Sport
8 December, 2022
Upsets turn Saturday pennant on its head
Sensational upsets in division one of the Saturday pennant has blown the finals race wide open. Highland Tartan took advantage of slip-ups around other teams on the table by recording a strong 78-51 victory over Dunolly Gold to move 16 premiership...
Sensational upsets in division one of the Saturday pennant has blown the finals race wide open.
Highland Tartan took advantage of slip-ups around other teams on the table by recording a strong 78-51 victory over Dunolly Gold to move 16 premiership points clear on top of the ladder.
A 33-9 victory on rink one gave Tartan the advantage, before sealing victory with a 30-16 win on rink two. Dunolly Gold were at least able to gain two premiership points thanks to a 26-15 victory on rink three.
Tartan’s lead was extended thanks to a brilliant victory from Maryborough Golf Blue over Dunolly Blue — not only did the win propel them into the top four, but they were also able to complete the sweep.
A dominant 30-12 victory on rink one gave Golf Blue a good lead, and they were able to hold on to it with tight wins on both rink two (20-18) and three (19-17) to take an important victory in the context of their season.
Newstead Blue completed the upset of the season so far, propelling themselves into an outside chance of finals contention thanks to a 62-57 victory over Talbot Gold.
A 23-18 win on rink one gave Newstead Blue the edge, but Talbot Gold snatched back the advantage on rink two with a 20-12 win. But a 27-19 victory on rink three allowed Newstead Blue to move off the bottom of the ladder.
Avoca Red, likewise, kept themselves in the frame for a finals berth, taking the sweep over Highland Red which left the latter at the bottom of the ladder at the conclusion of round seven.
A 24-16 victory on rink one was just a sign of things to come from Avoca Red, and 19-15 and 21-11 wins on rinks two and three allowed them to close the gap on the top four to just 13 premiership points.
In division two, Carisbrook assumed control atop the ladder thanks to a sweep against Maldon. A tight 18-17 victory on rink one ensured Carisbrook would take two important match points, but 25-10 and 22-16 victories on rinks two and three ensured that their 65-43 win would give them full points.
They would take top spot on the ladder thanks to Highland White’s slip-up against Avoca Gold — a result which puts them into the top four as a result.
It was their 37-12 win on rink one that made all the difference — despite all of Highland White’s best efforts, 28-20 and 18-17 wins on rinks two and three were not enough to close the gap.
Talbot Brown moved up to third position on the ladder courtesy of a 65-51 victory over Dunolly Green, which all but knocks them out of the finals race.
Dunolly Green had a great start on rink one, winning 27-20, but Talbot Brown were able to overpower them, winning 20-16 on rink two before finishing with a flourish, winning 25-8 on rink three.
In the tightest affair of the round, a 67-55 victory over Newstead White allowed Maryborough Golf Gold to close the gap on the top four to just one point.
Newstead White went with Golf Gold all the way, however, with an 18-18 draw on rink one giving them one match point. Golf Golf proved too strong on rinks two and three, winning 25-21 and 24-16.
A top-four battle between Highland Tartan and Golf Blue looks set to be the game of the round, with Golf Blue looking to add to their scalp of Dunolly Blue last week.
Dunolly Blue will be required to bounce back, but they will face a bit of a tricky task in the improved Newstead Blue, who have now won two games in succession.
Talbot Gold will likewise be looking for a response after their shock loss, travelling to the Highland Society to play Highland Red.
Finally, Dunolly Gold and Avoca Red will be looking to take advantage of any Golf Blue slip-up when they play one another at Dunolly.
Division two is headlined by the top-of-the-table clash between Carisbrook and Highland White, with the winner set to assume control of the ladder.
Likewise, third spot could potentially be on the line when Talbot Brown hosts Golf Gold at Talbot.
Avoca Gold will be looking to potentially move into the top three if Talbot Brown slips up as they host Dunolly Green at Avoca, while Maldon can keep in touch with the top four if they can beat Newstead White.