Battle of the Rivers Pine Day 5
Finals Day of the BPL, last day of the battle for the BPL crown.
The Crusaders awoke nervously knowing that two wins and we would play finals, any other result would mean a nerve-racking time waiting for results to go our way.
To throw another spanner in the works, Sir Ben was not his usual self so squire Joseph was in readiness to become a knight and make his BPL debut.
Sir Ben brightened up and he was able to take his place on the field of battle and our quest for finals began on day 5.
Game Twenty-One the mighty Saints took on the Tweed Ospreys who were equal top of the ladder.
Both sides traded ends and a loss on the last end in a double power play saw the Saints lose the first set 2-8.
We needed a mighty effort in the second and once again a tight set ensued and we ended in another final end double power play, this time we prevailed with a slice of luck, 8-3.
On to the tiebreaker we went. A quality end with the shot traded on a number of occasions and it wasn’t until a miss with the final bowl and we were able to prevail.
One more win and we were in.
Game Twenty-Two the final battle before the finals and we were up against the Tassie Tridents. This was a nervous affair with many of the crusaders keeping tabs on other results to see where we were situated.
Tassie played a great first set and we lost, 5-7.
On to set two and more nerves and sweat and that was just from the support crew. The Saints played a mighty set to win, 13-4 and send the match to another tie break.
The Saints held on to win the end and with results in the qualifying rounds we finish in 3rd place, a magnificent effort for our first go.
This allowed the players a rest and they would be up second game on finals night.
Elimination Final 2 V Pioneers
The Pioneers had prevailed over the Melbourne Extreme and they were running white hot in the first set and dominated, 3-11.
We were once again in a very familiar place needing to win the second set to force a tiebreaker, once again the mighty Saints lifted and got the job done, 6-1.
On to the breaker and more quality bowls saw the Saints prevail and book their shot against the loser of 1 v 2.
Preliminary final V Ospreys
The Saints were pitted against the Tweed Ospreys for a spot in the grand final.
A quality first set was played again and the Saints held a narrow lead going in to the final end but a quality shot by Aaron Teys saw the Ospreys grab a two to win the set, 3-4.
The Saints dominated the second set for the majority and one unfortunate slip up and a magic shot from Corey Wedlock saw the Saints lose the set, 9-10.
Our quest for the BPL crown was over but the Crusaders could not be happier with the efforts from Sir Ben, Sir Jamie, Lady Dawn and King Jerry.
To finished third in our first effort exceeded expectations and the only way is up.
To top off our effort Lady Dawn was announce in the BPL All Star team, an amazing and well deserved accolade for an awesome player and ambassador for the Saints.
Onwards and upwards now, we look forward to BPL 21 in Moama and we can continue our Crusade.
A huge thank you to our very own Saint Peter Foster for inking his daily journal. An astute summary each day. Thank you Saint Peter!