Sport
26 January, 2023
Top three battle heats up in Saturday pennant
Just three rounds remain in the Saturday pennant for 2022/23 and it’s safe to say the race for top spot in division one has well and truly heated up. Just five points now separate Highland Tartan, Dunolly Blue and Talbot Gold at the top, while...
Just three rounds remain in the Saturday pennant for 2022/23 and it’s safe to say the race for top spot in division one has well and truly heated up.
Just five points now separate Highland Tartan, Dunolly Blue and Talbot Gold at the top, while fourth place now looks to be a battle in two, with Maryborough Golf Blue and Dunolly Gold fighting it out for the right for the final spot in the top four.
In the battle between the two top teams, Dunolly Blue made a significant statement by beating Highland Tartan for the second time this season, taking out a 66-48 victory.
A 25-16 win by Chris Williams and Michael Fryar helped set Dunolly Blue up with a good start, and that was only extended when Tony Galofaro defeated Gary Coburn 24-12. However, Greg Shay’s 20-17 victory over Gregory Dobbin was important, helping keep Highland Tartan on top — but only by the barest of margins.
Talbot Gold were another team to take advantage, effectively snuffing out any chance Avoca Red had of playing finals thanks to a 79-50 victory.
Paul Radstock had a strong victory over Graeme Orr, 38-14, to seal the tie, while Peter Fletcher extended Talbot Gold’s lead thanks to a 20-13 win over Ian Proctor.
A golden opportunity to move to within three points of Highland Tartan was lost, however, with Peter McLoughlin losing 21-23 to Noel Parratt.
Maryborough Golf Blue were tasked with ensuring they beat Highland Red and passed with flying colours, winning 78-42 and taking all 16 competition points.
Harold Patullo defeated Albert Spencer 24-17, while Kort Gay defeated Robert Bursill 23-11. Kevin Prime put the finishing touches on proceedings with a 31-14 win over Paul Gothard. The result meant that Highland Red still sit 15 points behind Newstead Blue at the foot of the table.
Dunolly Gold escaped with a 63-59 victory over Newstead Blue to keep their finals chances alive, despite losing some slight ground to Golf Blue.
A 25-17 victory by Aaron Britten over Rod Jackson gave Dunolly Gold a good start, but David Cobden hit back for Newstead Blue with a 27-16 win over Peter Freemantle. But a 22-15 win from Barry Mortlock over Brian Daly ensured Dunolly Gold stayed in the finals race.
While the top three teams in division two won convincingly as they start preparing for finals, Dunolly Green’s upset victory over Maldon means that four teams are still in the race for the final spot in the top four.
Indeed, Dunolly Green’s 65-53 victory over Maldon meant that they reduced the gap to fourth-placed Golf Gold to 22 points, while delivering a bitter blow to Maldon, who would have taken fourth place with a sweep.
Instead, Jill Morse delivered the first blow when she won 22-15 over Annette Gillham, before Sandra Chaplin landed a further blow when she won 27-14 over Sean Ryan. Maldon at least took home two competition points with Jim Brookshaw defeated Wayne Stephens 24-16.
Avoca Gold were looking for a repeat of their early-season victory over Carisbrook, but it was not to be this time, with the ladder leaders winning 67-50.
Geoff Loosmore took the first rink 22-19 over Phillip Burt, but it was all Carisbrook on rinks two and three, with Eric Symons defeating Christine Bearpark 21-13, and Ron Baker defeating Ann Loosmore 27-15.
Highland White closed the gap at the top by two points with a 67-49 victory over Golf Gold, where they took all 16 competition points.
While Golf Gold gave as good an effort as they could get against the high-flying Highland White, they were unable to pinch competition points which could yet prove vital in their battle for fourth.
Tony Lacey defeated John Scott 23-18, Leanne Wallis took care of Gary Chaplin with a 22-15 win and Alan Muggridge took down Philip Mortlock 22-16.
Talbot Brown had the most dominant win of the weekend, defeating Newstead White 109-35.
A 42-5 victory by Ian Pryor over Peter Tangey set the standard for Talbot Brown, but Newstead White were able to prove competitive on rink two, with Graeme Lipback only just losing to Ray Prentice, 22-26. Barb Crossley finished things off for Talbot Brown, taking a 41-8 victory over Robert Sewell.
The outlook of division one could be made clearer this weekend, particularly with the fight for top spot and the double chance.
Highland Tartan will look to maintain top spot on the ladder as they play Newstead Blue, while Dunolly Blue will look to take advantage of any slip-up when they travel to Avoca Red.
Talbot Gold have a tricky task when they play Golf Blue in a clash between third and fourth, and it will be imperative for Golf Blue to win given Dunolly Gold can overtake them if they defeat bottom-placed Highland Red.
In division two, Carisbrook will look to all-but secure top spot on the ladder when they host Golf Gold, who will be desperate for a win to keep the chasing pack at bay, particularly Avoca Gold, who will be travelling to bottom team Newstead White.
Highland White will look to keep the pressure on Carisbrook when they host Dunolly Green, while Maldon will look to bounce back when they host Talbot Brown.
