Sport
24 February, 2026
Highland, Talbot and Newstead in finales
Following three enthralling preliminary finals, Saturday’s grand finals have been set, with the Maryborough Highland Society, Talbot and Newstead all in contention for Goldfields Playing Area glory.
DIVISION ONE
A new champion will be crowned in division one, with Talbot defeating Maryborough Golf 57-51 to secure a date with a familiar foe in the season finale.
After their disappointing semi-final defeat, Talbot completed a spirited comeback to knock out the reigning premiers, earning the chance to consume the sweetest taste of redemption in a Grand Final rematch with the Maryborough Highland Society.
Maryborough Golf was using all of their premiership experience to build a healthy advantage in the early stages, building a commanding 29-11 lead after a combined 21 ends.
Gerry Carmody converted his lead into a 22-13 victory over Peter McLaughlan to give Golf a massive boost.
Carmody’s triumph was all for naught however, as Peter Fletcher and Chris Crossley turned the tide around for Talbot with two impressive wins.
With Fletcher overcoming Kevin Prime 20-16, Crossley’s 24-13 win against Anthony Chambers booked Talbot’s ticket to the Grand Final in dramatic fashion.
There they will meet the heavily favoured Maryborough Highland Society, a team that’s defeated Talbot on three occasions this season, including a 74-59 victory in the semi-final.
With their chances of a four-peat destroyed with a preliminary final defeat to Dunolly Blue last season, Highland has been rampaging down the road of redemption in 2025/26, ending the regular season in first with a 12-2 record and a shot difference of 305, 183 shots better than their Grand Final opponents.
A silver lining for Talbot is that they have earned a rink victory in all three meetings with Highland this season, hoping to do one better when it matters most.
DIVISION TWO
In the unpredictable world of finals bowls, Highland White’s preliminary final triumph against Maryborough Golf has guaranteed Highland will add a division two premiership to their expansive trophy cabinet.
Already securing three Grand Final participants after sweeping the double chance semi-finals the week prior, Highland White’s 46-31 win on Saturday increased that astonishing tally to four, as they will meet Highland Black this weekend for the division two crown.
Despite being the underdogs, Maryborough Golf caught Highland White off guard in the early stages, fixated on avenging last season’s Grand Final defeat with a 19-10 lead following 16 ends.
With their backs against the wall, Highland White counterpunched hard courtesy of Frank Mifsud and Dennis Prosser.
While Mifsud softened Golf up by overpowering Gary Chaplin 20-17 in an excellent match of bowls, Prosser threw the knockout blow, conquering Gary Haigh 26-14 to ensure Highland White advanced.
It sets the stage for two Highland teams to battle it out after dominating the majority of the division two regular season, outside of a Highland White mid-season slump.
The valley of that slump came when Highland Black overcame Highland White 47-30 in round 10, completing their home and away double after a commanding 55-22 win over their Highland brethren in round three.
With their only blemish on their season coming with a round seven defeat to Dunolly Green, Highland Black will be widely tipped to take the flag. However, Highland White will fancy their chances with five wins in their last six matches.
DIVISION THREE
After losing their double chance finals spot in the last round of the regular season, Newstead’s detoured finals road trip has reached Grand Final boulevard after vanquishing Carisbrook 45-29.
Carisbrook were hoping to capitalise on the double chance they snatched from Newstead at the death and meet again with the Maryborough Highland Society in the season finale.
The contest was very evenly matched at the beginning, with Carisbrook holding a narrow lead largely thanks to Phillip Burt.
Burt’s opponent, Angela Hill, dug herself out of the deficit to set the stage for a grandstand finish that Burt eventually shone on, taking a nail-biting match 18-17.
After being deadlocked with Carisbrook’s Jeff Smith following seven ends, Hill’s teammate Noel Bott knew any win over one shot against Smith would send Newstead to the Grand Final.
Bott did just that, bolting out suddenly and convincingly to hold on to a 28-11 victory and setting a date with the Maryborough Highland Society for the division three title.
Despite the minor premiers Highland holding a 17-point advantage on the ladder, Newstead won the regular season series with victories in round one and round six.
Highland did come out victorious in the last meeting between the sides in round 11, 41-33.
The division two and division three grand finals will be played at the Maryborough Highland Society this Saturday, starting at 9.30 am.
They will be immediately followed by the division one finale at 1.30 pm.
