Green seek three-peat as Middleton Beach offer triple threat in women’s Lower Great Southern Bowls League

Middleton Beach Green start their campaign for a women’s Lower Great Southern Bowling League division one three-peat with a contest against their Middleton Beach White clubmates on Saturday.

Double defending premiers Green and White are two of the three Middleton Beach sides in the top tier and are joined by Red in the six-team ladder.

The opening fixtures in the 10-round season pitch Red against Denmark Aqua and Emu Point Red at home to Mt Barker Golf.

The women’s second tier pits Emu Point Purple against Albany Gold while Albany Green will host Emu Point Blue.

Mt Barker Golf face Cranbrook in the remaining fixture.

The top men don’t start until October 31, but the entire competition almost became an open-gender affair until the proposal was knocked back at the AGM in May.

The idea was mooted primarily to help lower teams who were struggling for players, but two motions were each defeated by one vote.

The first proposed that only the top men’s and women’s divisions would stay single gender while the second called for the whole competition to be open.

Both were narrowly booted out.

League secretary Gillian Woodyard said it was likely the idea would be raised again but would probably take two seasons to implement in the event it was adopted.

Unlike the men, the women have resisted the idea of playing finals with the ladder leader at the end of the home-and-away campaign being declared champions.

Woodyard said fixture congestion made fitting in finals impossible.

Albany is also hosting two prestigious events with both inter-league round robin fours competitions coming to the city.

The men’s competition will be held at Middleton Beach while Emu Point will host the women early next year.

The men’s third division pennants got under way last week, with Denmark, Emu Point Blue and Emu Point White registering victories.

Denmark had the biggest margin with a 68-44 win over Albany White which bagged them five early points.

A win on rink one by the Albany side was overturned by a comprehensive Denmark triumph on rink two and a closer victory on rink three.