Sport
15 February, 2024
Pennant finals kick off with headline matches
The finals series of both division one and two are upon us tomorrow, with some big matches preparing to sort out who is in line to take the premiership. DIVISION ONE Minor premiers Dunolly Blue warmed up for their grand final qualifier for next week...
The finals series of both division one and two are upon us tomorrow, with some big matches preparing to sort out who is in line to take the premiership.
DIVISION ONE
Minor premiers Dunolly Blue warmed up for their grand final qualifier for next week with a comfortable 78-38 win over stable-mates Dunolly Gold.
Despite the result, Dunolly Blue didn’t quite have it all their own way, with Dunolly Gold taking two points away from them. Irrespective of that, the result was immaterial for both teams, who were already locked in to both ends of the ladder.
Peter Waters took a 24-12 win over Roy Pickering, while Tony Galofaro was too good for Sandra Chaplin, winning 37-6. Jim Haigh did give Dunolly Gold points with a 20-17 win over Barry Mortlock.
Highland Tartan secured the double chance after taking a 84-51 win over Newstead Blue, and will go into their semi-final hopeful to take the advantage going into the grand final at the exact right time of the year.
They did their chances no harm on Saturday, with Greg Shay defeating Adam Sewell 38-9, and Garry Coburn defeating David Cobden 26-18. The only hiccup for Tartan was Bill Burnett’s 24-20 win over Michael Fryar.
Talbot secured third on the ladder with a comfortable 76-51 win over Highland White.
Paul Radstock took a 36-11 win over Paul Gothard, but White had an impressive win on the second rink with Dennis Prosser’s 26-13 win over Peter McLaughlan. But Robert Jackson’s 27-14 over Nathan Reeves gave Talbot a good break.
It was a case of what might have been for Maryborough Golf, as they swept fourth-placed Avoca Red to eventually finish just eight points off a finals berth.
Nevertheless, Golf will be handily impressed by their finish to the season as they look to go one better in 2025.
Gerry Carmody defeated Noel Parratt 24-21, while Kort Gay defeated Daniel Giddings 22-13. Anthony Chambers finished off the job with a 27-14 win over Ian Proctor.
DIVISION TWO
An exciting finish to the division two season saw the final spot in the top four come down to the final day.
In the end, it was Maryborough Golf Gold who hung on by four points, taking the 14 points they needed to secure a finals berth.
Highland Red will go in to the finals as warm favourites to go straight back into division one, thanks to a 92-37 win over Newstead White.
Highland Red swept all three rinks on offer, with Lawrence Barry defeating Peter Tangey 27-14, Tony Lacey defeating Stuart Cochrane 26-21 and Albert Spencer dominating his game against Travis Wilkinson, winning 39-2.
An exciting early preview of what the finals are expected to be like saw Talbot Brown win a thriller against Carisbrook, taking a 65-62 win.
Ron Baker gave Carisbrook two points thanks to a 23-18 win over Steven Murray, but Talbot Brown held firm on the other two rinks, with Ray Prentice defeating Malcolm Milne 26-21 and Barb Crossley defeating Ross Gregory 21-18.
Maryborough Golf Gold needed to pull out all the stops to secure their victory against Maldon, before eventually scoring a 56-50 win which meant their finals berth was essentially decided on the final rink of the home-and-away campaign.
Trevor Young gave Golf two points thanks to a 18-17 win over Eric Cook, but Maldon took two points of their own thanks to Geoff Cobden’s 18-16 win over John Scott. But Stephen McMasters’ 22-15 win over Annette Gillham was enough to see Golf Gold through.
That means that Avoca Gold’s 63-53 win over Dunolly Green was rendered meaningless for their finals hopes, given Golf Gold’s significant percentage break and eventually, a four-point break on the ladder.
Still, Avoca Gold pulled out all the stops to beat a determined Dunolly Green, who took two of the rinks, with Ian McKenzie defeating Allyson Hearnden 21-15 and Wayne Stephens defeating Loralee Field 26-19. But it was Gordon Marr’s 29-6 win over Wayne McLeish which meant Avoca Gold was able to take the overall victory on the day.
SEMI-FINALS
It’s expected to be a very close finals series, given the results which has been seen throughout the division one and two season, meaning that anything can happen this week.
Dunolly Blue and Highland Tartan will converge on Avoca as they seek the first spot in the division one grand final.
With two hard-fought victories this season, coming in round four with a 55-50 triumph, and round 11 thanks to a 61-53 win, Dunolly Blue deserve to go in as slight favourites, but as this very close rivalry takes another turn, the result could yet be decided on the final shot of the match.
That could also be the case at the Highland Society, where Avoca Red meets Talbot Gold.
The season series is split at one apiece, with Avoca Red taking a 60-55 win in round five, before Talbot Gold reversed the result in round 12, taking a comfortable 73-46 victory. On neutral ground, it will be interesting to see who gets the upper hand.
Highland Red and Talbot Brown will join the top two in division one as both teams seek out a grand final spot in division two.
There has just been one meeting between the two teams this year, coming all the way back in round two, a result which saw Highland Red hold out Talbot Brown with a 50-47 win.
At the Highland Society, Carisbrook and Maryborough Golf Gold will meet with their season on the line.
Much like the other semi, both teams met only once in round two, and it was Carisbrook who came away with a 63-56 win.