Sport
13 December, 2024
Midweek ladder closes up at the top in 2024 finale
A thrilling round of midweek pennant has seen the ladder close up again between the top four teams.
Central to the happenings of this week was the game between Highland Tartan and Dunolly Blue, which was decided in a thriller, with Tartan winning 60-58, despite losing two rinks.
Leanne Wallis’ 25-18 win over Tony Galofaro ended up being key for Tartan, who had to withstand Alan Weir’s 20-17 win over Greg Shay and Chris Williams’ 20-18 win over Garry Coburn.
That result means that Tartan now leads the midweek ladder by 15 points ahead of the final round before Christmas.
The closest game of the round — and one which couldn’t be split, was Avoca and Carisbrook’s 54-all draw.
Bizarrely, none of the rinks were decided within seven shots.
Daniel Giddings’ 24-17 win over Phillip Burt and Ian Proctor’s 24-9 win over Judy Cassidy gave Avoca a good platform, but Laurence Cassidy’s 28-6 win over Ann Loosmore meant the points would be shared, although Avoca winning two rinks meant they took nine points and Carisbrook seven.
Talbot have closed to within nine points of Dunolly Blue thanks to a comfortable 67-40 win over Highland Gold.
Barb Crossley’s 24-10 win over Lowen Clarke and Ray Prentice’s 29-11 win over Roy Crawley ensured Talbot would have more than enough in the bank to withstand Paul Gothard’s 19-14 win over Chris Crossley for Highland Gold.
Similarly, Maryborough Golf have also closed in the race for a top two spot, taking a 70-55 win over Dunolly Gold to move into fourth.
Dunolly Gold were able to take two points with Jim Haigh’s 28-17 win over Graeme Orr, but it was all Golf otherwise, with Liz Bucknall taking a 20-15 win over Wayne Stephens and Kort Gay scoring a 33-12 win over Fabio Delconte.
Some crucial games headline the final round before Christmas and New Year, none bigger than fourth-placed Maryborough Golf making the short trip to play against fifth-placed Highland Gold, with the winner looking likely to be in fourth place at the end of the year.
Avoca, currently lying in sixth place, are still in the frame for finals, but will have a tough task to defeat Highland Tartan, who only need to take one rink to maintain top spot going into 2025.
It’s a similar story for seventh-placed Carisbrook, who need results to go their way to get back into the race for a top four spot, but will be required to defeat Dunolly Blue on their home deck.
Talbot will look to keep the pressure on the top two teams to finish the year off as they travel to winless Dunolly Gold.