Sport
5 December, 2025
Race for vital midweek finals places heats up
While Highland Tartan, Dunolly Blue and Maryborough Golf have further secured their top four places with convincing wins, the race for the last finals spot has heated up, with three teams separated by just one point.
Entering round eight in the coveted fourth place, Talbot faced the almighty challenge of attempting to upset Highland Tartan.
Talbot tried everything, but Tartan might prove too strong as the reigning premiers cruised to a 101-36 victory.
Garry Coburn and Harvey Pearce maintained their undefeated individual records this season, with Coburn dominating Barbara Crossley 41-12 and Pearce vanquishing Ray Prentice 33-8.
Greg Shay completed the sweep in a competitive affair against Chris Crossley, winning 27-16.
With Talbot’s trip to Tartan country unsuccessful, the door to the top four opened for Carisbrook, who entered Tuesday’s matchup against Maryborough Golf one point behind Talbot in the standings.
For Maryborough Golf, things were relatively straightforward, with Graeme Orr overpowering Patricia Stancombe 36-11 and Francis Smith maintaining his sparkling form with a 24-12 triumph against Roy Pickering to lead Golf to a 72-43 victory.
However, Cameron Taylor’s 20-12 victory over Kort Gay was enough for Carisbrook to vault itself into fourth.
Avoca has ensured Carisbrook can’t become too secure in their newfound position, holding on against Dunolly Gold 60-49 to move within one point of fourth.
Despite Wayne Stephens taking a rink for Dunolly Gold by defeating Ann Loosmore 19-14, Loralee Field took a vital 23-17 victory over Karen Waters before Ian Proctor won the deciding rink for Avoca, overcoming Fabio Delconte 23-13.
While Dunolly Gold fell just short of victory, their sister team, Dunolly Blue, was more successful versus Highland Gold, scoring an 84-33 win.
Chris Williams got things rolling by conquering Tilleke Wadeson 30-9, and his teammates followed suit as Alan Weir trounced Lowen Clarke 27-10 and Tony Galofaro overcame Dennis Prosser 27-14.
Round nine looks to be an intriguing litmus test for the rest of the season, as a member of the three clear premiership contenders will face one of the three teams looking to join them in the finals.
After moving into fourth, Carisbrook is set to follow in Talbot’s recent footsteps as they take on top-of-the-table Highland Tartan.
In a remarkable coincidence, Talbot will face the same opponent Carisbrook played on Tuesday, hoping for a better result than their defeat to Tartan against a fellow Maryborough-based team in Maryborough Golf.
Avoca will need to be at its peak if it wants to move into a finals spot when it travels to play Dunolly Blue.
With the three teams above them facing tough challenges next week, Highland Gold can make it a four-horse race for the last finals slot with a victory against Dunolly Gold.