Werribee’s Brett Dodd lines up a bowl in the opening round of the Premier Lawn Bowls competition. 71228 Picture: KRISTIAN SCOTT
By Liam Twomey
THE Premier Lawn Bowls season got underway on Sunday with a cliff-hanging encounter between Werribee RSL and Altona Lawn Bowls Club.
Nothing could split the two sides after an enthralling day of high calibre bowls as they drew 11/74 to 7/74.
Despite the deadlock, Werribee walked away from the clash with 11 points towards their position on the ladder as Altona were left with a disappointing seven.
The Bees were led for the first time by new skipper Dane McKinnon and he didn’t disappoint, producing a solid performance. He was joined by Brett Dodd in the best players.
Werribee was able to take the challenge up to last year’s finalists, sticking with them all day in what board member Rob Casey said was a morale win for his club.
“It’s still a tie but we got more points out of the game,” Casey said.
“From what I saw it was a pretty good debut for the Premier League side this year. They had to get out of the blocks and they have done that now, they have done very well.”
“We would have loved that extra shot to win but it’s really a good result for Werribee against a top team.”
The upset result takes some of the early season pressure off Werribee and allows them to pursue a fast start to the season.
Casey said they had already begun better than expected.
The news only got better for Werribee, whose second side also came away with a victory, beating Footscray.
The performance was far from what was predicted after Werribee was smashed by 25 last time the two sides met.
“The club is looking pretty good at the moment. I think there is a lot of enthusiasm and I think we will only get better,” Casey said.
