Lakes Entrance 4 are the Gippsland Bowls Region weekend pennant division two eastern conference champions after defeating Paynesville 56–53 at Lakes Entrance Bowling Club.
The victory reversed a disappointing qualifying final result just seven days earlier, when Lakes Entrance went down to Paynesville 62–26.
Everything fell into place for Lakes Entrance 4 in the decider, with Ryan Dobson, Colin Grassby, Bob Lucas and Tony Spink claiming their rink 29–22, while Joseph Hales, Roy Roberts, William Gilbert and Charlie Abela secured a 24–14 win.
They will now feature in the culmination of the weekend pennant season this Saturday at Bairnsdale Bowling Club, where five grand finals will be played.
The program includes the Premier League decider, three divisional grand finals between the eastern and northern conference premiers, and the division four eastern title match.
Lakes Entrance 4 will meet unbeaten northern conference champion Yarram, which has dominated its competition this season.
The day will also showcase the 2025–26 Premier League grand final between Lakes Entrance and Bairnsdale, with minor premier Sale eliminated in straight sets.
The two sides split their home-and-away encounters this season, with the home team victorious on both occasions. That trend may concern Lakes Entrance, with the grand final to be played at Bairnsdale, which will be keen to atone for last year’s upset loss to Paynesville when it started as warm favourite.
Both teams boast strong line-ups, with most players recording better than a 50 per cent win rate on their rinks this season. With plenty of competitive personalities on display, the match shapes as a tight contest where an early advantage could prove decisive in the high-pressure setting.
Meanwhile, Lakes Entrance 2 will not feature on grand final day after a narrow 59–57 loss to Orbost in last Saturday’s division two eastern final. Orbost led for much of the day, winning two of the three rinks and holding off a late challenge. Wayne Denning, Kevin Watson, Jack Light and Kevin Dowie were rink winners for Lakes Entrance 2, 26–21.
In other bowls news, Lakes Entrance club champion Lancaster was defeated by Paynesville’s Michael Better 27–18 in the Gippsland Bowls Region men’s singles championship at Stratford Bowling Club. Better made a strong start to establish a commanding lead that Lancaster was unable to reel in.
THIS WEEK
Saturday, February 21 – grand finals at Bairnsdale Bowling Club
Premier: Lakes Entrance 1 v Bairnsdale.
Division two: Lakes Entrance 4 v Yarram.
