By LIAM TWOMEY
DEER Park Bowls Club president Ray Franksen couldn’t have been happier with his troops going into the Christmas break.
The club has two teams on top of the Bowls Victoria Pennant Competition ladder (section one and section five) while two other teams (section six and section seven) are also locked inside the top four.
To highlight its dominance, Deer Park has won 26 matches for the year and lost just 12 across its top four teams.
“We were all very happy with the first part of the season,” Franksen said.
“The hardest part now is trying to fit those players into the sides and keep them as active as what they are. We have an abundance of really strong players.
“These are quality players too. It is going to be a very difficult job for the selectors to get the sides sorted out.”
After the dominating start to the season, all that remains for one of the West’s fastest growing bowls clubs is to finish off the hard work in finals.
While the majority of pennant sides focus on the results of their top side at the business end of the season, Deer Park is concentrating on its lower grades with the club hoping to bridge the gap between division one (top side) and division five (second side).
“We have worked hard to get where we are,” Franksen said.
“We really need our division five, six and seven sides to get up now. If our division one side doesn’t win a premiership, it’s not the end of the world. We have plenty of time to get into Premier League.
“We really need three or four years in division one before we tackle Premier League. There is nothing worse than going up and then going straight back down. We have worked hard to get where we are, and we don’t want to waste those opportunities.”
Deer Park will resume its season this weekend against eighth-placed MCC.
The club will also be hosting an Open Fours Tournament in late March.
Anyone seeking more information is encouraged to contact the club.
