Melton is facing a season-defining month in the Bowls Victorian pennant competition.
After losing three matches in a row and dropping from second to sixth on the division 1 ladder, Melton will take on the competition’s bottom four sides over the next four weeks.
The club will need to win at least two of those matches, but more likely three, to be a serious contender for a finals berth.
After Melton’s 25-shot loss to Essendon on Saturday, bowls secretary John Adams said losing some players had made the past few rounds difficult.
“We have lost a few players for various reasons,” he said.
“With guys moving up, that has put pressure on the division 2 and division 4 sides and we’re struggling a bit at the moment.”
Melton doesn’t expect to get any of its missing players back before the end of the season.
Although under pressure, Adams said confidence in the group was still high given the club’s fate was in its own hands.
“I think we’re safe from relegation,” Adams said.
“We’re still less than a full game out of the four and our division 2 team is only four points out of the four so it is all still in our control.
“We just need to re-group. We have played good sides in the last three games Deer Park, Glenroy and Essendon.”
Meanwhile, at the top end of the ladder, Deer Park will look to inflict its own brand of revenge in the division 1 competition.
After suffering a shock loss to Moonee Ponds earlier in the season, the Parkers are keen to re-write past wrongs.
A win would extend Deer Park’s unbeaten streak to eight matches, a remarkable turnaround given the club was 2-2 after a month of bowls.
The hot run of results has instilled Deer Park as the premiership favourite heading into the business end of the season.
The Parkers are 29 points clear of their nearest rival, on top of the division 1 ladder.
