Seymour Bowls Club
With the horse racing holiday week interrupting midweek pennant, Saturday’s pennant matches provided more than enough action to make up for it.
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Many adjectives were suggested to describe the day’s conditions, although several were probably unprintable. Challenging was perhaps the most widely accepted description.
A relentless wind averaged around 30km/h, with gusts reaching 56km/h. Players were also treated to a brief squall of fine hail and rain that whisked everyone off the green for about 10 minutes before disappearing as quickly as it arrived. Temperatures hovered around 13°C, but the wind chill made it feel closer to 6°C.
Despite the conditions, Seymour’s division two and division four teams both secured valuable home victories, while division five enjoyed a timely bye to cap off the holiday week.
Division two
Seymour 84 (14) d Tatura Hill Top 79 (4)
The result was much closer than the final points suggest, with Seymour winning two rinks and narrowly claiming the overall shots.
Bernie Dillon, Ian Doyle, Helen Flint and Dale Sellick (13) were defeated by Frank Niglia (20).
Jan Wesselman, Grant Spratling, Milton Howell and Brett Tarran (25) defeated Mark Spencer (18).
William Solomon, Jenny Ridd, Linda Brown and Robert Brown (21) were defeated by Ken Parks (27).
Gail Krzciuk, Dot Dillon, Robert Baldwin and Max Hammond (25) defeated Barry Ibbott (14).
After five rounds, Seymour division two sits in second place on the ladder and remains well positioned for the season ahead.
Division four
Seymour 89 (14) defeated Tallygaroopna 69 (4).
Division four produced another strong team performance, finishing with two winning rinks, two losing rinks and a comfortable overall shots victory.
Patricia Green (substitute Vin Hall), Melissa Sellick, Marie Maggs and John Van Putten (18) were defeated by Ronald Jones (27).
Peter Tennant, Ian Ridd, Derek Blakeman and Eliot Jarman (18) were defeated by Bill Conley (23).
Ron Ridd, Lynda Rohde, Marg Locke and Alison Ridley produced the standout performance of the day, winning 32-4 against Robert Benney.
Craig Weaire, Peter Lawrence, Jennifer Kreemers and Dennis Klein defeated Jacko McRae 21-15.
With three wins from five rounds, Seymour division four currently sits third on the ladder.
The club also sends its best wishes to Trish Green for a speedy recovery. We look forward to seeing her back on the green soon.
Club activities
Barefoot bowls has started and is proving a popular Friday evening activity, beginning at 5pm each Friday.
Coaching and informal social bowls continue on Wednesday afternoons from 4pm, providing an ideal opportunity for new players and members wanting extra practice.
Members and visitors are also welcome to enjoy Friday night nibbles, happy hour and the weekly raffle. Last week’s lucky winners included a barefoot bowler along with Greg and Catriona.
Why not give bowls a try? Visit Seymour Bowling Club, corner of Tallarook and Leslie streets, Seymour. Email seymourbowls@hotmail.com
Avenel Golf Club
Avenel Golf Club made the journey over to Mallacoota for their annual tournament week in a contest for the ages. The fifth edition of the Sand Rake Challenge didn’t disappoint.
It started on Melbourne Cup Day. For the first time Avenel didn’t win the Calcutta, taking out second and third was a very handy consolation.
Thursday was the 4BBB stableford and our young gun Rayden Hannigan teamed up with Mallacoota’s captain Greg Hopkins to win on a countback with 42 points in very tricky 37km/h south-westerly winds.
The ladies’ 18-hole tournament followed on Friday. Sam Hannigan belted one down to take the B-grade longest drive. The weather was beautiful on Friday, sunshine and just a light breeze.
Avenel’s three-shot lead was only as good as the return journey. The weather absolutely reversed from the day before, 40km/h south-westerly winds, snow down to 800m and showers throughout the day. They say when the going gets tough the tough get going, and so it proved with Scoota Donovan taking out the Mallacoota Open with a terrific score of 76, including the golden hole $200 nearest-the-pin.
Jed Smith took out A-grade scratch with 78 on a countback from Hayden Kneebone who got the A-grade net and the longest drive.
Young gun Rayden Hannigan took out his fourth junior championship in a row, a feat unlikely to ever be matched.
Despite these good scores, it was always going to be close as there were quite a few rough scores in there as well with seven of the nine golfers scores to count.
Mallacoota did beat us on the day, but only by one shot, making Avenel Golf Club the winners of the Sand Rake Challenge for the fourth time in five attempts. Well done to the team on a great performance and a great week.
Back home there was no golf this week. The members draw was won by Iris Sidebottom, but she was not present, so it jackpots again, to be drawn after presentations for the competition (about 7.30pm/8pm).
The Avenel Imperial Hotel $50 raffle voucher was won by president Alex Smith.
Friday night nine-hole golf starts this week with a stableford round from the yellow tees for everyone. All are welcome including non golfers, a handicap will be sorted. Come down for the return of the Sand Rake to its rightful place hanging at the Greg Hopkins Bar.
Avenel Bowls Club
Weekend pennant division two, Avenel 13-85 defeated Tallygaroopna 5-75.
The reward for the win at Tallygaroopna saw Avenel enter the top four for the first time this season.
Geoff Hateley (s), Grace Kenworthy, Howard Geldard and Pam Pedder restricted Tallygaroopna to one or two shots up on their end wins while two fives boosted Avenel’s score considerably. It was a dominant win by Avenel 29-10.
Noel Slater (s) Rob Kemp, Rusty Schwab and Josh McDonald led for most of the game until Tallygaroopna won four consecutive ends to take the lead by two shots with two ends remaining. Avenel answered back with a four for a two-shot lead. But Tallygaroopna won the last end with a two to draw the game at 20-all.
Spud Furletti (s), Charlie Kemp, Kate Donovan and Dennis McGregor were as many as 10 shots down late in the game when they won four of the last six ends. However, they left their run too late and Tallygaroopna recorded a three shot win, 20-17.
Ten shots down with two ends to play saw Brett McDonald (s), Jezza Boruch, Jan Watters and Peter Spiller rally to win the last two ends but not the game. Tallygaroopna won 25-19.
Nagambie Golf Club
The rescheduled Nagambie Open four ball best ball was played under clear skies, but the wind did play a part. The men's division was won by David Sudholz and Darryl Sexton. Three four-point holes helped Sudholz and Sexton to their 46-point winning total. Runner-up went to the pair of Kevin Lindner and Shane McCormick. The pair came together for an impressive 44-point total. Rounding out the top three were father-son duo Brian and Shaun Finnigan with a 43-point total.
The women’s side of the draw had excellent scores, with Moz Fowler turning up as usual partnered by Tina Gribbin. They were comfortable winners with a fantastic 45 points. The-runners-up put together a good showing with Bev Brown and Carole Wallis getting in on 38 points.
The nearest-the-pin for both men and women had some superb shots going ever so close in the challenging winds. Fowler had a dead eye aim at the eighth, Wallis produced something special at the 13th and playing partner Brown struck it beautifully to take home the eighth. Visiting golfer from Merrigum, Tommy Ladhams, showed his skills with a cracker at the difficult third. Form player Graeme Cusack got it done at the eighth, Brian Finnigan timed an ideal strike onto the 13th and Lindsay Hall tamed the swirling wind and selected the correct club to reach the 16th.
Seymour Golf Club
The top score of the day in the Wednesday stableford competition went to Peter Cleave (18) who had a terrific score of 40 points to win B-grade. Matt O’Sullivan (0) was the A-grade winner with a nice score of 37 points. Only two of the nearest-the-pins were claimed — the sixth by Ciaran Fountain and the 17th by Bill Keating. The drive-and-pitch on the eighth was won by Greg Pell with the 15th staying with the club. The ball pool went to 33 points and included Mark Fountain, Pell, Russell Melbourne, Russell Peel, Ciaran Fountain, Gary Wright and John Callaghan.
The gusty winds made it difficult to score well on Saturday for the first round of the men’s championships and the monthly medal. Mick Prorok had the top score of the day to win A-grade and the medal with 74-3=71. The B-grade winner was John Muscovich with 85-12=73 and C-grade went to James Fulton with 93-21=72. The best scratch score of 74 was shared by Mick Prorok and Luke Rogan.
The nearest-the-pin on the fourth was Ciaran Fountain, on the sixth it was Damien Humphrey, the 12th was won by Peter Cleave and the closest on the 17th was Peter Sawyer. The drive-and-pitch on the eighth was won by Callaghan and on the 15th it was Prorok. The ball pool went to net 76 on a countback and included Humphrey, Sawyer, Matt Wilson, Luke Rogan, John Gale, Callaghan, Theo Chegwidden and Sean Boland.
The women played a stableford round on Saturday and the winner was Paula Britton (20) with 34 points on a countback from Ricky Rickman. The extra competition was the second shot on the 12th and that was also went to Britton. The ball pool included Britton, Rickman and Glenda Woods with 32 points.
Next Saturday is the second round of the men’s championships, while the women will be playing the first round of their championships as well as the monthly medal.