🏆 Sport

Sports reports: Eastern are SA country champions for 2023

Plus the latest in Murray Bridge rifle shooting, golf and soccer.

Contributed

Jul 11, 2023 — 3 min read

This post includes contributions from Daniel Irvine and Michael Potts.

Eastern celebrate their win at the country championships over the weekend. Photo: Jodie Jaensch/River Murray Football League Pics.

🏉 Eastern are SA country champions for 2023

Eastern has claimed an historic inaugural South Australian Men’s Country Championship with a comfortable 53-point win in the grand final at Nuriootpa’s Centennial Park Oval.

Finishing undefeated across its opening two outings on Saturday, Eastern finished off strongly in the title-deciding match as SANFL Crows-listed midfielder Josh Smithson starred with three goals in a best afield display.

Eastern – which includes players from the River Murray Football League – fittingly had seven players selected in the men’s team of the championship, including Don McSweeny Medallist Samuel Callins.

Sam Sanders, Daniel Perks, Ben Moroney, Ben Salt, Rory O’Driscoll and Josh Smithson were also selected.

Taking the reins for the first time in the coach’s box, Eastern mentor Adam Klun was awarded the Bill Murdoch Medal as coach of the championships.

Meanwhile, Central held its nerve on home soil to earn its inaugural SA Women’s Country Championship with a three-point win against Eastern in their grand final.

Eastern’s Larissa Schenscher and Brianna Burt were named in the team of the championship.

Read more: sanfl.com.au.

Greg Traeger gets ready to shoot at Monarto South on Saturday. Photo: Daniel Irvine.

🔫 Wind is no match for Oscar Neumann and Greg Traeger

Almost a dozen members from the Murray Bridge Rifle Club have braved 40-kilometre-per-hour winds, gusting to more than 50km/h, to shoot the second round of the club championship from 500 metres.

The wind was so strong that cancelling the shoot was considered, but the prevailing westerly direction meant that shooting could proceed.

Greg Traeger turned out to be glad it did, getting up from his first round with a possible of 50.05.

He looked good to make it a double as well until one shot was blown just outside the bullseye ring for a four.

He still finished the day with a well-shot 99.09, claiming both the TR off-rifle and handicap awards comfortably.

Read more: www.facebook.com/mbrifleclub.

⛳️ Murray Bridge Golf Club results

Men’s Stableford competition, July 8

Winner: Tony Carter, 38 points
A grade: Joel King 35, Keith Durham 35
B grade: Martin Altmann 37, Rob Walters 34
C grade: Neil Rothe 37, Janis Janson 34
Ball winners: Tyson Wright, Damian Dolman 33; Michael Perrey, Aaron Morrish, Peter Anderson, Barry Sparrow, Deane Pannell, Neville Briggs 32; Dan Stevenson, Rob Muster, Andrew Massie, Graeme Southern, Gary Savage, George Langsford, Robert Ballard 31

Men’s Stableford competition, July 5

Winner: Deane Pannell, 38 points
Runner-up: Glenmore Hattam 37
Ball winners: Tony Carter, Nick Stephenson 36; Martin Altmann, Koady Miller 35; Neville Briggs, Mark Bolton, Timothy Jenkin, Robert Shepherd 34; Joel McFee, Peter James, Harry Schulte, Jeff Morgan 33

Women’s stroke competition, July 4