Emu Point chasing fifth division one title in six years in grand final contest against battlers Albany Gold

The Lower Great Southern Bowling League first division men’s pennants come to a head on Saturday with a grand final between Emu Point Red and Albany Gold. Ladder leaders Red, with 11 wins and three losses from their 14 matches this campaign, will start as strong favourites against Albany, who had to battle their way to the showpiece contest after finishing fourth in the regular season. Red defeated the ladder runners-up Middleton Beach Gold in the qualifying final to take the shortest route to the grand final. Albany saw off Mt Barker Golf Red in their elimination final and then went on the beat Middleton Beach Gold to reach their first grand final for almost 10 years. With the top four teams playing finals, Middleton Beach Green, Denmark, Middleton Beach Black and Albany Green were the sides to miss out. The player ladder is dominated by an Emu Point Red quartet. Michael Patterson, Andrew McFarlane, Stephen Tuffley and skip Kevin MacGregor have played together for most of the season and will be hard to beat. MacGregor said the league was one of the strongest competitions outside the metropolitan area and his side was not taking anything for granted – even through it’s practically a decade since Albany were top dogs. “The league is very competitive — you can’t be sure of anything because everyone is able to make home advantage count,” he said. He will be hoping Emu Point can make the most of their home rinks on Saturday as it will be their sixth grand final in a row. They lost the big showdown last year to Middleton Beach 60-52 but had triumphed four times in a row before that so if they can secure victory this time round it will be their fifth victory in six years. Albany stalwart Richard Plant said he couldn’t remember the last time Albany played a grand final, never mind won one – the record books suggesting it was 2017-18. The sides met twice in the regular season with each winning their home match. Albany won 72-42 in their most recent round 10 clash on February 7, while Emu Point nailed the first contest 65-41 in round three back in November. Albany have already secured one grand final win as Albany Brown clinched the division two title on April 2, beating Emu Point Purple in a thrilling finish which required a double-end tiebreak to separate the sides. The grand final takes place at 1pm at Emu Point Sporting Club.