Gippsland Bowls Region Weekend Pennant Superleague finals will kick off this Saturday at the Bairnsdale Bowls Club.
With top side and reigning premier Bairnsdale resting their feet, Sale 1 and Paynesville will do battle in a cut-throat elimination final, while Lakes Entrance 1 and Lindenow will play for the right to take on Bairnsdale next week with a spot in the grand final up for grabs.
The loser of the qualifying final will get another chance next week, against the winner of the elimination final.
Lakes Entrance 1 and Lindenow will enter their contest both in great form, with winning streaks of four and three respectively, the Cockies buoyed by the fact they won the only contest between the two sides this season in a thriller, 66-62.
Sale 1 has looked the likely challenger to Bairnsdale over the past two months, winning eight games in a row before last Saturday’s aberration at Orbost, where it outplayed the home side.
Maybe it was a case of jet lag, but it will need to bounce back quietly, given it only accounted for Paynesville by four shots when they met a couple of weeks ago.
Paynesville impressed against Stratford last week, last year’s finalist back somewhere near its best, but the problem they face is they have struggled to put back-to-back wins together in 2024/25.
Last week’s upsets in the final round showed what is capable when sides get it all together on any given day.
An interesting finals series beckons.
