Sport
24 January, 2025
Tartan fever bests Talbot in weekend pennant
The return of Saturday Pennant came firing on all cylinders as tight matches were contested in both divisions at the Maryborough Highland Society for Charity Round.
DIVISION ONE
Top of the table Highland Tartan have rectified their round seven loss, defeating Talbot Gold 67-61 who were sitting in second going into round 12.
The first two rinks were highly competitive and split between the two sides.
Tartan’s Garry Coburn edged out Chris Crossley 24-23 and Talbot’s Matthew Vernon got the best of Zac Stewart 22-19.
With the game down to the last rink, Gregory Shay pulled the result out for Tartan, winning over Peter Fletcher 24-16.
With Talbot Gold falling just short against the triple premiers, Maryborough Golf Blue has shot up to second by four points after defeating Highland White 66-48.
Anthony Chambers got the ball rolling for Golf Blue, taking a low-scoring contest over Phillip Clarke 19-13 and Gerry Carmody continued that momentum with a 28-16 win over Robert Bursill.
Roy Crawley would claim a point for Highland White, drawing 19-19 against Kevin Prime.
Reigning minor premiers Dunolly Blue managed to escape the Highland with a win over Avoca Red 61-49.
Avoca Red were in control of the match, taking the first two rinks with Daniel Giddings winning over Terry Long 21-9 and Allyson Hearnden taking a nail-biter against Alan Weir 21-20.
In their hour of need, Tony Galofaro was the hero for Dunolly Blue, with his 32-7 victory over Ian Proctor enough to reverse the margin and claim an outright win for his team.
Those results leave Dunolly Blue and Talbot Gold on 108 points, with the former leading by score differential.
DIVISION TWO
In the match of the round for division two, Maldon solidified their position in fourth after a thrilling 61-56 win over Highland.
The first two rinks were enough for Maldon to grab the outright victory, with Wesley Honeyman besting Frank Mifsud 24-12 and Jim Brookshaw holding off Tilleke Wadeson 21-15.
Albert Spencer tried his best to reverse the result for Highland, but his 29-16 win over Annette Gillham wasn’t quite enough.
Despite losing two rinks, Maryborough Golf has managed to hold onto third, beating Talbot 67-50.
It was Harold Patullo who did the damage for Golf, managing a commanding victory over Robert Jackson 36-5.
Laurie Vernon and Barry Laws ensured Talbot kept in touching distance of finals in fifth, with Vernon taking a close rink over Francis Graham Smith 20-18 while Laws managed a more convincing victory against Kort Gay 25-13.
Newstead Blue continued their perfect season, winning all three rinks against Avoca 68-31.
David Cobden’s 24-4 triumph against Gordon Marr set the tone for the league leaders, and his teammates followed suit with Brian Daly taking his rink over Ann Loosmore 21-13 and Bill Burnett too good for Loralee Field, winning 23-14.
Dunolly Gold kept themselves in contention for finals by keeping Newstead White at bay for a 69-53 victory.
Fabio Delconte started the match strongly for Dunolly Gold, managing to get the best of Peter Tangey 23-20, but Mark Leckey answered right back for Newstead White in a suspenseful 20-18 contest against Paul Chase.
Ian McKenzie would put the
last rink into the ledger of Dunolly Gold, winning 28-13 over Rod Jackson.
Their sister team also had a successful weekend, with Dunolly Green claiming their second victory of the season against Bridgewater.
Bridgewater ensured their opponents had to work hard for all 16 points, but Dunolly Green managed just that with Sandra Chaplin starting proceedings with a 20-13 victory over Ron Brown.
Charles Spiteri followed suit, holding his nerve to claim a 20-19 win over George Mabon while Walter Mackley got the better of Ian Clutton 22-14.
ROUND 13
Talbot Bowls Club will host a vital match for finals seeding as fourth-placed Talbot Gold takes on Maryborough Golf Blue.
Having just missed out on finals last season, Golf Blue will look to solidify their new position on the ladder by doing one better than the last time these teams met, which ended in a draw.
Dunolly Blue will be determined not to be left behind in the fight for second when they visit Highland Society to face Highland White.
These two teams last squared off in round nine, with Dunolly Blue just holding on in that encounter 58-56.
Highland Tartan will play host to Avoca Red to cap off round 13, with Tartan looking to add to their five-game winning streak.
In division two, Dunolly Gold will look to increase their chances of finals when they welcome Maldon to their home green.
With the hosts 17 points behind fourth-placed Maldon, and fifth-placed Talbot claiming a valuable 16 points on the bye, a win looks imperative for Dunolly Gold.
In a replica of a division one matchup, Highland will be hoping to repeat their victory in round one when they play Avoca at home.
The two teams at the top and bottom of the ladder will face off in round 13 as Bridgewater has a mighty task of getting their first win against Newstead Blue.
Their sister team Newstead White will travel to Maryborough Golf as the hosts aim to keep themselves at arm’s length from the fight for the last finals spot with a victory.
Carisbrook will look to pry off the chasing pack and retain their spot in second as they take on Dunolly Green to finish off the round.