Sport
23 January, 2026
Highland Gold jumps back into finals spots
The battle for the last spot in the midweek finals received a golden twist to the tale, as Highland Gold vaulted past Carisbrook to finish Charity Round inside the top four.
After losing their newly minted fourth place to Carisbrook on the eve of the holiday break, Highland Gold looked determined to snatch it back, returning with a dominant performance against fellow contender Talbot 90-41.
Tilleke Wadeson started an exceptional team performance with a 30-9 victory over Ray Prentice, which was followed by Dennis Prosser overpowering Chris Crossley 27-16 and Lowen Clarke vanquish-ing Barbara Crossley 33-16.
With all games occurring at the Maryborough Highland Society on Tuesday, it didn’t take much for scores to filter through, with Highland Gold needing Dunolly Blue to defeat Carisbrook.
Fortunately for Highland Gold, Dunolly Blue answered their prayers emphatically by trouncing Carisbrook 99-34.
The established triad of Chris Williams, Alan Weir and Tony Galofaro were faultless in leading Dunolly Blue to their ninth win of the season, with Chris Williams setting the tone by defeating Cameron Taylor 29-10.
Weir was even more impressive in his 37-12 triumph against Ross Gregory, while Galofaro completed the sweep with a 33-12 win over Laurence Cassidy.
Carisbrook’s defeat places them five points behind Highland Gold in fourth with three rounds remaining.
Another tight finals chase involves last season’s runner-up Maryborough Golf, who remain just four points behind second-placed Dunolly Blue with a 66-39 victory over a valorous Avoca.
Graeme Orr gave Maryborough Golf a hefty advantage early, overpowering Ann Loosmore 25-8.
The remaining two rinks were hotly contested, but Golf’s Francis Smith and Kort Gay secured the full 16 points with Smith prevailing against Loralee Field 17-13 and Gay holding off Ian Proctor 24-18.
It was a centurion return for Highland Tartan on Tuesday, showing no signs of slowing down with a 100-25 win over Dunolly Gold.
Harvey Pearce set the tone for Highland Tartan with a 35-5 domination of Debbie Wintle, and Greg Shay followed suit in a high-scoring affair against Fabio Delconte, 40-11.
Wayne Stephens put up a noticeable fight for Dunolly Gold, but he couldn’t stop Garry Coburn from completing the sweep with a 25-9 victory.
As the finals race readies to turn the final bend, all eyes will be fixated on two matchups with extreme importance to finals seeding.
Expected to be one of the most vital contests of the season, Highland Gold can deliver a decisive blow in the battle for fourth when they travel to play Carisbrook.
Highland Gold could extend its advantage to a virtually insurmountable 21 points with a win. Meanwhile, a Carisbrook victory would see them take back a place in the top four.
A narrow win for Carisbrook would be an ideal scenario for Talbot and Avoca, as both teams need a win at the other’s expense to keep their fading finals chances alive.
In a 2024/25 grand final rematch, Maryborough Golf will receive a massive confidence boost ahead of the finals series if they can defeat Highland Tartan, who are currently the hot favourites to repeat as premiers.
An intraclub match will round out round 12 action as Dunolly Gold takes on Dunolly Blue.