Along with Brad Belcher, Bill Hatzie and Wayne Cowley the Tongala team completed a thrilling one-shot win against Echuca after two grand final day rinks were tied and the other ended in a one-shot Tongala win.
The victory was Tongala’s third win against Echuca in six weeks.
It was Tongala’s first Division 1 premiership since 2013-14 and first grand final appearance since 2016-17, but there was no lack of grand final experience in the line-up.
In fact, skipper Greg Lyon and lead Geoff Tinning both pocketed their fifth premiership medallions as a result of the Tongala victory.
The pair’s first win came in the 1983-84 season and almost four decades later they were on the dais again.
Geoff Tinning was one of five players bearing the famous surname in the Tongala outfit, with son Barry and grandsons Jarryd and Bradley all playing on the same rink.
The fifth member of the family, Peter Tinning, was leading for Jack Hammond’s rink.
Then there was the father-and-son combination of Sam and Greg Lyon, along with Steve and Jack Hammond.
Jack’s story will be re-told for generations as he went from a non-starter in season 2021-22 to the only skip who managed to win his rink on grand final day.
Jack beat highly credential Echuca skip Dennis Compton by one shot, with his father, Steve, as third — the man chiefly responsible for him playing lawn bowls this season.
“I picked him in round one despite the fact he told me he wasn’t playing. I told him to help us out this week and then he could make up his mind after that,” Steve said.
Echuca was certainly no pushover, as the 54-53 scoreline indicates, the 63 ends of the afternoon resulting in 38 single-shot results.
The three rinks ended in a one-shot win for Jack Hammond against Compton, a 20-all draw between Lyon and James Ferrier and a second tie, 17 all, between Bradley Tinning and Ian Page.
