Two stalwarts of Sturt’s pennant history, Gerry Dillon and Paul Teesdale, were delighted with the victories recorded by Sturt II and III at home on Wednesday 14 October.
Both found aspects to applaud — and some useful lessons to take forward.
From the Sturt III game, Gerry highlighted the importance of maintaining pressure by consistently having bowls in and behind the head.
From the Sturt II game, Paul singled out the club’s Rink of the Day — David McVicar, Noal Mullins, Peter Hughes and Wyatt Groth — after their commanding 32–10 win.
Report on Sturt III by Team Leader Gerry Dillon
Good win by Sturt III over Marion in excellent conditions at home.
Our greens were magnificent, the weather was perfect, and we were all keen to go for the first Wednesday match.
In the pre-game chat we focussed on two things, Encouragement and Correction, both of which became critical in my rink when we got the wobbles late and paid dearly for not having bowls in the head.
All three Sturt rinks got off to a great start as we relished the great conditions, but Marion settled and made life tougher for some of us.
Dave Paley, Alan King, David Beales and Ed Parker combined well as a rink, played solidly all day and didn’t give Marion a sniff.
Dirk De Jong, Silvio Marrollo, Frank Sabatino and John Griffith came under pressure from mid-game and fell short in the end.
Paul Badenoch, John French, Nick Manglaras and Gerry Dillon led all day until dropping a 6 on the nineteenth end, then entertained the crowd with a last-bowl win.
Something we can all take out of the day is the importance of maintaining pressure by always having bowls in and behind the head.
Our dominant rink kept the pressure on all day, while the other two let the opposition in.
All in all, a great day.
Summary comments on Sturt II by Paul Teesdale
The second side has been up and about for a number of years in Division 3 East, being premiers in 2024-25.
This season start was so impressive, winning by 15 shots over Kensington Marryatville at home, with four rinks up.
The club’s Rink of the Day was David McVicar, Noal Mullins, Peter Hughes and Wyatt Groth with a 32-10 victory in this game against Kensington Marryatville.