Shepparton Golf was able to exact revenge for last season’s Allan Matheson Shield grand final loss with a thrilling seven-shot triumph over Tallygaroopna on Saturday.
On a challenging surface at Tallygaroopna, Golf held on by the skin of its teeth to ensure it remains in top spot of the Goulburn Valley Playing Area weekend division one ladder.
Much like last season’s decider, Saturday’s encounter between the two rivals was a gruelling and narrow contest right from the outset.
The biggest winning rink margin of three shots tells you all you need to know about how tense the match was in the dying stages.
The Golfers slipped early on and found themselves trailing at the main break, but as the powerhouse outfit adjusted to the green the scoreboard swung in favour of the visitor.
Some terrific efforts from some of Golf’s notable big names ensured the round seven clash ended with a 16-97 to 2-90 win.
Last year’s decider may be a distant memory in the mind of the current squad, but Golf playing coach Brett Foley expressed his relief of trumping its rival.
“It’s always nice to get a win over the reigning premier and we’ll take some confidence away,” he said.
“It was a real tricky surface, it took us probably until the 50th end to really find our groove and by that stage we were already behind, so we were chasing them after the break.
“And we were able to scrape home in the end.”
Tally skip Kyle Pugh got the better of Foley (26-25) to ensure two points stayed home with Tallygaroopna.
Golf’s Alan Dove (23-20) skipped his rink to victory, while Brad Orr (26-24) and John Gribble (23-20) secured crucial come-from-behind victories.
Foley praised Orr and his rink — consisting of John Stokes, Ash King and Wayne Dagger — for working their way back into the contest after a lapse at the start of the match.
“Both Orry and John did well to come from way back and win. Their two rinks stood out,” Foley said.
But it wasn’t all roses and sunshine for Golf.
One of the main areas of concern for Foley is the sluggish starts that have impacted his outfit.
Foley highlighted the need for his side to continue to find improvements in its game.
“Once again, I felt like we weren’t at our best,” he said.
“We definitely still have room for improvement. We started slow, but the group, they really fought it out until the end and it’s good to win like that sometimes when you’re up against it.”
In the remaining top flight matches, it was no surprise to see Kyabram walk away with a convincing win over East Shepparton.
With Scotland bowls legend Alex Marshall at their disposal, the Bombers romped home to secure a 16-114 to 2-75 win under lights on Friday evening.
In front of a healthy crowd, Marshall took on skip duties and showcased his skills on the green with a 31-14 rink win.
Kyabram vice-president Glenn Fields said it was a “memorable night”.
“The night went really well. When you plan these type of nights weeks out, and in this case months out, you worry about all the things that can go wrong,” Fields said.
“But everything went smoothly and everyone had a great night and the number one thing was we got the win.
“Big thanks to East for coming over and being a part of the night ... we all had a beer and a chat until late and it was a good night all up.”
Meanwhile, Shepparton Park bounced back from its loss in round six with a sublime performance against Tatura-Hill Top.
It was a well-rounded team effort, with Park able to secure three rink wins and a draw in the 17-115 to 1-72 win.
Paul Nichols and his rink were the clear standout with an emphatic 40-13 victory.
Lastly, Stanhope dropped one rink in its 17-shot triumph over Mooroopna.
Stanhope, headlined by Tim Hancock’s 32-18 win, was able to cruise to a 16-100 to 2-83 victory.
Mooroopna’s Darren Kelly performed strongly to clinch a 28-20 rink win.