Pure Magic! Merrylands Triumph in TAB Platinum Pennant

The Merrylands Magic are TAB Platinum Pennant Champions after delivering a scintillating display of bowls across the Finals Series held at Cabra Bowls. The Magic have been the team to beat all season, going 10-straight rounds unbeaten and losing only two matches all season on their way to the title.

The final ‘Magic Round’ of the regular season saw all 12 clubs converge at Cabra Bowls, with teams fighting it out for finals positions or to avoid relegation. Top of the table Merrylands had already secured the Minor Premiership, but faced defending champions Cabramatta in the final round knowing that a win would knock the powerhouse club out of finals contention. Led by an inspired performance from Aaron Wilson and his rink, the Bullants won 57-52 and secured their place in the Top 5.

Interestingly, wins to Engadine over Mt Lewis and Raymond Terrace over Taren Point meant that the match up between 2nd place Warilla and 3rd place East Maitland would very likely see the loser of the match drop out of finals contention – due to the incredible logjam of teams at the top of the table! A powerful Gorilla side proved too strong for the Griffins, winning 67-48, and despite winning 7 of 11 matches this season East Maitland missed out on the finals by a mere 1.5 points. At the other end of the table, Mt Lewis and Taren Point were unable to lift themselves out of the relegation zone, finishing 11th and 12th respectively.

The finals stage was then set for Merrylands, Warilla, Raymond Terrace, Cabramatta and Engadine to go head-to-head for the coveted TAB Platinum Pennant title. Courtesy of their first place finish, Merrylands enjoyed a direct path to the Major Semi-Final, leaving Warilla to play Raymond Terrace in the Qualifying Final and Cabramatta to play Engadine in the Elimination Final. Buoyed by their Round 11 win over the Magic, the Bullants continued their form, overcoming the Cougars 66-40 and marching on to the minor semi-final. Warilla’s Qualifying Final against Raymond Terrace was one of the matches of the Finals Series, going down to the wire with the Gorillas clinching a 55-52 win, Gary Kelly’s 25-11 rink win was enough to carry the masterboard.

Friday evening saw the Major and Minor Semi Finals play out, Merrylands v Warilla for a spot in the Grand Final and Cabramatta v Raymond Terrace playing for survival. The Gorillas once again put on a show, beating Merrylands 66-51 and booking their ticket to the Grand Final. For Merrylands, after going 10 rounds unbeaten they were in unfamiliar territory having lost two in a row and suddenly were facing a finals exit. Their opponent would be the winner between Raymond Terrace and Cabramatta – and early on it was the Jets looking the favourites to win as they jumped to an 18-4 lead on the masterboard. From there, the Bullants kicked up another gear and showed why they were a force to be reckoned with, storming to a 65-48 win, securing three rink wins in the process.

A tantalizing Preliminary Final awaited fans on Saturday afternoon – Minor Premiers v Defending Champions, Merrylands v Cabramatta. Those looking into form and momentum would likely have tipped Cabra to win the match, they had already beaten Merrylands and were coming off three do-or-die victories in a row in front of their home crowd. Merrylands on the other hand were coming off two-straight losses after having been unbeaten all season. Whatever was said between the playing group at Merrylands between rounds, it worked wonders as they put Cabra to the sword from the outset and never let off, surging to a 67-52 win and ending Cabra’s incredible run for back-to-back titles.

And so it came down to two, the form teams of the competition, 1st v 2nd on the ladder. Warilla got the better of Merrylands in the Major Semi Final only a day earlier, but the Magic know how to bounce back from losses and were confident of doing so again in the biggest match of all. Wedlock v Ferguson. Teys v Lewis. Kelly v Sherriff. Superstars everywhere you looked. From the outset, the Magic were a team on a mission, putting constant pressure on their Illawarra rivals. Led by an incredible performance from the rink of Tony Wood, Jack McShane, Nathan Rice and David Ferguson who accumulated a 19-0 lead at the halfway stage of the match, Merrylands had put themselves in the box seat to win the Grand Final.

A second half flurry from the Gorillas got them to within 11 shots with 11 ends to play, but they couldn’t keep pace with the Magic who went on to win 65-50, reversing the 15-shot deficit that was inflicted on them in the Major Semi Final. As the final bowls were delivered, the Merrylands team embraced each other on the green as the reality sank in – they were the TAB Platinum Pennant Champions!

Congratulations to Merrylands on the win and an emphatic season, and to all teams who competed in the TAB Platinum Pennant. We’ll be bringing the action again for Season III in 2026, get ready for more of the best bowls action in the world!