Sport
Midweek bowls | Euroa finally breaks through with thrilling division two grand final win over Kyabram
Seventh time was the charm for Euroa in the Goulburn Valley Playing Area Midweek Bowls division two competition, as the Magpies triumphed 14-69 to 2-66 over Kyabram in a thrilling grand final at Shepparton Park Bowls Club.
Having lost six grand finals as a midweek team Euroa players and supporters were once again forced to sit through a close finish, as the squad rallied through the tense final ends and produced the drought-breaking premiership win.
Euroa team manager Magaretha Cerini said it was a surreal feeling to finally come away with the grand final victory.
“It is so good (to finally win), we are so happy as a team to have won after being in the grand final so many times and losing by close margins, so to be able to win one and by such a small margin it is a great feeling,” Cerini said.
“I can’t keep my excitement in to be honest, we were so desperate to win this one, so to deliver it for our team and the whole club it is a fantastic feeling.”
Having defeated Kyabram by a hefty 41-shots in the semi-final a fortnight ago, Euroa came into the decider full of confidence having produced its best bowls in the latter stages of the home and away season.
But anything could happen on grand final day and, after enjoying a tight triumph over Shepparton Golf in the preliminary final last week, the Bombers came out a different team – taking it up to the Magpies from the outset.
A match filled with momentum swings, Euroa gained an advantage through the performance of Tony Kingma in rink two as he delivered a telling 29-19 triumph, before Graham Woodcock returned serve for the Bombers with a pivotal 25-17 victory.
With the season coming down to rink one, Libby Byrne came up trumps for Euroa, holding her nerve in the tense final ends to produce a thrilling 23-22 victory.
“It was very nerve-racking towards the end, riding every shot with the team I almost couldn’t watch, but to finally get over the line was very satisfying,” she said.
“I am incredibly proud of the team; we have been together for a while now and are all very close which makes it more special.”