It was a close game trying to get the prelim final here with at most 5 shots separating all the rinks but it was Kardinya that saluted by 2 shots to win the morning game. I haven't head anything about any of the games yesterday but it would be a bitter pill to swallow for Cambridge who came home like a train to make the finals but only just fell short. Kardinya would have heaved a big breath at the end and they awaited the loser of the qualifying final for a chance at the grand final on Sunday.

This much looked forward to game became a bit of a fizzer as South Perth dominated from start to finish to win on all 4 rinks and progress to the grand final. On their home deck they would have been favourites to win but Doubleview have been so good in the back half of the year that I did exepct a close contest but The Millers flexed their muscles and won by 28 shots. It was Doubleviews biggest loss of the year, so they wouuld need to eat some lunch, have a beer and re-group for the afternoon game. South Perth though can sit back and prepare for the Sunday grand final.

The afternoon game, the winner to the grand final and Doubleview wanting the chance to defend their title. Doubleview courtesy of finishing 2nd get to play on the same green they played in the morning where Kardinya had to change greens. It is small but certainly an advantage to Doubleview and it appears like that might have been the case as Doubleview were able to re-group and win the afternoon game by 15. Still the rinks weren't blowouts, only 6 shots at most separating the rinks and Daniel Brown drawing his rink, he has had a fine season but I'm sure he would swap a few losses to get his club to the grand final. It was not to be, it will be a Doubleview / South Perth grand final at Yokine commencing at 10am.

What a great game of bowls and a clutch finish which saw Doubleview defeat South Perth by 3 shots but it was only 2 the difference with 2 ends to play. Let's backtrack a bit first though.
Doubleview flew out of the gate to be something like 18-3 up early before South Perth were able to settle in to the game and peg that gap back. It was a 5 to Justin Opie over Charlie Slavich saw him peg a 10-2 lead to Slavich back to 10-7, and the South Perth erupted and it seemed to inspire the other rinks and South Perth closed the gap.
South Perth got to within 1, but then Doubleview got back out to about a 15 shot lead. Again Charlie Slavich pulled away and Scott Edmonds was also starting to pile ends on to pull away from Neale Griffin. Edmonds winning 6 ends in a row in the middle parts of that game. The middle 2 rinks were close all day and when Glenn Pauling started to win ends, again South Perth bridged the gap, and then Opie picked up another handful, coupled with some Scott Walker bombs then South Perth found themselves in front with about 20 to play.
I remarked in the coverage it felt like Doubleview created the noise on the field and the very pro South Perth crowd were able to create it off the field. South Perth were in front by about 4 but then the Slavich boys upped their voice, and Doubleview came again. South Perth up on 3 rinks, but Ryan Moyle from behind picked up a couple in a row to square the ledger at 22-22 after 19, Opie and Slavich also 22-22 after 20, Pauling was 9 up over John Slavich and Edmonds was 10 up over Griffin, so the aggregate was 1 to South Perth with about 7 ends to play. It was nail biting stuff, Almost at the same time Charlie Slavich picked up a shot to win his game 23-22, Ryan Moyle won his last 2 ends to win by 4, and Scott Edmonds continued the pressure and it looked like a Doubleview win but a fortuitous drive saw Glenn Pauling pluck out the sole D'view bowl and they grabbed a vital 3, so it was 2 up to Doubleview with 2 ends to play.
The crowd were hushed and the 2 finished rinks gathered at the sidelines to watch the final unfold. The nerves I think were high and the final ends weren't the best we saw in an otherwise high quality game across the 4 rinks. But the idea of the game is to be closer to the kitty than the opposition and it doesnm't matter how far away they are. On the Slavich rink, Doubleview were holding 2, on the Edmonds rink, Griffin was holding 2. Edmonds played with some weight and his rink got excited, he played it perfectly, missing the front bowls and moving the kitty backwards. South Perth still holding 2, but with the Slavich rink still holding 2 and only the John Slavich bowl to play, Neale Griffin needed a 4 to draw the match. After much discussion on the merits of Slavich even playing his bowl as the chances of Griffin getting 4 looked slim, Slavich chose to play on the narrow and what appeared to be the safer hand. He let it go, weight was perfect but there was a South Perth bowl on the line about 50cms short, any movement on that bowl was pushing it into the head and likely shot but Slavich played his bowl perfectly, narrowly missing the South Perth bowl and drawing a 3rd. Griffin then needed 5 to draw and in an impossible hit and hope shot, couldn't get the score and Doubleview were home by 3 shots in an awesome display of bowls by both sides and also a fair amount of good sportsmanship showed.
Doubleview go back to back after winning the 2017/18 flag and they will party for a few days yet. Well done to the View but South Perth will be back, it's a quality outfit and only marginally fell short today.
One White Finals

Elimination Final

Eades, Graeme 17 v Flack, Peter 29
Vinci, Stephen 18 v Turra, Darren 12
Knapp, Ross 20 v Costello, Neville 16
Fewings, Graeme 25 v Fewster, Stephen 17

Qualifying final

Mckenna, Christopher 19 v Devenish, Geoffrey 23
Walker, Paul 22 v Douthie, Mark 16
Wishart, Graeme 17 v Kuziela, Ron 17
Hoffman, Cameron 17 v McGinlay, Joe 24

Preliminary Final

Mckenna, Christopher 23 v Eades, Graeme 14
Walker, Paul 22 v Vinci, Stephen 22
Hoffman, Cameron 25 v Knapp, Ross 14
Gryta, Alek 22 v Fewings, Graeme 15

Grand Final

Kuziela, Ron 16 v Mckenna, Christopher 31
McGinlay, Joe 14 v Walker, Paul 19
Devenish, Geoffrey 20 v Wishart, Graeme 20
Douthie, Mark 30 v Hoffman, Cameron 13

One Blue final

Grand Final

Krstic, Jovan 33 v Srhoy, Steve 22
Revell, Rodney 22 v Wylie, Kenneth 15
O'Sullivan, Eugene 29 v TePania, William 21
Erceg, Michael 18 v Krajancic, Marko 27




A comprehensive win to the Blue North champions in Bassendean who won a spirited contest by seventeen shots at the finish.
The rinks skipped by Jovan Krstic, Rod Revell, and Eugene O'Sullivan all having fine wins of 11, 7, and 8 shots respectively.
The " old warhorse " from Cockburn in Marko Krajancic was the only winner for the losers from the south.
I did hear a rumour that a couple of the Cockburn " guns " made themselves unavailable for this game, hope not.(Rumour confirmed, 3 players made themselves unavailable for the final after a disagreement - SA)
Regardless though, congratulations to the Basso sixteen, they have had a fine season.
Promotional games

1st White v 1st Blue North

Pesich, Vled 23 v Roelofs, Bill 22
Perica, Ivan 10 v Petrich, Max 25
Unkovich, Ivan 24 v Bandy, Denis 18
Nadilo, Ken 12 v McRae, Michael 20

1st White v 1st Blue South

Pasalich, Mark 19 v Gollan, Edward 20
Marovic, Mick 17 v East, Jack 15
Marinovich, Peter 18 v Lang, Rawley 23
Yaksich, Nick 20 v Green, Daniel 21

2nd Blue v 1st Blue North

Nievelstein, Martin 23 v Team 1 15
Anderson, David 19 v Team 2 15
Denny, Steve 17 v Team 3 19
Buchholz, Chris 20 v Team 4 20

2nd Gold v 1st Blue North

Bartlett, Arthur 28 v Leggett, Ben 21
Coyle, Peter 21 v Hunter, Jon 16
Wooltorton, Dwayne 20 v Leggett, Chris 21
Gosstray, Stewart 21 v Korycin, Michael 16

2nd Red v 1st Blue South

Crabb, Maurice 19 v Villa, Pietro 16
Heldt, Wayne 20 v Costello, Robert 19
Carbone, Frank 15 v Devenny, Mark 15
Holland, Brett 20 v Lethlean, John 20

2nd White v 1st Blue South

Wood, Daniel 19 v Strickland, Mark 29
Standley, Craig 23 v Reynolds, David 11
Hunter, Robert 38 v Dodge, Gavin 12
Bajic, Joseph 34 v Maxwell, Peter 17