THE MURRAY Darling Golf Association scratch pennant golf season is heading for a blockbuster ending after another thrilling round at Red Cliffs this past Sunday.
In what can only be described as arguably the tightest local pennant competitions in recent memory, both divisions are still finely balanced going into the last round at Riverside this weekend before the grand finals.
Coomealla Navy are still strong hopefuls in division one, breathing down the necks of leaders Red Cliffs and second placed Riverside after a comfortable four to one victory against Mildura in a relatively one-sided affair.
“Four wins to one, so it’s one of those things,” said Coomealla Navy player Jacob Slimmon.
“Sometimes they’re close, sometimes they’re not, so good wins.”
Mildura golfing legend Greg Rhodes scored his side’s only victory of the contest against Matt Bottomley.
Cameron Stewart put up a valiant battle for Mildura, but Coomealla’s Justin McPhee was able to snatch it on the last hole winning one up.
Slimmon, alongside teammates James Daley and Troy Neville, picked up wins in more comfortable fashion for Coomealla.
The day’s headline top of the table clash was a far closer matchup as Red Cliffs halved Riverside two and a half a piece.
The only clear cut winner from the fixture came through Riverside’s Ashley Whitehouse who carried through his scintillating recent form to defeat Ben Hogan.
Red Cliffs players Daryl Morgan and Brad Steer came away triumphant in victories over Geoff Tandy and Jarrad Stokker respectively.
The last two remaining matches went to the last hole with Steve Willman delivering a slender win for Riverside against Chris Thomas.
Riverside’s Brendan Rouse took the final hole to halve his game against Matt Pascoe and the entire result.
“That meant we now have got two sides on two and a half wins and Coomealla Navy on two wins,” said Slimmon.
“So, it makes for an interesting weekend this Sunday with Coomealla Navy playing Red Cliffs and Riverside against Coomealla White.
“If Riverside win, they’ll be through and Coomealla has to win to go in; if Red Cliffs lose, they’ll need Riverside to be beaten to make it, so makes for a great weekend.
“Mildura’s got the bye, and they can’t make it through because they’ve only had the one win.”
The division two results were equally pivotal with Riverside Gold claiming a three to two success over Red Cliffs for their first win of the season, while Riverside Green continued their run at the top of the ladder beating Coomealla three and a half to one and a half to be the only team across both divisions that have confirmed their spot in the final.
Coomealla are tied second with Mildura but have the bye this weekend.
Mildura take on Riverside Gold this weekend where a win would take them through unscathed.
For any chance of Riverside Gold qualifying, they’ll need to not only beat Mildura but also rely on the other Riverside team to beat Red Cliffs who are just above them in fourth.
“There’s a lot of up and down action this weekend out at Riverside to see who’s going to make the final,” said Slimmon.
“A lot going on.
“Three sides going for two spots always makes for a bit of crazy action, so should be some really good golf.”
Slimmon said the close proximity of standard for teams in this year’s pennant is a clear indication of the district’s improving golf standard across all age groups.
A good example would be Red Cliff’s 15 year-old Jack Crowe winning his division two match last Sunday.
“Each team has got the one or two really good players, and all the rest are around the same mark,” Slimmon said.
“A lot of the golfers are getting pushed up by the juniors at the moment, so there’s a lot more pressure on the players.
“There’s been an improvement in all and golf’s the winner.”
With so much on the line this Sunday at Riverside Golf Club set for a dramatic finish, the hosts tee off in division one at 8am against Coomealla White, and Red Cliffs versus Coomealla Navy starts at 8.30am.
In division two, Riverside Gold play Mildura at 9am with Red Cliffs taking on Riverside Green at 9.30am.
