Sport
14 February, 2025
Tartan, Dunolly, Talbot and Gold finals bound
It’s official — Highland Tartan, Dunolly Blue, Talbot and Maryborough Golf will battle it out for the 2024/25 midweek pennant crown.
Maryborough Golf’s inclusion in the finals was the only spot uncertain, with them sitting five points adrift of Highland Gold in fourth going into round 14.
Maryborough Golf kept themselves in contention by defeating Talbot 53-49 away from home.
Graeme Orr looked to put the match out of Talbot’s reach early by defeating Barbara Crossley 27-7 but Chris Crossley answered swiftly for the hosts, victorious against Elizabeth Bucknall 31-8.
Kort Gay would take a vital deciding leg for Maryborough Golf, prevailing against Ray Prentice 18-11.
Despite their victory, Maryborough Golf could have seen themselves missing out on finals if Highland Gold also won against Highland Tartan.
In the end, Tartan showcased themselves as the superior Highland side, eliminating Highland Gold with a 67-40 victory.
Highland Tartan started strongly with Gregory Shay overcoming Paul Gothard 26-11 and continued that momentum throughout the contest.
Garry Coburn got the better of Lowen Clarke 17-12 and Michael Fryar completed the sweep for Highland Tartan with a 24-17 win against Roy Crawley.
In a final tune-up before finals, Dunolly Blue was pushed to the limit but managed to hold on against Avoca 57-50.
Champion of Champions finalist Chris Williams got Dunolly Blue off on the right foot with a 24-19 win against Daniel Giddings and Alan Weir needed all his skills to squeeze past Ann Loosmore 17-15.
Ian Proctor would sneak an extra point for Avoca, holding Tony Galofaro to a 16-16 draw.
Carisbrook collected their third win of the season in their final match, vanquishing Dunolly Gold 77-58.
Carisbrook went on to win all three rinks with Ross Gregory defeating Wayne Stephens 26-16, Roy Pickering victorious against Fabio Delconte 26-18 and Laurence Cassidy holding her nerve to win 25-24 against Justin Ritchie.
Four will be shortened to three when the finals begin at Carisbrook Bowling Club this Tuesday.
In a semi-final replay from last season, Highland Tartan will face off against Dunolly Blue with the winner heading straight to the grand final.
Tartan won that semi-final last season on their way to winning the premiership in a grand final for the ages against Dunolly Blue.
In the other semi-final, Talbot will take on Maryborough Golf for the second week in a row.
Last week’s encounter was the first time the two teams faced each other this season, with Maryborough Golf looking to repeat the same result this week.