Richard Weeks, team leader of Sturt I on Wednesday 4 March 2026 in the game against Woodville II noted that "once again we had perfect conditions for bowls at home. The greens were perfect and a joy to play on."
However, the match was of high importance:
"Sturt (7th) were playing a team (Woodville) (8th) who was one point behind us on the ladder, with both teams very much at risk of relegation pending the result of the match between Tranmere (9th) and Kensington-Marryatville (1st).
"The point was made prior to the match that survival in Division 2 could be assured by winning the match."
Richard said that "once again it went down to the wire".
"The last two rinks to finish (Jones, Van Der Veen, Catterall & Welsh, Hill, Spinelli, McVicar) found themselves down 3 shots on the big board, each with one end to play.
"Both rinks managed to pick up 2 shots on their last end to see Sturt win by a single shot.
"Special mention must be made of Stephen Jones’s final shot, playing a perfect draw shot to add a second shot which was ultimately critical in the team securing such a narrow victory."
Stephen's vital shot also ensured Sturt I was not relegated:
"As it happened, Tranmere defeated Kensington-Marryatville, meaning Woodville was relegated along with Para Hills. Had we collected just two shots less on the day it would have been us who was relegated.
"It was the very finest of margins by which we survived, which is not immediately apparent when glancing at the final ladder, which shows us finishing 7th, 11 points clear of Woodville.
Richard summed up by saying that there is much work to do:
"Overall maintaining our position in Division 2 North is a good result, but in truth the minimum acceptable result.
"We must continue to strive to improve individually and collectively to get ourselves into finals contention and beyond. There is much work to do."