain Howell, Wes Taylor, Peter Crumpler, Bob Balmer, Jim Vatiliotis, Chis Stirling, Michael Gallagher. Crouching: Peter Sullivan, Ross Yates, Ian Finlay, Trevor Whitehead

FINALS DAY 2 AT HARBORD BC

Another beautiful day for the Grade 7 Pennants Final between St Ives and Warrawee. With clear blue skies and no wind,  conditions were a little easier than for the Grade 4 side on Saturday. However the #4 green was still fast and our opponents were unbeaten in their section.

St Ives got off to a fast start with Wes Taylor's rink notching a 5 on the very first end. After 15 ends St Ives had a narrow lead of 16-12 with Bob Balmer & Wes Taylor up and Chis Stirling drawing his match. Around the halfway mark the wind started to get up and the tension of the final began to ratchet up as well. All three rinks were very even and there was little difference between the sides on the scoreboard. St Ives did manage to keep their noses in front and after 32 ends they led 34-26; up on two rinks and down on one.

By 48 ends St Ives still held a narrow lead of 46-39 with Bob Balmer & Chis Stirling up and Wes Taylor narrowly behind. On end 15 Wes made a crucial save with his team 5 down; limiting the damage to just one shot with his final bowl. The St Ives stalwarts on the side of the rink were supporting everyone's efforts in this close match. However it was clear even one big end for either side could swing the match decisively.

With 8 ends left Warrawee had narrowed the gap to just 4 shots. Chis Stirling's rink finished their match first losing a low-scoring match 17-15. Now every shot counted and the tension on and around the green was palpable. After 59 ends Warrawee pulled level- a 51-51 tie with 4 ends to go! Bob Balmer's team got a crucial three on their last end to win their game 24-19. Now all eyes were on rink 2 and Wes Taylor's match.

As play began on end 21 St Ives had a 2-shot lead on the big board. After 8 bowls had been delivered St Ives was in trouble- 3 or 4 down. Enter the hero! Ross Johnson's first bowl picked up the jack and put his side 2 up. Wes Taylor didn't have to deliver his last bowl and St Ives bagged one shot to draw that game 17-17. On the big board that gave St Ives the flag, winning 56-53 overall.

It's been twelve years since St Ives last won a flag. It's a great achievement for everyone involved. BRAVO!

Team List
Rink 1: Peter Crumpler, Iain Howell, Michael Gallagher and Bob Balmer
Rink 2: Andrew Murphy, Ian Finlay, Ross Johnson and Wes Taylor
Rink 3: Trevor Whitehead, Jim Vatiliotis, Ross Yates and Chis Stirling
Coach: Peter Sullivan
Reserves: Gerard Coggans and Don Blumgart

Gerard Coggans 22 July 2018

The flag is presented to selector Peter Sullivan