Round 2 was held in fine and sunny conditions at the Gawler Petanque Club. The turnout was lower than we’ve had for a couple of years, but a field of 22 teams was still more than enough for a great atmosphere and a strong contest. The round was notable for the fact that no team was able to get through all five games without loss – something that hasn’t happened in this competition for four years.
Winning the games that mattered most, it was Tina Stockley, Louis Oltarczy & Jean-Paul Bouyer who took out the top honours for the day. These three experienced players from Club d’Adelaide once played as a regular combination with quite some success. More recently, they have each featured in other successful teams, but the last time all three of them stood together on the Interclub podium was in 2008. The chemistry is obviously still there.
In second place were Janet Jenkin, Michael Frodyma & Martin Verdonk, flying the flag for a depleted Prospect squad.
Third place went to Ashton Claridge, Deb Coleman & Mal Bedson, from Adelaide Hills. Congratulations to Deb for her first Interclub medal.
We predicted that it would be an exceptionally competitive season this year and so far, after two rounds, the results have borne this out. The dominant club this time was Adelaide, whose three teams finished in 1st, 4th and 7th position. The resultant points haul was enough to lift them from fifth on the ladder to being the new competition leaders! Conversely, and with remarkable symmetry, the reigning premiers struggled to make an impact and ESP slipped from top spot all the way down to fifth. Adelaide and Eastern Suburbs have been the powerhouse clubs throughout the history of the Interclub competition and the premiership has nearly always gone to one of these two. Neither has ever finished lower than third. But this season there are three other clubs all intent on mounting a serious challenge and they continue to jostle for position. History is waiting to be made.
On this occasion, Prospect edged ahead to take outright second place, while Adelaide Hills gained ground but not quite enough to catch third-placed Novar Gardens. With championship points awarded in multiples of three, a three point margin on the ladder is the smallest margin possible (unless a mixed team comes into play). At present, three points is exactly the margin that separates each of the top five clubs! Game on.
Thanks to the Gawler club for once again doing an excellent job of hosting the event.
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