Sports reports: Molly Bretag keeps winning

Plus the latest from Murray Towns cricket, Lower Murray lawn bowls and Murray Bridge golf and tennis.

Sports reports: Molly Bretag keeps winning

This post includes contributions from Ruth Bretag, Derek Vanderzon, Michael Potts and Margaret Bessen.

Molly Bretag, centre, has become the first woman to win New Zealand’s national trap championship. Photo: Dave Jones/Shooting Australia.

Molly Bretag keeps winning

Pompoota shooter Molly Bretag has continued her winning ways at events in Brisbane and New Zealand.

Most notably, she won New Zealand’s national trap shooting championship earlier this month, becoming the first woman to do so – and at just 20 years of age.

The three-person Australian team also won the Calrossie Trophy at the event, defeating New Zealand in the same discipline.

Less than a fortnight earlier she had finished fourth in a national Australian Clay Target Association women’s competition, and fifth in a Commonwealth women’s competition, in Brisbane.

Back in December she was named Shooting Australia’s junior athlete of the year after, among other achievements, a top-four finish at a junior world championship in Korea.

Cameron Cox hundred helps Woo Hoos beat Tailem Bend

Wanderers 8/229 defeated Tailem Bend 54

  • Wanderers best: Cameron Cox 100*, Ash Brown 4/14, Joardyn Williams 3/20
  • Tailem Bend best: Tyler White 4/34, Lee Slape 13*

Meningie 9/139 defeated Monarto 90

  • Meningie best: Stewart Williss 50, Paul McNicol 4/32, Tyson Bradley 3/14
  • Monarto best: Ty Pfeiffer 4/23, Josh Mildwaters 3/27, Ethan Smith 35

Mypolonga 5/145 defeated Mannum 8/144

  • Mannum best: Dwayne Krollig 50*, Jayden Krollig 2/25
  • Mypolonga best: Aaron Zrim 4/28 and 54*

Tailem Bend bowlers knock Karoonda out of top spot

Tailem Bend have climbed off the bottom of the Lower Murray lawn bowls ladder with a surprisingly easy 26-shot win over Karoonda, getting up on all three rinks and dropping the former ladder-leaders back to second spot.

Travis Schenke, David Hoare, Kevin McDonald and Robert Parker led the way with a 26-12 win over Ian Symonds, Gary Zadow, Jake Venning and Don Loller.

Michael Thorne, Nathan Mammone, Ian Shepherd and Grant Byrne were 25-18 winners over the much more highly rated Josh Porker, Shaun Wood, Erin O’Malley and Rohan Tomkinson.

Rob Hales, Stuart Rooke, Colin Baxter and Glenda Shepherd completed the clean sweep with a five-shot win over Rowan Zadow, Garry Mason, Malcolm McKenzie and John Wegner, 20-15.

Jervois travelled to Mannum and, despite getting up on two rinks, just failed to secure the points, going down 53-51.

Gavin Pfeiffer, Gary Fowler, John Howe and John McDiamid were nine-shot winners over Shawn Hicks, Jeremy Scannell, Dean Tanner and Grace Hameister, covering the losses on the other two rinks.

Pfeiffer gained an early break with a pair of threes and led by four shots at the break, but broke away by winning the first five ends upon the resumption to go 12 ahead and seal the win.

Terry McDonnell, Tom Towns, Steve Gregory and Ron Van Tijn went down by a single shot to Rodger Zarantonello, Graham Schenke, Steve Kroehn and Neil Morris.

The scores were tight throughout, with McDonnell leading by a shot going into the final end.

Unfortunately his final bowl skewed the jack to his opponents, and the resulting two shots gave them the narrowest of wins.

Graham Wakefield, Lynton Jones, Graham Leathers and Gary Odgers went down by six shots to Graham Fromm, Derek Vanderzon, Trevor Mann and Shane Fromm.

Wakefield opened proceedings with a four, but the lead had changed hands several times by the break.

A four to Fromm then gave him a break which he was able to maintain through to the finish.

Murray Bridge flexed their muscles with a thumping 39-shot win over RSL, 72-33, ascending to the top of the ladder and displacing Karoonda.

The move of David Kempe to skipper paid dividends with his rink of Ben Traeger, Paul Smart and David Ratsch 19-shot winners over Jason Sipos, David Graham, Matt Wynne and Garry Daniel with a 26-7 score.

The lead to Kempe was only three shots at the break, but they romped home with nine of the last 10 ends while adding 17 shots to a solitary single.

The rink of Darren McIntosh, Brian Traeger, Mike Ferris and Andrew Meddle followed an almost identical path, also leading by just three at the break.

They also won nine of the last 10 ends, including the last eight, and added 16 to two in their 25-8 win against Noel Kneebone, Kerri Bolt, James Galbraith and Anne-Marie Kuchel.

Bruce Attrill, Peter Shilton, Charlie DiSanto and Tony Gill were three-shot winners over David Thiele, Gordon Beelitz, Alan Wooldridge and David Newell, 21-18.

Scores were tied at the break before Thiele edged five shots ahead, only to concede four ends in a row and fall two shots behind.

A four to Thiele again put him three shots ahead with two ends to go, but Attrill finished with a five and a single to clinch the win.

Josh McPhee has had a successful day at Murray Bridge Golf Club. Photo: Michael Potts.

Josh McPhee sails over the top of the field

Playing in the final group of the day, Josh McPhee has come home with a wet sail to take out a Stableford event at Murray Bridge Golf Club with a dazzling 40 points on Saturday.

By his own admission, he was in the trees for most of the day, but once he got a clear look at the green his chipping and putting was sublime.

Meanwhile, hitting the course on his 68th birthday, consistent A-grader Jeff Morgan carded, appropriately, 36 points – or, in stroke language, a nett 68.

It was a pretty good effort and good enough, in fact, to win the A grade on the day.

Perhaps something not to remember from his round, however, was his visit to the 11th hole, which he had holed in one just over a week prior.

This time his birdie putt missed by a foot and, as he went to tap in for par, the flag suddenly flapped in his face, causing him to miss the unmissable and giving him an unwanted bogey.

The golf course strikes back.

Lyn Pitcher supports the mid-week women’s golf by following the groups in her trusty cart. Photo: Margaret Bessen.

Langsford and Paech win women’s golf comps

Meanwhile, Mary Langsford has won the women’s stroke round played on February 6 in Murray Bridge with a very impressive 71 nett.

Langsford attributed the success to straight hitting on the fairways and steady play that reduced the errors.

A worthy mention must go to Barb Smyth, who had a 77 nett which included a brilliant chip on the green over the bunker and grass to card a four on the 17th hole.

Smyth is slowly but keenly chasing down her handicap, and with a birthday fast approaching, hoping for more celebratory success.

Captain Lisa Hancock, who travels from Walker Flat each week, had a torrid time on the 15th fairway when her old faithful ball was lost.

This resulted in a nasty eight being added to her score and a “never to be repeated” instruction by the player to herself.

Jill Morrell made a pleasant return to nine holes of golf while Lyn Pitcher, Jan Murray and Lyn Jericho joined the women golfers over lunchtime chats.

A Saturday morning Stableford competition was won by Ellen Paech, with 32 points, on a countback from Suzanne Antel, 32 points.

Welcomed were visitor Courtney Lamont, new member Karyne Scheer and, back from a break, Maureen Edwards.

Heartly laughs were had amongst the women over lunch when it was revealed Alan Darch had played a hole to two on the course wearing two shoes on the wrong feet.

Laughter continued when the story was told of the startled confrontation in the toilet block near the seventh tee block, when Kathy Pfeiffer shared the toilet space with a rather timid lizard.

Both escaped unharmed.

Representatives of the Littlehampton Tennis Club and Murray Bridge Lawn Tennis Association share the trophy they’d fought hard to win. Photo: Littlehampton Tennis Club.

Murray Bridge, Littlehampton tennis clubs can’t be separated

Round two of a Murray Bridge Lawn Tennis Association and Littlehampton Tennis Club inter-club challenge has been played, a week after being delayed.

After 48 matches on hard and grass courts across two weekends, including more than 40 players, the clubs ended up with a tie of 72 points each.

It all came down to the last doubles.


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