It’s VBL4 Finals time!

VBL4 Finals are just one day away and the stage is set for a brilliant weekend of bowls, showcasing the best of Victorian talent, mixed in with some stand-out interstate Marquees. So many household names amonst the line-ups and we can’t wait to see how VBL4 concludes.

The eight x qualifying franchises will travel to the Finals host venue, Moama Bowling Club, with play commencing 2.00pm Friday 29th August. Round 1 and the first leg of Round 2 will play out on Friday evening, so plan your BVTV viewing party.

Play continues all day Saturday 30th August with Rounds 2-3, followed by the Final, to crown the VBL4 Champions.

Congratulations and good luck to the eight finalist franchises!

As is often the case, it came down to the last leg of the final rounds to determine some of the finalists. The first Sectionals of VBL4 were held at The Dandenong Club, with some unexpected results to end the day. Last year’s champions, Deer Park, are out of finals contention for the first time in VBL history! It was the Traralgon 𝗟𝘆𝗿𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗿𝗱𝘀 who stormed home with the Yarraville Footscray 𝗗𝗼𝗴s to finish in the top two spots, taking out Section A and their finals berth.

In Section B, it was the Dandenong 𝗣𝘂𝗹𝘀𝗲 who came from two legs behind in the final round to sneak into top spot and into the finals. Joining them are 𝗕𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗮, who dominated their section and go through to the finals as the only undefeated team this weekend.

In Section C it was the 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗵𝗮𝗺 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝘀 who (just) hung onto top spot, earning their first finals berth since joining the competitionb back in VBL2. Right behind them and on equal leg, match and total points, were the 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗕𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘀. We’ll see the Nelson brothers return with these two franchises and potentially meet in the finals this weekend. As for the Steamers, after getting the first two legs in the final round, they needed to win the next two and they would have been home. VBL4 Qualifier franchise, MCC, had a red hot go and were also still in with a chance going into the last round, but the Bulls were too strong, winning 3 of the 4 legs.

Section D resulted in the new, home-grown 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗼 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗥𝗮𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 joining Bundoora as the only other undefeated team, winning all three matches. The Raiders were never going to let the chance of a finals campaign out of their sight, and came out fierce from the get-go. They say the Singles legs of VBL can make or break, and while this whole team performed, Brad ‘Dutchy’ Holland’s undefeated Singles campaign certainly helped their cause. Section D runners-up, about to play in their first VBL finals series, are the 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮 𝗘𝗮𝗴𝗹𝗲𝘀. After joining the competition in VBL2, the Eagles have seen mixed results but VBL4 saw them really hit their stride. The addition of Ray Jansen has added some extra depth to the incredibly talented crew of young bowlers – we look forward to them having a real presence in the finals.

The Burras came a very close third, and while they picked up bonus points in the final round, it was unfortunately a little too late. As for the Vic Storm, we love having the all-female line-up in the VBL, and though VBL4 wasn’t their best campaign, they certainly gave it their all with some close calls along the way.

Thanks to The Dandenong Club and CluBarham, hosts of the Sectional rounds, and VBL4 presenting partner, Greenline Australia.

VBL4 FINALS

Friday 29th – Saturday 30th August