Sport
3 March, 2026
Highland reclaims division one pennant
The Maryborough Highland Society has wiped away the pain of their straight sets exit last season with a dominant 74-38 victory over Talbot to clinch their fourth division one pennant in five years.
Fresh off taking a nail-biting semi-final over Talbot a fortnight ago, Highland upped their level on the grandest stage, storming to an early lead which they refused to relinquish.
Reflecting on all their recent success as a Goldfields Playing
Area powerhouse, Highland team manager Garry Coburn said Saturday’s triumph was one of the sweetest.
“It means a lot after last year, we finished on top last year and got bombed out in two finals, so that was pretty heartbreaking,” he said.
“I would like to congratulate Talbot on making the Grand Final. It’s a good effort, they are a small but good club.”
While Highland entered Saturday’s finale aiming for its eighth division one crown in 15 seasons, Talbot was hopeful to regain a trophy that has eluded their grasp for 14 years.
Before a ball had been thrown, drama surrounded the Highland team, with one of their skippers, Greg McHugh, ruled out late due to injury.
“We lost one of our skippers in the morning. He had a knee injury, so we had to shuffle one of the rinks around. Peter Walsh came in, filled his spot and Deborah Wright moved up to third,” Coburn said.
“You have just got to be positive and have faith in your teammates that they are going to do their bit.”
Even with their last-minute alteration, Highland wasted no time asserting its dominance on the contest, blitzing out to a 10-5 advantage after nine ends.
Talbot attempted to keep their opponents within a manageable distance, led by Peter McLaughlan, but Coburn and Greg Shay ensured the Highland pipe band paraded away from Talbot.
With Shay and Coburn in complete control in their matchups against Chris Crossley and Peter Fletcher, Highland threatened to have their name etched onto the champion’s shield halfway through the contest, leading 41-19 after 33 ends.
Credit to Talbot, they continued to fight against the tide as they cut their deficit to 21 shots over the course of the next six ends, but Highland might proved too much for them to overcome.
Coburn and Shay did the bulk of the damage, with Coburn vanquishing Fletcher 28-12 after their narrow semi-final clash and Shay avenging his defeat to Crossley in that semi-final, winning 27-9.
McLaughlan narrowly missed out on a consolation rink for Talbot, with Harvey Pearce completing a Grand Final sweep with a 19-17 victory.
Coburn said the first 15 ends were critical to the final result, as Highland’s exceptional start allowed them to grow in confidence as they got ever closer to regaining the title.
“It’s very important to get off to a good start and have good leaders. I was lucky enough to have a good leader in Leanne Wallis and if your leaders are somewhere near the kitty, you’re off to a good start in that end,” he said.
“We thought our last two ends were the best ends we have played all day. We had bowls within six inches of the kitty.
“When you get to a point where the result is over, you tend to relax a little bit and you can put in some good bowls.”