REIGNING Royal Victorian Bowls Association grand finalist Altona hit top gear in round seven by thumping in-form Bundoora away from home.
Altona took all 18 points away from the match and was a whopping 44 shots ahead by the end of the day’s play.
It was one of the darkest losses of the year for Bundoora, but Altona was desperate to pick up some valuable points after slipping to eighth on the table after round five.
After losing four of its first five matches, Altona has won two in a row and has climbed to within striking distance of the top four. The big win saw it jump to sixth, just six points behind Bundoora and 12 from Essendon in fourth place. On Saturday Altona won three of the four rinks, with only eight shots separating two matches.
Yarraville/Footscray’s fine early season form hit a bump when it lost to third-placed Glen Eira McKinnon.
Only eight shots separated the sides at the end of 25 ends, but Glen Eira crucially got the upper hand in three of the four rinks.
Wayne Roberts’ rink was brilliant in its 30-16 win, but Andrew Myers’ rink suffered a match-defining 30-17 loss.
The loss did not have any direct ramifications for Yarraville/Footscray on the ladder, maintaining its third spot, but it slipped 20 points behind Glen Eira in second and 28 from competition leader Melbourne.
Essendon, with its win over Moonee Ponds, is now only four points behind in fourth place.
Altona faces Glen Eira this weekend while Yarraville/Footscray is at home to bottom side Darebin City.
In Section One of Division One, competition leader Werribee RSL thrashed Altona’s second side to extend its lead at the top of the table.
It picked up 16 points in its 38-shot victory, stretching out to a 27-point lead after seven rounds.
Rosamond shot to third on the table after a narrow win over Melbourne, picking up 15 points from the game.
In Section Two, Newport lost its sixth match in seven starts after falling to Ivanhoe.
