Round 8 Pennant Wrap
Grade 1 – What a sensational match it was at Queanbeyan when they drew with Canberra North, 51 all. Scott Dagwell’s rink (Q) must have been hitting the Red Bull – it held the opposition scoreless until the 10th end, going on to win 22-11. On the adjacent rink, Norths’ Rob Kelly was up against Rob Chesher but this time it was the visitors who dominated. Kelly’s team all played strongly to win their rink 25-12. With both these rinks in the clubhouse (ok, I know it’s not really golf but you get the analogy…) the final rink was 15 all coming into the last end, Queanbeyan was 2 behind on the masterboard. This end was played 4 times! Apparently a rink is a bit like a metaphorical cat….can be killed multiple times! By this time, there was quite a crowd, gleefully hoping Sean Robertson could pick up a three. Alas – 2 it was, for the draw. Final Score Qbn 51, CN 51 (2-1). Canberra raised some eyebrows (and kept their finals hopes alive) when they defeated QRSLM on 2 ½ rinks. QRSLM were missing Hemi Palmer and Mark Ebsworth, (but had handy fill-ins Glenn Morton and youngster Charlie Grebert) and really there wasn’t much in it. Charles Smith’s rink got up by 1, Jamie Freeman’s by 3 and the Cliff Gilbert/Wade Turner rink had a draw. Final Score Can 55, QRSL 51 (2.5 -0.5) Weston Creek was at home to Yass and put their minor premiership beyond doubt by winning all three rinks. Again, all rinks had substantial wins but Ian Whybrow was the pick of the strong bunch skipping his rink to a 19+ win. Andrew Ashlin’s win puts him alone on the skips table as the only skip with a perfect 12 points from 6 games. Final Score WC 74, Yass 36 (3-0). Tuggeranong leapt into second place on the ladder when they defeated Belconnen on all rinks. Shane Ordelman’s rink was best on the day but worthy mention to Craig Southwell because I haven’t mentioned him before! Final Score Bel 53, Tug 78 (0-3). With a guaranteed home semi final, WC is on top of the table, but for the first time in many years, every team other than Yass still has a chance to make an appearance in the four. Consequently, next week’s matches are ‘do or die’ for six other teams. Current ladder: WC 66, Tug, 42, QRSLM 36, CN 35, Qbn 31, Bel 29, Can 28, Yass 21.
Grade 2 – There was a terrific finish to the match between WC and Belco. With two rinks finished, and the remaining rink on the 19th end, WC was 11 down on the masterboard. Jeff Bradley draws to give them shot. The next two ends were won with 6, and then 5, to give the match to WC by 1 shot! Final Score WC 61, Bel 60 (1-2) No wonder David Pruss wanted the rinks aligned properly! His rink managed to post a 20 shot win to help his team to take the overall points. For QRSLM, Graham Read’s rink performed well with an 11 shot win. Final Score QRSL 45, Tug 58 (1-2). In a reverse of the grade 1 matchup, Canberra North managed to take the main points from Queanbeyan, with Neil Clarke’s rink doing most of the damage. Adrian Halloran’s rink kept the deficit reasonable. This loss puts Queanbeyan under pressure to stay in the top four – Tuggeranong snapping at their heals! Final Score Qbn 51, CN 54 (1-2). The minor premiership is well and truly up for grabs, with the top 3 teams separated by only one point! Current Ladder QRSLM 57, Belc 57, WC 56, Qbn 46, Tug 44, CN 28.
Grade3 – Canberra dealt Goulburn its first (and they hope only!) loss of the season when the artificial surface proved tricky for the visitors. All rinks were close, David Kimber’s best on the day. Final Score Can 55, Gbn 49 (3-0) It was another close match when Tuggeranong met Yowani. One rink drew and the others were one apiece. Final Score Tug 50, Yow 48 (1.5 – 1.5) Again, the score was close in the WC vs Yass match but there were big rink score differences on all rinks. Bruce Murray and Barry Bush had big rink wins for Yass, whereas Tug Wilson’s rink contributed to WC’s only points. Final Score WC 59, Yass 63 (1-2) Goulburn remains on top of the table but this position is under threat from Yass, now only 3 points behind, and with (arguably) an easier match coming up, the last match of the season (Yass vs Goulburn in 2 weeks) promises to be a beauty! The battle for the other two places in the four is also looking to be a hot one with all teams well within range. Current ladder: Gbn 74, Yass 71, Tug 38, WC 36, Canberra 35, Yowani 34.
Grade 4 – Belconnen took the major points from Canberra North largely due to the huge rink win by Stephen Young’s rink (15+). Peter Totterdell and Mick Fogerty both won their rinks for Norths but not by enough to counter Young’s score. Final Score Bel 67, CN 63 (1-2) Peter Walkers 22 shot rink win for QRSL was the one that did the damage when QRSL hosted Tuggeranong. Alan Thatcher’s rink had a good win but with the other rink a draw, QRSLM took the masterboard points. Final Score QRSL 62, Tug 48 (1.5-1.5) Queanbeyan ran away with their match against Weston Creek. Darryl Peters (+15) and David Van Reesch (+21) had great wins whereas the other rink went the way of the Creekers. Final Score Qbn 74, WC 39 (2-1) The make up of the final four is still anyone’s game. QRSLM have a slender hold on the potential minor premiership but the next 4 teams could theoretically take that away. Current Ladder QRSLM 61, Tug 53, Qbn 46, CN 46, Belc 45, WC 37.
Grade 5 – Belconnen continued Bungendore’s woes when they defeated them overall and on 2 rinks. Gary Green (+9) and John Hammond (+13) were the winning Belconnen skips whereas Jack Marquet’s rink (+7) was the winning one for Bungendore. Final Score Bel 64, Bung 49 (2-1) Yowani was too strong for Yass, defeating them with two good rink wins. Phil Beggs (+11) and Ron Rooks (+13) did the damage. The remaining rink was won by Yass’s Matthew Waters (+10). Final Score Yow 63, Yass 49 (2-1) Tuggeranong and Canberra North shared the rink points but Tuggeranong had the better of the total scores taking the 6 masterbaord points. Best rink result on the day was from Tuggeranong’s Robert Montgomery (+12) Final Score CN 55, Tug 63 (1.5-1.5) The final match of the round was the local Queanbeyan derby with QRSLM earning bragging rights this time. Best rink score of the match was Adam Macnamara’s (+10) Final Score Qbn 57, QRSL 68 (1-2) With only one more round to play, the match of the round will surely be the Goulburn vs Yass match. Goulburn currently sit on top of the table, but Yass will be trying to score a clean sweep to break into the four. They are currently in fifth place behind Belconnen, but Belconnen has the bye so have no more point scoring options. Second and third placed teams both play lower ranked teams and positive results could threaten Goulburn’s position. Current Ladder: Gbn 62, Yowni 56, QRSLM 55, Belc 51, Yass 40, Qbn 37, Bung 31, CAN 29, Tugg 23.
Women’s Grade
Only one women’s grade match was played on the weekend with the others either washed out or forfeited. QRSL put in a stellar performance when they defeated the big guns from Canberra. Catherine Hunt, in Ruth Moore’s absence, stepped up to skip and bought home the bacon for the side. (She followed this up on Sunday by winning her club singles, defeating Ruth Moore 25-20. Congratulations Catherine!) Loretta Gillespie also won her rink. Final Score QRSL 44, Can 29 (2-0)