Eleven brave bowlers – including visitors David Perry and Len Hooton from Bruthen – faced extreme winter conditions for last Thursday’s social bowls session at the Orbost Bowling Club.
Participants battled icy winds, with temperatures hovering around 10.6 degrees and a feel-like temperature of just 4.2 degrees. Wind speeds averaged 26km/h, with gusts reaching up to 41km/h, leaving players feeling as though they were competing in an extreme sport rather than a leisurely afternoon on the green.
Given the conditions, the scheduled two eight-end games were modified, with the second game shortened to six ends. Two teams managed to win both of their matches, but David Perry (skip) and Annette Grmusa took out top honours as the overall winners on the day. The next social bowls session takes place this Thursday, with players requested to arrive before 11.30am.
Milder weather greeted a strong turnout on Sunday for the seventh and final round in the current cycle of the popular Scroungers competition. Greg Rankin led the daily scoring with 66 points, followed by Maurice Frank on 57, while Beryl Dyce and Scott Farnell tied for third with 54 points each.
Having played all seven rounds, Maurice Frank finished atop the overall leaderboard with 340 points. Dennis McCann finished second with 295 points, while Bruce Kneebone took third with 277, both having played six rounds. Ron Hatcher recorded the highest average score over the competition, averaging 63.5 points from his two appearances.
A new seven-round Scroungers cycle will commence on the last Sunday in August.
Saturday morning’s Drills and Skills session started in mild conditions before a biting cold wind swept across the green. Despite the changing weather, participants successfully completed three targeted training routines focused on execution and control.
The first exercise required players to deliver forehand and backhand bowls to alternating long and short jack placements. Next, players practiced removing a bowl sitting next to the jack by striking it to take the shot position. The session concluded with a boundary line drill, where bowlers delivered forehands to a jack on the left rink boundary and backhands to a jack on the right.
Following the drills, participants retreated to the clubhouse to warm up with hot drinks and a chat. Drills and Skills returns this Saturday at 10am, with Ron Hatcher resuming his coaching role.
