ROBINVALE’S introduction to Murray Darling Golf Association division 1 pennant brought mixed fortunes for the campaign ahead.
While their 3-2 loss to defending champions Coomealla at Riverside Golf Club on Sunday was a tight result, they have some ground to make up after losing nine holes in the process.
Justin McPhee had a big win over David Peniongo 6/5, while James Daly’s 5/4 win over Cameron Browne also contributed to the final hole margin.
District championship winner Troy Neville got his pennant off to winning start over Shaun Clark 3/1, while Jarrad Stokker (3/2 over Mark McDonald) and Alex Spooner (2/1 over Matt Bottomley) claimed Robinvale’s wins.
In the other division 1 match-up Mildura squeezed home against Red Cliffs 3-2.
Very little separated the sides, with Mildura’s Ash Whitehouse and Greg Rhodes winning 6/5 and 4/3 respectively, while Red Cliffs’ Darryl Morgan and Ben Morgan also had wins by the exact same margins.
It was Cam Stewart’s 2-up win the ultimately decided the contest in Mildura’s favour.
In women’s division 1, Riverside earned a 3-2 win over Mildura and their their plus nine-holes earned them back some valuable ground on the ladder.
Big wins for Tracey Bryan and Wendy Dawson put Riverside on the front foot, while Heather Klemm also had a strong result.
For Mildura, Bev Matthews and Michelle Blair won their respective match-ups against Steph Baker and Lisa Garioch.
Red Cliffs remain top of the table with their 3-2 win over Coomealla Blue.
All contests resulted in tight finishes but wins for Rita Chase, Sue Gathercole and Julianne Wood got them across the line.
Big results were all the rage in division 2 men, Mildura making the biggest scoreboard splash with a 5-0 over Robinvale, with Matt Adams (9/7) and Cam Smith (7/5) both winning by substantial margins.
Red Cliffs had a solid victory with a 4-1 result over Merbein, with Aaron Finch, John Prictor, Jeff Scott and Matt Forward all earning wins, while Dylan Burnett claimed Merbein’s solitary scalp by defeating Nomai Palore 2/1.
Riverside also won 4-1, this time over Coomealla, Scott Webster grabbing the biggest win with a 6-5 margin.
Rob Garioch, Simon Dale and Nick George also earned wins, while Phil Moisidis claimed Coomealla’s only victory.
In division 3 men, Riverside earned the 3-2 win over Mildura via winning match-ups from Jake Kiel and Davison Mbindi, while two contests finished all square.
Coomealla defeated Ouyen 4-1, also having two square contests to go alongside wins for Aaron Andriskie, Greg Lee and Greg Butcher.
Robinvale tasted a 3.5-1.5 victory over Red Cliffs, JJ Natale and Jim Carruthers both earning 2-up wins.
Round 3 of the MDGA pennant heads to Mildura Golf Resort on Sunday.
