The Myrtleford midweek B1 lawn bowls team, after finishing the season in top place, stumbled in their finals campaign when they were beaten by Swanpool at the Wangaratta Bowls Club.

Playing in the Ovens and Murray qualifying final, they offered only a very lacklustre performance and went down 44-60.

Best on a bad day was Les Brown’s side managing to win 20-18.

Brown, who said he wasn’t happy with the way the team played and were lucky to get away with a win, was assisted by Sam Bonacci, Wayne Langdon and Adrian Novak.

On the other rinks, Jon Dunell’s unit lost 15-20, as did Col Smith and company 9-22.

The midweek B1 team will have a second chance in the preliminary final for a spot in the grand final.

Further afield, and on a brighter note for the Myrtleford Bowls Club, the women have excelled in other league events.

Congratulation to Peta Mattys, who took out the Ovens and Murray ladies state singles title for 2025-26.

A special mention also goes to Peta Mattys, Mary Paton, Liz Saunders and Cheryl Lewis, who won the Ovens and Murray ladies state fours.

They will go on to play off in the state championships at Bendigo in April.

Meanwhile, Liz Saunders and Mary Paton won the Ovens and Murray ladies 60 and over pairs 2025-26 title.