Sport
6 March, 2023
Highland Tartan dominates to win division one flag
Division one’s grand final was promised to be a thriller as old rivals Highland Tartan and Dunolly Blue prepared to put in another chapter in a storied rivalry at Newstead, but it was Tartan who emphatically put Dunolly to the sword, recording...
Division one’s grand final was promised to be a thriller as old rivals Highland Tartan and Dunolly Blue prepared to put in another chapter in a storied rivalry at Newstead, but it was Tartan who emphatically put Dunolly to the sword, recording a 70-37 victory.
The win was their first against Dunolly Blue in the 2022/23 season after losing their two previous encounters during the home-and-away season — a 60-50 loss in round four, followed by a 66-48 loss in round 11.
However, on Saturday, it was all Tartan as they dominated from the outset, assuming complete control and virtually leading all the way.
Greg Shay recorded a dominant 31-16 victory over Alan Weir, while Michael Fryar took a 17-12 win over Tony Galofaro. Team manager Garry Coburn finished off the job, recording a 22-9 win over Peter Waters.
The 37 shots that Dunolly Blue scored was the lowest score of their season, coming at the worst possible time with premiership glory on the line.
Coburn was thrilled with Highland Tartan’s application throughout the day in securing such a dominant win.
“In our eyes, this was a pretty big win. I didn’t think we would win by as much as we did. I thought if we were going to win, we’d be happy to win by 10 shots. That’s how close it normally is. But to win like that is very satisfying,” he said.
“This feels very good. To go back-to-back is magnificent, and getting White over the line on the same day is lovely for the club.”
Coburn paid tribute to the players across all three teams at the Highland Bowls Club which continues to drive the Tartan’s quest for sustained success.
“It goes to show that we have great players across both levels, and it forces the Tartan players to play well, as there are players behind them trying to take their spot,” he said.
One of the talking points across the day was the speed of the Newstead green, which saw players have to adjust their line and length for shots.
Coburn was thrilled with how his charges adjusted to the challenge, particularly in being able to score 70 shots against their biggest rival.
“I think as a team, we bowled a lot better. The fact that we played on a quicker green does help — it either helps you or it doesn’t do you good. I think we handled the conditions better on the day,” he said.
“You have to adjust, get your line right, and get the length to suit. I think we did that pretty well.”
Coburn saved praise for Shay’s team, who dominated the player ladder throughout 2022/23, losing just one match all season long.
“Greg’s rink is a very strong rink. He has his father at the front leading, and is a very strong leader. Roy Crawley and Harvey Pearce in the middle are very good bowlers. Harvey and Greg are championship bowlers at the club, and Greg is an excellent skipper. To have them as our anchor rink makes us quite strong,” he said.
Coburn is now focused on ensuring Highland sweeps the Goldfields Playing Area titles, with the midweek Tartan team taking to the Avoca green this morning for their grand final.
“It’d be lovely if the midweek Tartans could take out that title. It will be a close game against Dunolly. And it would be a very good thing for the club if we could win all three titles,” he said.
