Sport
28 October, 2025
Grand Final replay fails to disappoint
An outstanding division one Grand Final rematch against Dunolly Blue and Maryborough Golf highlighted a very memorable round of the weekend pennant.
DIVISION ONE
The old saying that the sequel is never as good as the original was reckoned obsolete on Saturday, as Maryborough Golf and Dunolly Blue played another instant classic.
In an ironic taste of deja vu, Golf repeated their premiership triumph over Blue with a 59-58 win, the same margin of victory as last season’s grand final.
After going undefeated in their first three rounds, Dunolly Blue asserted control early with Peter Waters taking care of Lawrence Barry 22-18.
Kevin Prime answered back for Maryborough Golf, putting the visitors in the driver’s seat with a 22-17 triumph against Alan Weir.
With everything to play for in the final rink, nothing could separate Tony Galofaro and Gerry Carmody at the conclusion of the rink, tied 19-19 as Dunolly was given another taste of heartbreak blues.
Their loss puts them a game behind the first placed Maryborough Highland Society, who made no mistake remaining undefeated with a 96-32 win against Avoca.
Garry Coburn set the tone for Highland with a commanding performance over Ian Proctor, 37-9.
Gregory Shay and Greg McHugh accompanied Coburn, with Shay vanquishing Daniel Giddings 31-10 and McHugh overcoming Allyson Hearnden 28-13.
Following back-to-back close losses, Talbot managed to pull through a 65-54 result in a tough match against Newstead.
Peter Fletcher did the damage for Talbot, conquering Bill Burnett 29-18.
The two teams split the other two nail-biting rinks that were decided by just one shot, with Newstead’s David Cobden holding on against Chris Crossley 17-16 and Talbot Peter McLaughlan taking a fantastic rink versus Brian Daly 20-19.
Maldon grabbed an early statement victory in their season by overwhelming the in-form Carisbrook 69-43.
The duo of Annette Gillham and Wesley Honeyman were pivotal in Maldon’s landmark victory, with Gillham dominating Laurence Cassidy 28-11 and Honeyman getting the better of Ron Baker 25-16.
Roy Pickering earned a point for Carisbrook after drawing a rink with Maldon’s Peter Sedgwick 16-16.
DIVISION TWO
Highland White were pushed to their limits, but they got over the line in an enthralling encounter against Dunolly Green, ending 38-35.
Dennis Prosser’s 20-15 triumph against Debbie Wintle was just enough to nullify Wayne Stephens’ 20-18 win against Frank Mifsud for Dunolly Green, giving Highland White a valuable 10 points for the match win.
After finishing rock bottom last season, Bridgewater has emerged as an early contender for the finals, maintaining their fast start with a 38-35 victory versus Talbot.
Laurie Vernon had Bridgewater on the ropes after taking the first rink for Talbot 22-11 against Ian Clutton.
However, Christopher Brooshooft flipped the script for the hosts, vanquishing Barry Laws 27-13 to improve Bridgewater’s record to 3-1.
Maryborough Golf also possesses a 3-1 record after a dominant 58-20 victory against Dunolly Gold.
Kort Gay got things started for Maryborough Golf with a commanding 25-9 win against Barry Cann and Trevor Young finished things off by besting Terry Long 33-11.
Highland Black remained perfect after four rounds, with Avoca becoming their latest victim in a 62-19 win.
Robert Bursill did the bulk of the damage for Highland Black with a 37-8 triumph versus Ann Loosmore, while Albert Spencer got the better of Geoff Loosmore 25-11.
DIVISION THREE
In a battle at the top of the table, the Maryborough Highland Society put the rest of division three on notice, commanding Carisbrook in a 64-21 triumph.
Tilleke Wadeson defeated Kathleen Upson 31-10 and Allan Pike overcame Helen Slater 33-11.
Newstead evened their record to 2-2 with a 41-35 victory against Maldon in a match that could have gone either way.
Despite Maldon’s Leonie Briggs being victorious against Noel Bott 24-17, Angela Hill’s 24-11 win against Pam Lyons gave Newstead a confidence-boosting result.
Avoca were forced to forfeit their match against Dunolly, who now find themselves in touching distance of the top two with a 3-1 record.
ROUND FIVE
Round five is shaping up to be just as exciting as round four’s action, with some top contenders set to battle it out.
Starting with division one, Maryborough Golf will look to maintain its newfound momentum following last weekend’s thrilling victory against a Talbot team who have already challenged other contenders this season.
Dunolly Blue has a chance to tighten things at the top of the table when they play the team they defeated in last season’s preliminary final, the Maryborough Highland Society.
Maldon hopes to replicate their performance against Carisbrook on Saturday when they travel to take on Newstead.
Speaking of Carisbrook, they return home this weekend to host an Avoca team still searching for their first win.
The most anticipated round of division two pits two teams currently inside the top four as Highland White battle Bridgewater at home.
A team looking to chase Highland White and Bridgewater for those finals places is Talbot, who can cut the gap to fellow top four team Maryborough Golf when the two teams meet this Saturday.
With some tough matches scheduled for fellow teams inside the top four, Highland Black will look to generate some more breathing room at the top of the table when they play Dunolly Gold at Dunolly.
Highland Black’s most recent adversary, Avoca, will be cautiously optimistic of their chances of putting their name in the winners’ column when they host Dunolly Green.
Round five of division three consists of a battle between second and third as Carisbrook plays Dunolly, the Maryborough Highland Society hosts Maldon and Avoca squares off against Newstead.