Tuesday Night
We’re in to the final week of round-robin play at the Bowls3Five LIVE at New Lynn, as teams strive to make the all important top five and avoid the bottom three relegation territory.
Opening the action, the Parajacks survived yet another tie-breaker, this time defeating the Hinuera Heat 4-1, 3-4, 1-0 in what eventuated as a great tussle between the two sides.
The final game of the night saw the Stoke Thunder trio defeat the reigning champion Pt Chevalier Pirates, meaning Stoke go clear at the top of the table by six points, while the Pirates look to be in desperate trouble as they remain anchored to the bottom.
Be sure to tune in to Sky Sport NZ (Ch.59) tomorrow night, with some vital games playing out between the Gore Rams and the Hinuera Heat, the Elmwood Park Saints taking on the Parajacks and the Stoke Thunder attempting to end the six-straight winning running of the Royal Oak Rockets – with a win for Stoke guaranteeing the Thunder a place in this year’s Grand Final.
Wednesday Night
Opening the penultimate night of round-robin play, the Hinuera Heat lived up to their name, as all three players turned up the heat to take the Gore Rams down in straight sets, 7-1, 8-2 – lifting themselves up the table and securing a place in next year’s competition.
The second game of the night saw the Elmwood Park Saints book their spot in the playoffs action, securing second place with neither the Royal Oak Rockets or Stokes Valley Vipers able to catch them. In a well-fought victory, the Saints sealed the fate of the Parajacks, 8-1, 5-5 -meaning the Parajacks will be in next week’s relegation battle.
With a Grand Final’s spot on the line, the fast and effective camera work from the Sky Sport NZ crews were called in to action, running several replays of a tie-breaker shot on the big screen to determine where the jack would finish after an illegal bowl came back into play and impeded the movement.
With the placement being decided by the Stoke Thunder, the tie break continued, with the Stoke Thunder taking the win opposite the Royal Oak Rockets and advancing to next week’s final, courtesy of a 2-7, 6-3, 1-0 result.
Tune in tomorrow night on Sky Sport NZ (Ch.59) from 6pm as the final three games decide the overall league placings, with everything still to play for. Remember, if you’ve missed any of the action, check out the highlight reels or replays on Sky Sport (check schedule for times).
Thursday Night
The final night of round-robin has come to a close at New Lynn, and well, what a night it was.
Storming out of the blocks, the Stokes Valley Vipers brought plenty of venom to their game as they took the Elmwood Park Saints and Gore Rams to task in straight sets, finishing their campaign with nine wins from 14 games and jumping the Saints in to second place on a superior sets differential.
The Vipers’ line-up of Blake Signal, Finbar McGuigan and Nicole Toomey proved in fine touch as they accounted for the Saints, 6-2, 8-6, before going on to thump the Gore Rams, 14-0, 14-1, in an extraordinary performance in match two.
The last game of the night saw the Auckland derby play out, with the Pt Chevalier Pirates taking a tie-break win, 3-5, 6-5, 1-0, in what would be the last appearance we see from the Royal Oak Rockets as they turn their attention safely to next season, along with the Hinuera Heat.
Therefore, with the dust now settled – Finals’ Week will see the Stokes Valley Vipers and Elmwood Park Saints go head to head for a place in the Grand Final, (with the table topping Stoke Thunder awaiting their arrival), – while the Gore Rams and the Pt Chevalier Pirates will replay last year’s final, albeit at the other end of the table in a bid to keep their Bowls3Five presence alive.
Awaiting the losing team of that fixture will be the Parajacks, with the losing side of that battle then being relegated from the competition and replaced by this season’s National Bowls3Five Interclub champions.
So much to play for and you don’t want to miss any of it.
Tune in to Sky Sport NZ (Ch.59) next Tuesday from 7pm to see all the action unfold as we count down to Finals Week. Highlight reels and replay shows will also be available during the week (check schedule for times).
