mmg.com.au

Shepparton’s men’s tenpin bowling team won the prestigious Senior Shield against nine other country Victoria rivals for the first time at Morwell two Sundays ago.

Terry Rowe, Kevin Wilkins, David Scott, Kevin Ponting and Doug Neff combined to achieve the history-making feat in the over-45 tournament, with Ray Saville as team manager.

It was a victory by the barest of margins, with Shepparton accumulating 31 points from its nine games compared to runner-up Geelong’s 30.

‘‘We went in with expectations to go well, because we had a strong team,’’ Saville said.

‘‘We’re just pleased we performed well and the guys put in when they needed to. Everyone did their bit.’’

Four players contested each game, with bowlers earning one point for winning their individual match-up and the team awarded a further two for overall victory.

Shepparton won five of the six points available against Geelong before clinching the title with a clean sweep against Warrnambool in the final match.

Shepparton’s only loss was to Bendigo, when it managed just one point.

‘‘I pick the team for each game and take one out and put one in when needed,’’ Saville said.

‘‘I said to them before the last game, ‘Do your best, attack the lane and if you lose, at least you’ve done your best’ and we ended up getting six points to nil against Warrnambool.’’

Rowe was Shepparton’s top bowler with a highest score of 241 and average of 194, which booked him a berth in the tournament’s five-man All-Stars team.

‘‘Terry’s a pretty capable bowler and is always steady,’’ Saville said.

‘‘He performs when he has to.’’

Shepparton’s women’s team won three of its nine outings to finish seventh out of 10 teams on the same weekend, with Jenny Serafini and Joanne Wood the most prominent bowlers.

Team manager Melissa Thompson said the result was about what was expected.

‘‘Jenny Serafini and Joanne Wood were our two higher-established bowlers,’’ Thompson said.

‘‘We were expected to be about the middle of the field and we did a lot better on the second day than the first day, but we did really well.’’

Country Victoria’s best over-50 tenpin bowlers will compete for the Goldpin Cup in Bendigo in January.

Saville said he, Rowe and Wilkins were likely to be part of the Shepparton men’s team which will play in the event.