Echuca Bowls Club

Thursday Men’s Pairs were played in weather that compared to a summer’s day.

36 players competed for the day, resulting in five two-game winners.

Best one-game winners were George Thornley and Jerome Shaw, with a +15.

Two game winners were Robert Taylor and Ray Armstrong 2 +4, Keith Robertson and Col Berryman 2 +5, Norm Hodge and Noel McMaster 2 +12, runners-up: Kevin Mcgreevy and Greg Clymo 2 +14 and winners Tony Deenan and Chris Campbell 2 +16.

The jackpot did not go off so is $120 next week.

Thanks to all who helped make the day a success.

Friday’s weather, not so enticing as the previous day, was nonetheless very good for bowls.

21 players registered to play scroungers.

After some very competitive bowls, the eventual winners were runner-up Jill Young and winner Leica Roney

Saturday, although a little chilly, provided a sunny day which was enjoyed by 16 bowlers.

A medley of competition; 2 x 2 x 2, 2 x 4 x 2 and 3 bowl pairs ensured that players were tested for the whole competition.

Eventual winners were Louisa Dean and Andrew Humphrys.

Runners-up were Belinda Chong and Ross Young.

Pennant practice will be commencing soon, supported by the club coaches.

Tuesday, August 26 sees the commencement of the club five-a-side competition, which continues on September 2, 9, 16 and 23.

A minimum of 30 players are required.

All entries to be recorded on the sheet within the clubhouse.

Rich River Bowls Club

We saw perfect bowling weather this week.

Short sleeves and shorts are starting to make an appearance.

With pennant season fast approaching, now’s the time to enjoy our final social matches next week on our winter schedule.

Visitors and new members welcome, arrive by 12pm for a 12.30pm start.

Saturday - Open Mixed, Tuesday – Open Mixed, Wednesday - Men’s Jackpot Pairs.

Entries: 03 5481 3390 or on the noticeboard.

Results- Open Mixed 3 bowl Pairs – Saturday, August 16

1st – B. Prendergast, S. Shine; two wins and one draw +66.

2nd – J. Langley, C. Hannah; two wins and one draw +63.

3rd – P. Major, F. Ross; two wins, one draw +62.

Open Mixed 3 bowl Triples– Tuesday, August 19

1st – L. Sharp, J. Millar, C. Hannah; two wins 53 +19.

2nd – B. Dashwood, P. Major, C. Guille; two wins 53 +10.

Men’s Jackpot Pairs – Wednesday, August 13

1st – K. Hewitt, P. Kearney; three wins +81.

2nd – R. Ritchie, B. Prendergast; three wins +80.

3rd – P. Whitlock, T. Hawley; three wins +78.

Dates for the diary- September

Thursday 4 – Ladies Social Summer Opening (10am).

Thursday 11 – Giggles on the Green (9.30am).

Saturday 13 – Weekend Pennant Practice Match (12pm BBQ, 1pm start).

Sunday 14 – Club Opening Day (Lunch 11.30am, Bowls 1pm).

Saturday 20 – Midweek Pennant Practice Match (1pm start).

Thursday 25 – Goodwill Tours Practice Match (12pm Lunch + Bowls 1pm for 1.30pm).

Friday 26– Grand Final Eve – Open Fours (12.30pm start).

Club Notices

Members, please check the noticeboard at the club for event sign-ups and updates.

Organisers need numbers for catering and planning.

Practice matches for pennant players have been scheduled.

All players must wear the Rich River Pennant uniform.

Your participation is strongly encouraged as we prepare for the upcoming season.

Ladies Day - Giggles on the Green

Join us for a fun and relaxed morning of lawn bowls on Thursday, September 11 at 9.30am.

No experience? No problem.

Coaching and bowls will be provided, so everyone is welcome.

Just wear casual clothing and flat-soled shoes.

This event is free to attend, and lunch is available to purchase in the bistro or café after the game.

If you've been curious about trying bowls, this is the perfect chance to give it a go in a friendly and supportive setting.

Bowls, laughter, and new friendships—what more could you want?

Enquiries to Barb on 0419 513650.

Rochester Bowls Club

Friday Bowls

On August 15, bowlers braved the conditions, playing Scrounge on A Green, for the first time this season.

Two very experienced bowlers scored big with Heather Curnick coming away the overall winner with 95 points on her rink and John Weeks being the runner-up with 78 points.

Francis Keech played on a rink of four and came away with a win there on 42 points.

Next Friday, August 22, bowlers will be playing drawn pairs.

The cost is $7 per player, names on the list by noon.

Indoor Bowls

On Monday, August 11, there was only one team that won both of its games.

Bert Smolenaars and Mike Ellis were both in fine form and won their games by a significant margin.

There will be three more Monday nights of indoor bowls, and then our focus will shift to outdoor bowls.

Bowls Coaching/Skills Session

Marg Knight is offering weekly bowls coaching 10am-12pm, commencing this Thursday August 14.

Bowls are not necessary as club bowls will be available for use.

Contact Marg – 0407 093 848.

Leigh Milgate will continue to offer skills sessions at the same time

Kitchen Roster

Many thanks to Judy Murray, who has presented a kitchen roster for the coming season’s tournaments.

Hard copies are available on the pinboard, in the dining area and have also been emailed to members.

Trading Table

Items are being sought for a trading table and raffle for the upcoming Ladies Fours Tournament – October 23.

Please consider how you can help.

Inquiries can be directed to the Ladies Tournament Committee.

Season Opening

The opening of the 2025-26 bowls season will take place on September 5, beginning at 4pm.

Bar Roster

Hard copies available in the club foyer for those wishing to obtain one.

Monday – Friday, 5-6.30pm

18 – 22 August: P. Stack and A. Gusak.

25 – 29 August: G. Willis and G. Houlihan.

1 – 5 September: B. Coghill and B. Smolenaars.

Lockington Bowls Club

Another fine week of good weather attracted members and visitors to enjoy the popular game of Scrounge on both Wednesday and Saturday afternoon.

Three rinks were in operation on Wednesday.

On rink one, Steve Pavone played consistent bowls to amass a healthy tally of 65 points, while Frank Chugg, 40, and Lorraine Appleby, 33, tried valiantly to stem the tide.

Next door, Pos Andrea hit the green on fire to establish a handy lead over Ray Hanson and Peter Egan.

Halfway through the contest, Hanson hit form to close the gap and only trailed by four points with one end remaining.

However, Andrea was up to the late challenge and won the rink on 58 points after scoring one point.

Hanson grabbed four points to only miss by one shot for 57 points and shared the final end with Egan on 22 points.

Steve Peter dominated rink three, scoring a respectable 60 points to shade John Andrea 45 and Rod Fiedler 33 points.

Once again, the vittles proved popular.

On Saturday, the numbers were down a little with local tournaments drawing a few members away.

However, the standard was up to above-average level and some fine scores were recorded.

Steve Peter continued with his current high standard of bowls to manage 56 points and hold off Lorraine Appleby on 40 and Frank Chugg with a solid 38 points.

The other rink provided an enthralling battle between the four bowlers.

Ray Hanson found the pay-dirt, scoring 39 points closely followed by Ashley Dobell 36, Alan Sharp 34 (Elmore) and Rod Fiedler 31 points.

Unfortunately, the hot food was cold.

Members attended the annual two-day Spiers Family Fours held at Echuca Bowling Club last weekend.

The rink of Pos Andrea, Russell Shawcross, Leanne McInnes and Steve Pavone (s) bowled well against some stern opposition and missed the cut in the sectional play with just the one win and a tie.

Bowlers enjoyed the true greens and hospitality.

A well organised tournament.

The beginning of the Sixty and Over competition will be held at the Lockington Bowls Club on Wednesday, September 3.

Contact John van den Bosch for details.

The club will hold their opening day on Sunday, September 14 in conjunction with the Annual Memorial 2 bowl Triples starting at 1pm.

Contact Ray Hanson or Cindy Felmingham for details.

Rich River Golf Club

Weekly Highlights

Alex Stevens is in great form but was pipped by James Dalton for the Thursday A-grade win.

David Hall and Noel Dixon were also on the winners list.

Peter Angelis won the 18-hole Friday medley and Helen Taylor edged out Wendy Williams for the 9-hole win.

Trent Eacott, Dave Edwards and Ben Wallis all had great scores to win their respective-grades on Saturday and Bernie Smith also scored a fine forty stableford points to win the ladies event.

A couple of youngsters, Kobe Atkinson and Jackson Groves, won the 2-person Ambrose on Sunday.

Great work boys to shoot under 60 nett.

Father-son combination Kev and Rhys Drennan were not far behind in second place.

Marilyn Robins won the 18-hole Monday medley with a fine 38 Stableford points.

Jennifer Heinrich edged out Barb Sands for the 9-hole win.

Peter Boek had the score of the day in glorious conditions on Tuesday.

It was a close A-grade event with a three-way countback to decide the winner, Ron Meikle.

Stevo won B-grade in another countback over Dean Costello.

Jan McGuinness and Rosey Devlin were in a countback for the A-grade win on Wednesday, with Jan coming out on top.

A countback was also needed in B-grade, with Vicki Kulbars holding off Kerry McLaughlan and Barb Duke.

Colleen Lynch matched the scores of the day to win C-grade.

Thursday, August 14

A-grade: James Dalton (39 points), 1. Alex Stevens (39), 2. Stan Davis (36), 3.

B-grade: David Hall (39 points), 1. Brian Malone (36), 2. Ian Young (36), 3.

C-grade: Noel Dixon (38 points), 1. Paul Boek (37), 2. Ian Young (37), 3.

Friday, August 15

18-Hole: Peter Angelis (38 points), 1. Darren Yates (35), 2. Whitney Turner (35), 3.

9-Hole: Helen Taylor (17 points), 1. Wendy Williams (17), 2. Stacey Palling (13), 3.

Saturday, August 16

Men: A-grade: Trent Eacott (41 points), 1. Mitchell Scott (40), 2. Shane Gloury (39), 3.

B-grade: Dave Edwards (41 points), 1. Steve Bird (40), 2. Craig Griffin (39), 3.

C-grade: Ben Wallis (41 points), 1. Keith Jenkinson (36), 2. Max Prendergast (36), 3.

Women: Bernie Smith (40), 1. Rita Freestone (37), 2. Lisa Woolcock (36), 3.

Sunday, August 17

A-grade: Jackson Groves and Kobe Atkinson (nett 58.5), 1. Kev and Rhys Drennan (60.5), 2. Gavin Dellar and Glenn Fear (63), 3.

Monday, August 18

18 Hole A-grade: Marily Robins (39 points), 1. Sue McPherson (38), 2. Jenny Townrow (37), 3.

9 Hole: Jennifer Heinrich (19 points), 1. Barb Sands (19), 2. Deborah Egan-Magnay (17), 3.

Tuesday, August 19

A-grade: Ron Meikle (39 points), 1. Robin Quinn (39), 2. Shayne Trigwell (39), 3.

B-grade: Geoff Stephenson (39 points), 1. Dean Costello (39), 2. Ian Williams (38), 3.

C-grade: Peter Boek (40 points), 1. John Lane (36), 2. Rob Wright (35), 3.

Wednesday, August 20

A-grade: Jan McGuinness (37 points), 1. Rosey Devlin (37), 2. Maree Ciavarella (37), 3.

B-grade: Vicki Kulbars (35 points), 1. Kerry McLaughlan (35), 2. Barb Duke (35), 3.

B-grade: Colleen Lynch (37 points), 1. Maureen Berg (33), 2. Ann Velt (32), 3.

WRDGA Pennant

The Rich River Division 2 pennant team won the Western Riverina District Golf Association grand final at Murray Downs in convincing fashion on Sunday.

All members of the team were in front after nine holes and continued on the good form to run out winners 6.5 matches to 0.5.

Members of the team were Marcia Spiers, Solomon Welch, Glenn Rogers, Nicole Mitchell, Wade Jeffreys, Sue Byrne and Sean Burns.

Rochester Golf Club

Our annual tournament started with the course in great condition, thanks to the hard work of our dedicated volunteer ground crew over the last month.

In overcast weather, 36 women played in the Ladies 4BBB Stableford event on Friday.

Rochester Ladies Captain, Barb McCarty, combined well with Lockington's Jenny Holt to win with an impressive 47 points.

Runners-up on a countback were the team of Leisa Evans and Donna Holt, representing Lockington, from the unlucky duo of Cate Ward and Lauren Coghill, both teams on 46 points.

Next best were the following teams of sisters in law: Racheal Major and Karen Taylor (44), visitors Ellen Banko and Ruth Turpin (Rich River), Joy Kennedy and Rosemary Winter (Axedale) (42), Debbie Bish and Sue Amos (Bamawm), Jenny Major and Kim Dingwal, Bernice and Cheryl Campbell (Neanger Park) and Eilish Whelan and Lynne Delaney (Raywood), all on 41 Stableford points.

Nearest the pin winners were Amos (3rd), Kennedy (5th, 3.6m), Donna Holt (12th) and Rachael Major (16th).

Turpin was nearest to the line on the 10th fairway, while Lauren Coghill won the longest drive down the 15th fairway.

A good field of 28 teams followed the Ladies for a hit off at 10.30am.

It's not often that scores of 50 Stableford points or above are recorded at our course, especially in winter.

With the fairways in excellent condition, higher scores than average were expected.

Shane Connelly and Brent Sweeney combined to play below their handicap to win with that magical 50 points.

Runners-up were the brother-in-laws, Brendan McCarty and Richard Ballantyne (47), from acting captain Chris Eeles and Mike Austin, and visitors Phil and Mark Hamley (45).

The following teams all had 44 Stableford points: young members Zac McInness and Will Coghill, the not-so-young, David Gebbie and Steve Bubb, Lockington's father and son team of Kevin and Grant Humbert, and visitors Whitfield and Duncan.

Grant Humbert won the closest to the pin on the 5th scrape with his shot to 6.3 meters.

Visitors Greg Reynoldson (8), Jacob Coller (12), and Brendan McCarty on 16 were the nearest-the-pin winners.

Rushworth's Kelly Cheong won the straightest drive on the 10th, while Lockington's Ash Portwine took out the longest drive down the 15th.

Saturdays, 2-person Ambrose was played with threatening skies.

However, only small light showers during the round didn't interrupt play.

Current club champion, Jake Wright, combined with Bamawm’s Darcy Taylor to win the best gross score, 2 under 69.

Next best was former club champion Shane Bywaters and Andrew Purdy with a combined 70 off the stick.

Neanger Park's duo of Bernice and Garry Campbell just won the best net score with a fine (661/4) from the unlucky pairing of Francis Lee and Neville Vicary representing Bamawm, also on 661/4.

Next best were Jess Cuttriss and Andrew Rushton (671/4), Bywaters and Purdy (673/4), and Chris Eeles and Steven Bubb on net 68.

The Campbell family had a day out by winning nearest-the-pins on 5 and 12 for Bernice, and Cheryl and Garry the straightest drives for the Ladies and Men's respectively on the 10th fairway.

Purdy won on 16, and Lady Captain Barb McCarty won for her long drive down 15, while big hitting Jake Wright hit a monster to win the Men's section.

Unfortunately, the predicted rain finally arrived just in time to disrupt the Ladies and Men's Open Championship on Sunday.

Due to the inclement weather, a small group played 18 holes to determine the Ladies Open Champion for 2025 in tough, wet, cold, and scrawly conditions.

Julie Leahy took out her first Open Championship on a countback from Karen Taylor, both with 101 off the stick.

Taylor also won the best net score once again on a countback this time against Barb McCarty with a net 79.

Next best was Leisa Evans and Lauren Coghill.

Leahy also won for her straight drive on the 10th fairway, while Evans had the longest drive down the 15th fairway.

Big-hitting and current Rochester men's champion Jake Wright added another open trophy to his resume and had no issues handling the tough conditions, scoring 2 under 69.

The next best was President Leigh Hick's on 75, followed by Kevin Dunn (80), Lee Talbot (81), ex-Rochester member Jamie Hynes, and fellow Macedon member Mick Doyle, both on 83 off the stick.

Visitor Kevin Dunn won the best net score for his 80, -9 net 71, on a countback from Talbot and Hicks, all on net 71.

Murray Schier, after winning the club's B-grade trophy recently, took out his first open B-grade title, scoring 87 off the stick, and young Lockington visitor Bowden Stone was declared the handicap winner for a net 75.

Other good net scores were recorded by Brett Stone, Liam Keenan and Ayden Youd.

Youd also won closest to the pin over the tournament for his nice shot to the 8th, while Joy Kennedy was declared the winner for the ladies' nearest-the-pin on the 5th over the weekend.

Hynes and Stone took home prizes for the straightest drive and longest drives on 10 and 15, respectively.

In his closing address, President Leigh Hicks thanked all the visitors and our major sponsors for their continued support and the many volunteers for their dedicated work, especially over the last few months.

He congratulated Bernie Eeles on winning the major raffle of $1500 cash.

Lockington Golf Club

August 15

A number of Locky ladies travelled to Rochester to compete in their Annual Tournament 4BBB.

Jenny Holt’s super form continued, as she teamed up with local Barb McCarty to score another win.

16/08 – Par – Mystery Partners

It was great to see the biggest field for quite a few weeks.

After the day’s rounds were completed, the draw for partners was conducted to determine the event’s winners.

Two pairs finished with a combined score of -3, so a countback was needed to determine the day’s winners.

Victory went to Will Hardess (-1) and Kevin Humbert (-2), from Jeff Carnie (square) and Neil Maddison (-3).

Next best on -5 were Brad Wakefield (-3) and Trav Mancer (-2).

The best individual score was returned by Jeff Carnie (square), just ahead of Steve Holt and Will Hardess, who both finished -1.

Nearest the pins: 16th – Kevin Humbert; 2nd shot 12th – Steve Holt (A), Will Hardess (B), Brad Wakefield (C); 2nd shot 18th for the 6-pack smack – Ash Portwine.

Spike’s Longest Drive on the 1st, sponsored by Hot ‘n’ Cold Plumbing – Ash Portwine (A), Neil Maddison (B), Brad Wakefield (C).

Neither the O’Connors Case eagles nest on the 3rd, nor Captain Grant’s yardstick on the 16th was won.

Handicap Matchplay semi-finals – Jeff Carnie versus Neil Maddison.

In a match of ebbs and flows, Jeff won the 3rd with a par to take an early lead, only for Neil to win the 4th.

Jeff parred the 5th to again take the lead, but Neil parred the 7 th.

Jeff won the 8th, Neil won the 9th and the match was square after 9.

After halving 10 and 11, Jeff parred 12 and 13 to lead 2-up.

The 14th and 15th were halved, then Neil rallied to par the 16th to cut the margin to one-down.

The match was decided on the 17th when Jeff parred it to seal a 2 and 1 victory after an excellent contest.

Steve Holt versus Stuart Newton.

The red-hot in-form Steve began well to win the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 10th to surge to a 5-up lead.

Stuart fought back to par the 11th to cut the margin to 4-down.

Steve then birdied the 12th to win the hole (despite conceding a shot) to go 5-up, then sealed the match with a par on the 13th to win the hole, and the match, 6 and 5.

The final between Jeff and Steve should be a good contest between two in-form golfers, both yet to win a matchplay title.

Upcoming events

Tuesday, August 19 – Committee Meeting.

Friday, August 22 – Lorna Henderson Canadian Trophy. Duty: Pauline Humbert, Jan Clymo.

Saturday, August 23 – Stableford – Privilege Cup – Wedgie Trophy. Duty: Jeff Carnie, Mark Lyons.

Thursday, September 11 – Joy Bickford Rose Bowl Teams Event – enquiries and entries to Pauline Humbert (0409 038 554).

Echuca Moama Croquet Club

Friday, August 15

12 Members played three games.

The winner for the day was Sandy Alstin, winning three games with a +13.

Three other members won three games, and coming in second was John Alstin with a +12.

One jump shot for Greg Brierley.

Monday, August 18

16 Members played three games in nice sunshine.

The winner again was Sandy Alstin, winning all three games.

Jan Tracy scored a hoop-in-one, and jump shots were one for Elayne Pickthall and one for Johnny Tarrant.

Today we all enjoyed a great lunch supplied by the club.

Rich River Croquet Club

Golf Croquet – Thursday, August 14

A lovely morning for handicap singles croquet with 18 players enjoying the game.

Two players won all three games; Lyn Keillor and Russell Smyth.

The win went to Russell Smyth, scoring three games +9 hoops, and the runner-up was Lyn Keillor, scoring three games +8 hoops.

Lyn also made a great jump shot.

Ruth Mole and Cherie Lessing both made a hole-in-one.

Golf Croquet – Tuesday, August 19

16 people turned up for handicap singles croquet.

It was a frosty start with the sun warming everyone up as the morning went on.

Three players won all three games; Helen Brierley, Jay Grant and Russell Clark.

The winner was Russell Clark, scoring three games +9 hoops, and a count back between Helen and Jay was needed to determine the runner-up, with the outcome being Jay Grant scoring three games +8 hoops.

Kyabram Pigeon Club

The Kyabram Pigeon Club held the second running of its Sea Lake event on August 16.

116 birds representing 14 trainers were liberated near Sea Lake airfield, returning to their owners’ lofts.

Moama’s M and P Racing’s birds completed the journey at the highest average velocity, covering more than 177 km at 1462.18 metres per minute.

Kyabramites John Carroll and Gary Rayner filled out the podium, their birds logging speeds of 1455.67 and 1445.86 mpm respectively.

Echuca’s Rod Clarke, Andrew Williamson and Ray Armstrong also placed well.

A third race from Sea Lake is scheduled for August 23.

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