MURRAY Downs’ winless start to the Northern Valley pennant season has continued, with the Rams suffering a 15-shot loss to Barham on Saturday.
It was Barham’s first win of the fledgling competition, with the home side defeating last year’s Murray Valley division 1 premiers Murray Downs, 74 shots to 59.
The closest battle was between Barham’s Glenn Faul and Murray Downs John Caldwell, with both teams unable to be separated after the 25 ends, finishing tied on 20 shots apiece.
There was no such issue on the remaining rinks for Barham however, with Brody Harker defeating Josh Thornton 29 shots to 19 after claiming 12 shots to one over the last eight ends to record a come from behind victory. Brian Mansbridge defeated John Lehmann by five shots.
Kerang continued their unbeaten start to the season with a hard-fought nine-shot win over Swan Hill’s other Northern Valley team Racecourse, with Kerang usurping the previously top of the ladder Racecourse to move into second spot.
Norm Smith and his combination of Glenn McKissack, Ron Wolfe and Alannah Taylor ensured Racecourse didn’t walk away empty handed, defeating Jason Wilson’s team by nine shots.
That margin wasn’t enough to overcome a nine-shot win by Brian Bowles’ quartet over Glenn McIntosh and a seven-shot win to Dale Hancock over Mick Holyoak, with Kerang going on to record a 70-61 win and add 10 match points to their season.
The final match of the Northern Valley competition saw Cohuna Golf continue their winning start to the season, defeating rivals Kerang Golf by 35 shots.
It was a day where last year’s Northern Districts premiers stamped their authority on the fledgling competition, claiming top spot with a dominant display in the grand final rematch with relatively comfortable wins on all three rinks.
Kerang Golf’s Frank Ritchie and his team were the only combination that managed to get their deficit into single figures, with Cohuna Golf’s Rodney Fletcher claiming a nine-shot victory, with Harrison Keely (12 shots) and Jarred Hammond (14 shots) and their teams producing dominant displays to defeat Richard Murray and Dallas Mathers respectively.
The Murray Valley Playing Area division 1 pennant competition saw Murray Downs move to the top of the ladder with a nine shot win over Racecourse 75-66, while Moulamein defeated Swan Hill by six shots, 75 to 69 in the closest match of the weekend.
The final game saw Nyah District defeat Lake Boga by 33 shots at home – 84 to 51.
