Winners of second division 2025, Umhlanga's Jean Blumeris, Delia Morris, Monique Lott, Ina Beavon, Leonie Koedyk, Maria Dreyer, Lisa Nicholas and Linda Ellis. Now Umhlanga top the first division. Photo: Supplied
July is here, and the Port Natal Bowls community is holding its breath. With just three rounds left in the PNB league season, the men’s first division has become a pressure cooker where even the slightest wobble could mean the difference between champagne and regrets.
Hillary Bowling Club, the league winners in 2021 and current log leaders, is not letting their advantage slip without a fight. After a home encounter against Westville Country Club that yielded eight of the 17 points, the Blue Train has trimmed Parkhill BC’s deficit from 12.5 to 10 points. In the cold arithmetic of bowls, that’s a substantial margin, but is it enough?
This weekend, the plot thickens. Hillary travel to Umhlali Country Club, where the coastal club, with a home advantage, could turn the tide. The blockbuster comes on July 11 when Parkhill travels to Hillary, a fixture that already has the pundits circling the date in red ink. Win there, and the train keeps rolling.
Stumble, and the door swings open for Parkhill to claw back what they have chased all season. And lurking in the shadows, like a seasoned assassin, Westville Bowling Club, last year’s champions, sit just half a point behind Parkhill in third. They have been there before. They know how to win when it matters.
