COOMEALLA are one step away from another division 1 men’s Murray Darling Golf Association pennant grand final appearance following their tight win against Mildura on Sunday.
A big battle with Red Cliffs this weekend at Robinvale Golf Resort will have a huge bearing on the make-up of the final on November 17.
Thanks to a quirk in the draw this marks the last round for division 1 before finals, while all other divisions still have two rounds left.
It was close across the board but the defending champion Coomealla defeated Mildura 3-2 at Mildura Golf Resort.
Wins for James Daly (2/1), Justin McPhee (3/2) and Troy Neville (1-up) against Ash Whitehouse, Rob Toms and Dave Murray respectively were enough to earn the points.
For the home side Cam Stewart held on for a tight 1-up win over Ben Doherty while Greg Rhodes defeated Matt Bottomley 2/1.
Red Cliffs have moved into second on the ladder following their 3-2 win over Robinvale, and a victory over Coomealla this week puts them in potential position to make the final.
Wins for Matt Pascoe, Darryl Morgan and Ben Hogan saw Red Cliffs across the line, while against his former side Dom Vartuli earned a 3/2 win for Robinvale, while Damon Southgate also came out on top.
Meanwhile, in the women’s division 1, Riverside drew level on points with ladder leaders Red Cliffs, who had the bye, with a close fought 3-2 win over Coomealla White.
Pat Riordan, Wendy Dawson and Heather Klemm all earnt wins, the latter being a tight 2/1 contest with Erin Nunan.
Mildura earned their first win of the campaign with a 3.5-1.5 result over Coomealla Blue.
Kim Ingram, Michelle Blair and Gayle Ford all had wins over Kylie Walters, Angela Plumridge and Nicole Riordan respectively, while Bev Matthews squared her contest with Sue Laird.
In men’s division 2, Riverside and Red Cliffs’ perfect records remain intact after both earning 3-2 wins.
Riverside defeated Mildura, where a 1-up win for Nick George over Paul White proved to be the difference maker, as George and Josh Bailey each scored victories.
Rob Garioch and Scot Webster both finished all square with Rob Morgan and Paul Leonard respectively.
Wins for Aaron Finch, Mattthew Forward and Gary Nunn helped Red Cliffs to defeat Coomealla, for who Ivan McKenzie’s 5/3 victory was their best result.
Merbein earned their first victory of the campaign with a big 5-0 win over Robinvale.
Shane Trinick and Carlo Longeri each had big wins by 6/5 and 5/4 respectively, while emerging youngster Sam Trinick earned a 3/1 win over Anthony Scarcella.
In a tight division 3, Riverside remain on top with a 4-1 win over Ouyen, Paul Dean’s 1-up result the bright spot for the latter side.
Coomealla have jumped to second over Robinvale with their 3-2 win, while Mildura and Red Cliffs came out all square to be fourth and fifth respectively, with Simon Kelly and Kyle Russell unable to be split.
Round 4 of the MDGA Pennant campaign takes place at Robinvale Golf Resort on Sunday.
