MURRAY Downs will go into the Christmas break on top of the MVPA Weekend Pennant ladder as the only undefeated side in the Division 1 competition after defeating Nyah District at the weekend.
Murray Downs relished the warm conditions, winning 80 shots to 57 – although the Demons did record two match points after Rex Howard and his team had a 26 shot to 19 win on their rink over Josh Thornton. The quartet of Buck Lehmann, Garry McCaig, Ken O’Bree and John Alderuccio proved to be the difference though, winning their rink by 18 shots over Bryan Smith and his team, while John Caldwell’s side won their rink by 12 shots over Graham Muir’s quartet. The win sees Murray Downs sit at the top of the ladder heading into the break with a massive 32-point lead over both Swan Hill and Racecourse, who are in second and third respectively.
In the other Division 1 game played on the weekend, Swan Hill continued their good form with a hard-fought 16-shot win over Lake Boga. Troy Mansbridge, along with teammates Gary McGrath, Barrie Husson and Bill King proved to be the difference on the day, recording a 15-shot victory on their rink. Lake Boga put up a much tougher fight on the other two rinks, with Lake Boga’s Raymond Wilson and Swan Hill’s Lyndon Shadbolt and their teams being unable to be separated after their 25 ends, with a 21-shot tie – while on rink two, Brian Mansbridge and his team took the two points by the barest of margins over Ken Hamill, winning their rink 23 shots to 22.
The final other Division 1 game scheduled for Saturday between Moulamein and Racecourse was abandoned, with the heat rule being enacted and both sides sharing the points.
