Sport
31 January, 2025
Tartan minor premiers as finals near
With only two rounds left to play in the weekend pennant, round 13 saw the crowning of division one minor premiers and a shuffling top four in both divisions.
DIVISION ONE
With final standings still up for grabs for the confirmed finals participants, Highland Tartan have clinched the minor premiership with a 77-42 win over Avoca Red.
Gregory Shay got Tartan onto the right foot with his 25-15 victory over Daniel Giddings, and his teammates followed suit with Zac Stewart too strong for Ian Proctor 26-17 and Garry Coburn defeating Allyson Hearnden 26-10.
In a noticeable shift in the finals picture, Talbot Gold has reclaimed second from Maryborough Golf Blue after a 70-49 victory, putting them in the driver’s seat for second chance.
While they didn’t have it all their way, Talbot Gold claimed all 16 points as Matthew Vernon got the best of Kevin Prime 22-17, Chris Crossley defeated Gerry Carmody 23-12 and Peter Fletcher was victorious over Anthony Chambers 25-20.
That result pushes Golf back into fourth, 10 points behind third-placed Dunolly Blue who took a see-saw matchup against Highland White 65-52.
Peter Waters started the fixture strongly for Dunolly Blue with a win over Phillip Clarke 26-15, but Robert Bursill answered back for Highland White, taking a 26-18 victory against Alan Weir.
In the deciding rink, Tony Galofaro continued his red-hot form for Dunolly Blue, claiming a 21-11 victory over Roy Crawley to put his team two points away from second.
DIVISION TWO
Newstead Blue is only one point away from claiming the minor premiership after showcasing their dominance against Bridgewater 102-27.
The ladder leaders started strongly with Bill Burnett defeating George Mabon 35-10 and proceeded to never let their foot off the gas as David Cobden was victorious over Ian Clutton 41-5 and Brian Daly got the better of Ron Brown 26-12.
Carisbrook are mathematically the only team able to nip Newstead Blue for the minor premiership and while it would take a miracle for that to happen, their 79-39 victory over Dunolly Green puts them ever closer to securing double chance.
Carisbrook got off to a perfect start with Malcolm Milne defeating Wayne Stephens 27-14 and Ron Baker victorious against Justin Ritchie 25-11.
Phillip Burt finished the clean sweep for Carisbrook, claiming a 27-14 victory over Sandra Chaplin.
Maryborough Golf kept themselves in touching distance of second and gave themselves an 18-point buffer to qualify for finals with their 89-34 win against Newstead White.
Kort Gay and Ross Andrews showed their class on their home green, with the former besting Noel Bott 30-10 and the latter dominant against Rod Jackson 41-9.
Harold Patullo had a tougher time up against Newstead White’s Stuart Cochrane but managed to hold his nerve to take an 18-15 victory for Maryborough Golf.
In a vital matchup for both sides, Dunolly Gold has kept their finals chances alive, taking a thrilling contest against Maldon 62-50.
Dunolly Gold was on the ropes after Maldon’s Annette Gillham edged out Paul Chase 18-16 and Jim Brookshaw held off Ian McKenzie 17-14.
The hosts desperately needed to win the last link by a margin larger than six and Fabio Delconte delivered in spades, defeating Wesley Honeyman 32-15.
The four points Maldon collected in the fixture was enough to put them two points behind Talbot who had the bye.
Highland finished off round 13 by taking a 72-45 win over Avoca on their home turf.
The contest was much closer than the scoreline showcased as Highland’s Frank Mifsud needed all his skill to defeat Geoff Loosmore 20-14 and Albert Spencer managed to defeat Ann Loosmore 23-19.
Tilleke Wadeson would put the finishing touches on Highland’s victory, besting Gordon Marr 29-12.
ROUND 14
This weekend’s fixture could be instrumental in what the finals will look like in both divisions.
In a potential finals preview, Dunolly Blue will venture down to face Maryborough Golf Blue.
No matter the result, both teams will be looking for Talbot Gold to slip up against Avoca Red to improve their chances of taking second.
The two sister teams of division one will square off to cap off the round’s play as Highland White will face Highland Tartan.
Division two’s game of the round pits fourth-placed Talbot against second-placed Carisbrook.
With 23 points separating the two sides, Talbot needs a victory to give themselves a chance of double chance and keep them in the finals places while Carisbrook can officially qualify for finals with a win.
A Carisbrook loss would give Maryborough Golf the chance to leapfrog into second with one round left to play as they will make the short trip to take on Highland.
A Talbot loss however would benefit Maldon as they hope to get into the top four and bounce back from their loss against Dunolly Gold versus their sister team Dunolly Green.
Newstead Blue will look to wrap up the minor premiership when they take on Dunolly Gold in a crucial game for their finals chances.
Bridgewater will have their best chance of claiming their first victory of the season when they travel to Newstead to face Newstead White.
Avoca has been given the bye for Round 14.