Sports reports: Murray Bridge-trained Silent Surrente wins the Adelaide Cup
Plus Mannum wins a cricket grand final and the latest in local lifesaving, bowls and golf.
This story includes contributions from Derek Vanderzon and Michael Potts. Email your sports reports to liana@murraybridge.news.
A Murray Bridge-trained mare has won the biggest prize in South Australian horse racing: the Adelaide Cup.
Silent Surrente, Monday’s winner, was trained locally by Niki O’Shea for Clarken Racing.
Unfortunately, the local connection is not likely to endure.
Will Clarken recently announced plans to close the team’s Murray Bridge training base and concentrate its stables at Morphettville and Sellicks Beach, and fired a few parting shots at the Murray Bridge Racing Club on his way out.
Mannum wins Murray Towns cricket’s 2025 grand final
Meanwhile, Mannum are on top of the Murray Towns Cricket Association once more after knocking off defending premiers Mypolonga in Saturday’s grand final.
A clinical bowling performance in the heat, backed up by the top-order batters, earned the Kookaburras a six-wicket win.
Dwayne Krollig was the pick of the bowlers with 4/19 off nine overs, while his son Jayden and Jesse Consalvo took two each.
Stephen Mills top-scored for Mypo with 32 before being run out.
In reply, Mannum worked steadily towards their victory target; Nick Lindner top-scored with 40 off 76 balls.
Aaron Zrim took a couple of wickets.
The win continued an intense rivalry between the Kookaburras and Tigers, who have contested the past four A grade grand finals.
Mypo won in 2024 and 2023, while Mannum took the victory in 2022.
Also on Saturday, Mypo defeated Wanderers by three wickets in the B grade grand final, while Imperials beat Monarto by five wickets in the Cs.
Tailem Bend had won the under-15s a week earlier.
Murray Bridge Livesaving Club, you little ripper
Murray Bridge have been named champions at Surf Life Saving SA’s inaugural Little Rippers Carnival.
The club had 35 competitors make their way to Lake Bonney on Saturday.
Competing in swimming, sprints, flag and board races, the kids were able to experience what life saving and iron man competitions are all about while competing against Lake Bonney, Renmark, Mildura and selected coastal clubs who made the trip and joined the fun.
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Murray Bridge pair are champions of champions
Murray Bridge’s Brian Traeger and Darren McIntosh have capitalised on their home ground advantage to be crowned Lower Murray Bowling Association champion of champion pair on Sunday.
The the first round, RSL’s Jason Sipos and Gary Daniel easily eliminated Jervois pair Graeme Herbert and Jeremy Scannell 13-3, with the 12th and final end redundant.
Meningie’s Glen Andrews and Heath Mitchell sprung a surprise when they won the last four ends to upset Mannum’s Marty March and Todd McDonnell 12-11.
The Meningie duo started well, but trailed by five shots after the Mannum pair scored eight unanswered shots to lead 11-6 after eight ends.
With scores level going into the final end, a final drive by March to remove the opposition shot bowl upset the kitty, but to no avail as it settled near an opposing bowl.
Traeger and McIntosh had an even start against Karoonda’s Josh Porker and Malcolm Waechter, but broke away to a seven-shot lead after seven ends.
Porker closed the gap to two shots, but a drive to remove the shot bowl collected the jack and sent him six shots down instead, effectively ending the contest.
Tailem Bend had the first-round bye.
The second round saw RSL eliminate Meningie 12-8.
Meningie looked to be once again working back into the match after a slow start, but a pinpoint drive by Sipos ended their chances on the 11th end.
Traeger and McIntosh were in trouble against Tailem’s Duane Edwards and Travis Schenke when they trailed 10-4 after seven ends, but a break due to the excessive heat seemed to work in their favour.
They scored 12 unanswered shots over the next four ends as a six-shot deficit suddenly became a six-shot lead with one end to play.
A three to Tailem reduced the final margin to three shots.
In the final, the Murray Bridge pair started brilliantly with a four, and a three the next end have them a 7-0 lead.
RSL responded by winning five of the next six ends, but with mainly singles were still two shots adrift.
Murray Bridge added a two and a three to restore a seven-shot lead with two ends to go.
A two to Sipos was not enough to apply the pressure, and Traeger and McIntosh finished with a single to clinch the title.
Mannum qualifies for LMBA grand final
Mannum have taken the direct route to the LMBA grand final with a 16-shot win over Murray Bridge, who now use their double chance with a home game against Karoonda, who eventually prevailed against Jervois in a nail-biting finish.
Mannum made full use of their home ground advantage, getting home on all three rinks to earn a week off.
Gavin Pfeiffer, Tom Towns, Steve Gregory and Ainsley Roberts took a while to warm up, with the scores locked away at five apiece after eight ends against Brian and Ben Traeger, Helen Lindner and Andrew Meddle, before a three gave them a little breathing space.
The visitors were unable to bridge the gap, and a four to Pfeiffer on the 18th extended the lead to eight shots.
The last three ends were all singles, with Pfeiffer going on to win 20-11.
In contrast, Terry McDonnell, Marty March, Tony Gill and Ron Van Tyn wasted no time in asserting their dominance over Bruce Attrill, Charlie DiSanto, Mike Ferris and Brian Leckie.
Two fours and a five in the first 10 ends had McDonnell leading 18-5 and a shellacking looked on the cards.
To their credit, the visitors restricted McDonnell to just three singles over the remaining 11 ends, and added 10 shots themselves to go down by six shots, 21-15.
David Kempe, Graham Leathers, Gary Odgers and Todd McDonnell overcame Darren McIntosh, Tony Trewren, Troy Penhall and Paul Smart by one shot with a strong second half.
McIntosh led by three at the break, but Kempe won six of the seven ends leading up to the 20th to take a four-shot lead.
McIntosh finished with a single and a two on the final end, but fell one shot short, 16-15, in a low-scoring contest.
Most of the day’s highlights were on the adjoining rinks, where Karoonda and Jervois could not be separated after the regular 63 ends, with the scores tied at 56 apiece.
Karoonda emerged the eventual winner, with singles on each of the three rinks of the extra end.
Ian Symonds, Garry Mason, Aaron Jones and Malcolm McKenzie were Karoonda’s only winners, but their 13-shot margin over Graeme Herbert, Jeremy Scannell, Denis Hicks and Graham Schenke after 21 ends was decisive.
Symonds raced to an early seven-shot lead, and with a six on the ninth, immediately followed up by a three, assumed total control to lead 17-5 after just nine ends.
Herbert clawed a few shots back, but when Jones pineappled a drive, putting both his bowl and the jack in the ditch, one sensed that it was not going to be Herbert’s day.
Symonds ultimately prevailed 26-13.
Graham Fromm reversed roles with Kevin Spinks, and along with Shawn Hicks and Neil Morris put in a strong performance to defeat Rowan Zadow, Rohan Tomkinson, Len Symonds and Gary Zadow 25-16.
A three right on the break gave Fromm a seven-shot lead, and the momentum carried on for the next few ends upon resuming, with Fromm taking a 20-6 lead after 14 ends.
It looked as they might carry Jervois through, but a four to Zadow on the 20th end was critical in the end result.
Tim Hicks, Derek Vanderzon, Bruce Smith and Shane Fromm were engaged in a real battle with Josh Porker, Malcolm Waechter, Erin O’Malley and John Wegner, but prevailed 18-14.
Hicks led by one shot at the break, but Porker looked as he might be getting on top with four ends in a row to sneak ahead by three shots.
A four to Hicks gave him the lead, and the the jack was moved multiple times in the final few ends as they vied for the advantage.
A single to Hicks on the final end tied up the overall scores and sent the match to an extra end.
Karoonda managed a single on each of the extra ends, with Hicks unluckily rolling an opposition bowl into the shot while attempting to add a second shot, which would have again forced an extra end.
Karoonda now travel to Murray Bridge in an attempt to keep their title defence alive.
In-form golfers tear apart Murray Bridge golf course
On Saturday, a score-a-thon took place at Ritter Street with the Murray Bridge golf course simply having to submit to lots of on-fire golfers feasting on pars and birdies in the glorious autumn conditions.
Over half of the 78-strong field played to or beat their handicaps – an absurd percentage compared to normal.
Shaun Williams was the star of the day, winning with a massive 44-point haul and simply not able to make a mistake on the back nine in particular, where he shot an even-par 34 off the stick for an outrageous 26 Stableford points – not bad for a 15-handicapper.
He is certainly capable of this sort of golf but it apparently just depends on which side of the bed he gets out of in the morning.
One had to feel sorry for club captain Steine “Smilie” Trinder, who also rattled up 44 points as well as a remarkable 25-point back nine but still couldn’t win the day, or the pro comp either.
That’s about as stiff as one could get on a golf course.
Fortunately Smilie always keeps his emotions in check and he would no doubt have been wishing Shaun all the best when he caught up with him afterwards.
Mention must also go to A-grade winner Jedd Rothe, who has worked his way down to a six handicap in recent times; this didn’t stop him from chalking up a brilliant 40 points.
That is simply brilliant golf and just who knows where his ceiling is in terms of handicap?
It was also great to see so many new members of the club who are now obtaining handicaps and giving competition golf a go.
So many new names are appearing in the results list in recent times.
A par competition is scheduled for this Saturday but the weather looks to be pretty hot once again so this may cause a change to Stableford if required.
Email your sports reports to liana@murraybridge.news.
