Sport
21 December, 2023
Movers and shakers in final 2023 Saturday round
The final round of Saturday pennant for 2023 was played last Saturday, with some big movements across division one and two. DIVISION ONE Seven teams are still very much in the frame to make the division one finals with four rounds to play after...
The final round of Saturday pennant for 2023 was played last Saturday, with some big movements across division one and two.
DIVISION ONE
Seven teams are still very much in the frame to make the division one finals with four rounds to play after another fierce weekend of competition.
The key mover was Avoca Red, who took care of business against Highland White to win 74-42, moving up into third and remaining just 15 points behind Highland Tartan in the race for the double chance.
Avoca Red took all three rinks in their win, with Noel Parratt defeating Paul Gothard 19-12, while Daniel Giddings defeated Nathan Reeves 31-13 and Graeme Orr took a 24-17 win against Dennis Prosser.
Avoca’s move up to third was coupled with Highland Tartan’s 58-52 win over Talbot Gold, which saw Tartan maintain their hold on the double chance.
Talbot Gold took the first rink, with Paul Radstock defeating Roy Crawley 21-17, but Highland Tartan hit back thereafter, with Garry Coburn defeating Peter McLaughlan 21-20 and Michael Fryar getting the better of Peter Fletcher 20-11.
Dunolly Blue remain comfortably on top, maintaining a 20-point gap thanks to their 62-48 win over Maryborough Golf Blue.
Golf Blue made a good start on the first rink, with Gerry Carmody defeating Peter Waters 20-14, but the ladder-leaders flexed their muscle on the other two rinks, with Keith Elliott too good for Anthony Chambers, winning 25-13, and Tony Galofaro defeating Harold Patullo 23-15.
With the three teams above them losing, Newstead Blue had an opportunity to roar into the finals race and they didn’t let their opportunity slip, sweeping Dunolly Gold in a 66-41 win.
Brian Daly bested Roy Pickering in a close encounter, taking a 17-16 win, while Bill Burnett won 24-16 over Frank Mifsud. Bernie Gervasoni took a 25-9 win over Paul Chase to secure the sweep as they moved into sixth position.
With the season moving into 2024, Dunolly Blue leads on 131 points, with Highland Tartan on 111, Avoca Red on 96 and Talbot Gold on 84 in the top four.
The chasing pack sees Golf Blue on 68, Newstead Blue on 64, Highland White on 62 and Dunolly Gold last on 24 points.
DIVISION TWO
The two big movers in division two came from either side of Maryborough on Saturday.
Highland Red took a critical win against Carisbrook which allowed them to extend their lead on top of the ladder to 24 points, winning 63-52.
Albert Spencer was able to start things with a 22-15 win over Malcolm Milne, but Ron Baker hit back for Carisbrook with an 18-17 win over Tilleke Wadeson. But Lawrence Barry’s 24-19 win over Syd Pearson ensured the points would go to the ladder-leaders.
The other big movers were Maryborough Golf Gold, who swept aside Dunolly Green 85-34 to move into second place on the ladder.
John Scott took care of Wayne Stephens by winning 26-13, while Ross Andrews did likewise against Karen Waters, winning 27-12. Trevor Young finished off the job with a strong performance against Aaron Britten, winning 32-9.
Avoca Gold kept their own season alive, while simultaneously putting Talbot Brown into a dogfight for both the double chance and their spot in the finals, thanks to a 66-56 win in what was a tight affair, with the result allowing Avoca Gold to close within 14 points of the top four.
Illustrating the closeness of the game, no rink was decided by more than seven shots, with the game still on the line in the last end on all three rinks.
Nothing separated Gordon Marr and Ray Prentice, finishing on 20 shots apiece, but Loralee Field’s 24-17 win over Barb Crossley and Allyson Hearnden’s 22-19 win over Steven Murray gave Avoca Gold the result they desperately needed to stay in the finals race.
Maldon, too, are still alive, but needed to fight to get the job done against Newstead White, eventually finishing up 61-52 winners.
Peter Sedgwick defeated Graeme Lipback 22-16, while Eric Cook defeated David Cobden 20-16. Newstead White prevented Maldon from taking a clean sweep on the third rink, with Stuart Cochrane defeating Annette Gillham 20-19.
As the season now rolls into 2024, Highland Red leads the way on 124 points, with Golf Gold second on 100 points, Carisbrook third on 95 and Talbot Brown fourth, just percentage behind Carisbrook.
The chasing pack sees Avoca Gold fifth on 81 points, Maldon sixth with 66, Dunolly Green seventh on 52 and Newstead White last on 27 points.
