The Pennant season for the men finished yesterday and whilst both teams were not in line for the finals, they were both hoping to finish their seasons with victories.
Before moving onto the final wrap for the year special mention must be made of the 2023 Pennant Teams sponsors – COOPER and LOURIE (Aidan Cooper), ERTECH (John Venner) and HERBALIFE (Gavin Morgan). On behalf of all the players a big thank you for your support.
MEN’S DIVISION THREE – FINAL ROUND
Nedlands played host to the final round of the qualifying season with Nedlands desperate for a win against Sun City to finish the season on a high.
At last, some good news – a convincing victory.
With Tristan Geerlings and Anthony Joseph returning to the team and playing at home the team played exceptionally well finishing the season with a whitewash 7-0.
Undoubtedly the highlight of the day was Ajay Dhadli’s Hole-in-One on the 16th where a 56-degree wedge sailed gently passed the pin and came back into the cup for his first ever Hole-in -One. He went on to win his match 6/5. Congratulations Ajay.
The team jumped out of the blocks early and after 9 holes everyone was at least 1 up. They went on to record convincing wins as the results sheet shows. Well done to all the winners.
The convincing individual results speak for themselves so no need for a full report on all players this week.
However, special mention goes to Aidan Cooper who put the disappointment of the previous week behind him to record a victory at the 18th – winning the last 2 holes enabling the team to win 7/0.
Next year in Division Three Lakelands will join Nedlands, Sun City, Wanneroo and the loser of the Division Three final – either Sea View or Meadow Springs.
Editors Comments – Overall a disappointing season which started with high expectations especially with Tristan Geerlings and Alister Miles strengthening the team. Unfortunately, the expectations were premature and hopefully next season will see a better result.
MEN’S DIVISION FIVE FINAL ROUND
Lake Karrinyup was the venue for the final qualifying round of Division 5 and the team was up against The Vines.
Dylan Morgan was a late withdrawal after testing positive to COVID and was replaced by Rehan Alikhan.
The result was a long-awaited victory for the team – 4/3 which saw them finish 6th overall.
Jack Ellis continued to impress in his debut year winning 5/3.
John Venner did not squander his lead this week and won a close tussle – 2 up.
Captain Scott van Heurck did not have a great day, tried hard but ultimately went down at the 17th hole.
John Samuels got over the disappointments of his season and won his match 2/1.
Damon Watkins did not bring his “A” game and went down 4/2.
James Pluske continued in winning form and won his 3rd match out of 4.
Rehan Alikhan lost his way early again and the 5-hole deficit was too much for him to overcome and he ultimately lost at the 17th.
The final result – a win 4/3. Well done. The win knocked The Vines out of finals contention.
Editor’s comments. Some good results individually – David Southa, James Pluske and newcomer Jack Ellis – but overall, their individual efforts were not sufficient for the team to play in the final.
That concludes the season for 2023 and special thanks to Ufaq Qazi and Scott van Heurck for committing their time to both teams. It is a thankless task.
from Greg Fitzhardinge
