Moama has returned to a share of best record after defeating ladder leader Stanhope in round seven of the Campaspe Playing Area weekend pennant.
The Steamers pulled off two credible rink wins at Moama Bowling Club to prevail 14-68 to 2-53.
Rodney Werner’s squad of Arthur Bailey (lead), Benjamin Cotter (second) and Jock Linehan (third) got the win 25-11 over Stanhope skip Gregory Fitzpatrick.
Robert Young also skipped a successful rink for the Steamers, while Ben Fletcher pulled back some points for Stanhope in the remaining contest.
Rochester picked up its second win of the season, registering a dominant result over Rich River.
Since defeating Stanhope in round four, Rochester has been competitive in defeat for the past several weeks, but finally broke through 14-78 to 2-46 at the Rochester Bowls Club.
Tim Quinlan’s rink was a resounding success for Rochy, winning 33-9, while Richard Feuk also picked up a win for Rochester.
Tim Noar picked up a narrow rink win for Rich River, but the host dominated the final scoreline.
Mathoura slipped by Echuca in a tight battle featuring two drawn rinks, 14-58 to 2-54.
Mathoura skip Dennis McHarry and Echuca counterpart Ian Page scored 16 shots apiece in their rink.
Echuca’s Steve Cunnington and Mathoura’s Glen McConchie also fought to a standstill, putting up 20 shots each.
The deciding rink was won by Peter Pangrazio, 22-18, earning Mathoura the overall points.
Tongala kept pace with the leaders, defeating Deniliquin 14-65 to 2-45.
Stephen Hammond had the biggest win of the tie 26-12, while Brad Tinning had only a slightly worse margin in his 23-10 victory.
Deniliquin skip Jamie Shields picked up points for his side, 23-16, but Tonny came out comfortably on top on overall shots.
Division two
Rich River escaped with the win by a single shot, taking down Rochester 13-52 to 3-51.
Skips Graeme Chambers (Rochester) and Barry Brown (Rich River) fought to a 17-all standstill in their rink.
Anton Gusak won 20-13 for Rochester, but Rich River’s Brian Trengove had a slightly better margin, 22-14, to earn his side the narrow victory.
Echuca proved too strong for Deni RSL, taking their tie 14-60 to 2-52.
Stephen McCartney and John Dinsdale each picked up rink wins for Echuca, while Linda Harris pulled back some points for RSL.
Stanhope could find no way through leader Moama, the Steamers coming out on top 14-60 to 2-49.
Ben Franklin’s 22-12 win was the biggest of the matchup, while skip Robert Armstrong ensured his Stanhope side came away with some points, taking his rink 18-15.
Deniliquin continued to show its quality, defeating Tongala 14-73 to 2-61.
Skip Craig Hillier scored big for Deni, winning his rink 33-11, but teammate David Hessel had to fight much harder for rink points, grabbing victory 23-22.
Division three
Moama Green bowled accurately against Mathoura, getting up 14-78 to 2-52 off the back of Sue Holmes’ dominant 34-5 result.
Moama Black had a tight victory over Deniliquin, 14-58 to 2-57, Kevin Connolly the biggest winner for the Steamers.
Elmore had a strong victory over Rochester, 14-65 to 2-48.
In a game of big rink margins, Elmore’s Gary Williams skipped the biggest win, 30-9, while Raymond Williams also scored big for the victors.
Echuca dominated Deni RSL 16-72 to 0-46, Greg Clymo’s 27-24 win the best in a comprehensive team performance.
Lockington demolished Rich River 16-81 to 0-37, with John Fisher, Leanne McInnes and Steve Pavone all scoring strong results.
Division four
In division four, Lockington was far too strong for Tongala, 16-71 to 0-37, while Echuca dominated Mathoura/Echuca 16-78 to 0-38.
Rich River outclassed Ky Valley View, 16-71 to 0-46, and Moama was a 14-59 to 2-43 winner over Stanhope.
Division five
In division five, Elmore had a big win 14-61 to 0-20 over Rochester, while Deniliquin defeated Lockington 12-48 to 2-37.
Moama took both rinks against Stanhope to win 14-41 to 0-25, and Echuca got the win over Deni RSL 13-40 to 1-34.