Valley View is second bottom and hadn’t won since the first round of the season — on October 12.
Last time they played Tongala was a 17-shot winner, but on Saturday it was a 64-42 (16-0) Valley View win.
Ken Black was the the catalyst for the seventh-ranked team, beating Frank Walsh 27-10 with the support of Rob Varcoe and Kevin Broadhurst.
Graeme Topp beat Beth Vistarini by two shots to continue the Valley View roll and Peter Lyon completed the whitewash with a three-shot win against Rob Hosking.
Five lead changes in the first 11 ends made the Topp and Vistarini game an entertaining contest, before Vistarini shot away to a seven-shot lead two ends later.
Topp then secured shot bowl on all but two of the final eight ends for his 21-19 win.
Ken Black was two shots ahead of Frank Walsh in their contest, before the Valley View skip took three successive four-shot ends and eventually won 27-10.
On the remaining rink Lyon led 12-4 after winning 11 of the opening 14 ends.
The lead was cut to three by the final bell after Hosking picked up shot on five of the final seven ends.
· A five-shot win by fourth-ranked division five team Stanhope has set it up for a charge at the competition finals in the new year.
Stanhope beat second-ranked Echuca 51-46 (12-2) on the back of a 15-shot win by Andrew Draffin, Sandy Fletcher, Ian Douglas and Daniel Fitzpatrick.
That win cancelled out the 10-shot loss of John Gibbs and has Stanhope sitting six points clear of fifth-placed Deni RSL at the break.
In the first two rounds of the new year Stanhope faces third bottom and bottom teams, Elmore and Rochester, along with Deni RSL.
Three wins would guarantee it a place in the finals before facing top team Moama Steamers in the final home and away round before the finals.
· A Bali-based division two Campaspe Playing Area lawn bowler who has returned to play alongside his father-in-law at Tongala deserves our apologies after an incorrect reading of cards last week.
Fortunately Wayne Cowley, who will play out the remainder of the season, combined with father-in-law Kelvin Walsh, skip Jorja Ponton and Peter O’Brien to give us the chance to promote his successful return.
Last week I wrote the team lost by 26 shots.
It, in fact, won by that margin and was the reason the team won its match-up against Rich River.
Cowley and his teammates backed up that performance by winning 26-17 on Saturday against bottom team Rochester.
The result cancelled out the one and seven-shot losses of the other two Tongala rinks and gave the third-ranked team a one-shot win — 59-58 (12-4).
Sorry for the confusion Wayne and co.
The division two Bulls are one point off second spot on the ladder, but 21 behind ladder leader Moama Steamers.
They face the Steamers in the first round of 2025 on January 14.
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