Sport
13 December, 2024
Final round of Saturday pennant for 2024
Both Highland Tartan and Newstead Blue have secured bragging rights in their respective divisions, and will lead the competition at the Christmas and New Year’s break ahead of the final round of 2024.
DIVISION ONE
Highland Tartan will lead at the break thanks to a dominant 66-43 victory over Dunolly Blue.
Tartan were very close to sweeping all three rinks, but a thrilling rink between Greg Shay and Tony Galofaro ended in a 19-19 draw.
Otherwise, Tartan had things go their way on the other two rinks, with Zac Stewart landing a 25-8 win over Peter Waters and Garry Coburn taking a 22-16 win over Alan Weir.
The loss for Dunolly Blue means they slip to fourth — such is the evenness of the competition this year.
Talbot Gold moved into second, but they had to survive an epic battle against Highland White, before winning 57-56.
Matt Vernon’s 26-19 win over Robert Bursill was key for Talbot Gold, given they had lost the other two rinks.
Roy Crawley took a 17-14 win over Chris Crossley and Bert Spencer took a 20-17 win over Peter Fletcher, but they fell short by just one shot.
Maryborough Golf Blue have moved into third position on the ladder, scoring a 71-35 win over Avoca Red.
Golf Blue took all three rinks on offer, with Kevin Prime taking a 22-10 win over Ian Proctor, Gerry Carmody scoring a 26-14 win over Daniel Giddings and Anthony Chambers winning 23-11 over Noel Parratt.
DIVISION TWO
A key battle between title rivals Newstead Blue and Maryborough Golf went in favour of the former, with Newstead Blue now 29 points clear on top of the ladder thanks to a 60-48 win.
Newstead Blue ended up taking all three rinks, with Bill Burnett taking a 22-20 win over Ross Andrews, David Cobden defeating Kort Gay 17-12 and Brian Daly defeating Harold Patullo 21-16.
The loss for Golf means they slip to fourth on the ladder, with Talbot and Carisbrook moving ahead.
Talbot did enough to defeat Newstead White 70-43 to move into second.
They almost took all three rinks, but Laurie Vernon’s rink against Graeme Lipback ended in a 24-all draw.
Otherwise, Talbot dominated proceedings, with Barb Crossley defeating Rod Jackson 24-9 and Robert Jackson winning 22-10 over Brian Jarvis.
Carisbrook’s match with Maldon was promised to be a thriller and it delivered on the promise, with Carisbrook taking a 57-56 win despite losing two rinks.
In an incredibly even match, Ross Gregory’s 20-17 win over Wesley Honeyman was the key difference.
Peter Sedgwick took an 18-17 win over Malcolm Milne and Annette Gillham took a 21-20 win over Ron Baker, but the Dons fell one shot short of taking more points off Carisbrook in the process.
Highland have kept their finals chances alive with a 51-47 win over Dunolly Green.
While Wayne Stephens took two points for Dunolly Green with a 17-10 win over Frank Mifsud, Highland did enough on the other two rinks, with Tony Lacey landing a 22-17 win over Jim Haigh and Tilleke Wadeson scoring a 19-13 win over Karen Waters.
It’s a similar story for Avoca, who had to fight off a fierce challenge from a Bridgewater team searching for their first win.
It was a day of topsy-turvy results on all three rinks, with Gordon Marr scoring a 31-12 win over Christopher Brooshooft and Ann Loosmore scoring a 27-11 win over Donald Wilson for Avoca, while Bridgewater took a rink with a 34-13 win for Ron Brown over Loralee Field.
Dunolly Gold had the bye, taking 16 premiership points.
ROUND 11
The final round before the break sees three crucial games in division one.
The top four meet in a spectacular finish to 2024, with fourth-placed Dunolly Blue hosting second-placed Talbot Gold.
Dunolly Blue took a 34-shot win in their last meeting in round six, but with just two points separating both teams on the ladder, there’s plenty on the line.
A similar story could be told for the meeting between top-of-the-ladder Highland Tartan and third-placed Golf Blue.
Tartan will be on top at the break, but could extend their lead with a victory, while Golf Blue could be as high as second with a victory.
Highland White will be hoping to keep their finals chances alive when they travel to Avoca Red, who are now all-but out of calculations.
Avoca Red will be hoping to close the gap to Highland White on the bottom of the ladder, with the margin 20 points between the two teams.
An all-Newstead derby will see the division two ladder-leaders, Newstead Blue, take on their stablemates in Newstead White as they look to continue their unbeaten run.
There will also be a meeting between two teams from the same stable at Dunolly, with Dunolly Gold looking to keep their finals chances alive when they play Dunolly Green.
The game of the round sees second-placed Talbot take on fifth-placed Maldon.
Just 12 points separate both teams at the moment, so this one will be a crucial game for both teams.
Carisbrook will look to take advantage as they host Avoca, and could move as high as second ahead of the break.
Highland will be hoping to keep their chances alive when they travel to Bridgewater, who will be looking for their first win of the season.
Maryborough Golf will stay in the top four with the bye.