Sports reports: Mark Bolton hits rare albatross at Murray Bridge

This post includes contributions from Michael Potts and Derek Vanderzon.

• 🏏 Mypolonga win back-to-back cricket grand finals
• ⛳️ Mark Bolton hits rare albatross at Murray Bridge
• 🏁 Matt Egel wins Ross Wright Memorial feature race
• 🏇 Dancing Storm wins Magic Millions Two-Year-Old Classic
• ⚫️ Division one bowlers prepare for finals at Karoonda

Mark Bolton hits rare albatross at Murray Bridge

With blistering heat playing havoc at Murray Bridge Golf Club recently, players have been subjected to the hot weather policy – which decreed they tee off between 7 and 9am – on both Wednesday and Saturday.

This presented no problems for versatile A grader Tony Carter, who scorched his way around the course on Saturday to card a stylish 40 points and be on the winner’s dais.

Always low-key and modest about his golf, Carter would no doubt have said that he got lucky on the day, but in actual fact he is a sweet striker of the ball and classy on his day, and this was one of them.

Meanwhile, for only the fifth time in the 100-year-plus history of the club, an albatross – three under par on a hole – was scored.

Club President Mark Bolton, a noted monster hitter, tamed the par five 12th hole in just two strokes.

He started by smashing a driver to the 100-metre mark – a 300-metre-plus drive, and straight – before pulling a lob wedge from his bag, if you don’t mind, and guiding his ball just over the flagstick before seeing it fizz back with spin straight into the hole – perfection!

Apart from giving the prez an almost-unheard-of five Stableford points for the hole, it also won him the sizeable cache of balls from the eagle’s nest, a healthy return for just two hits.

Finally, on a more sombre note, the club flag flapped at half-mast several weeks ago for the passing of entertaining 90-year-old club member John Bell, who succumbed to an illness he had been battling over the past year.

Having played golf for more than 70 years, been a two-handicapper at Grange for some of those and still playing locally at age 89, Bell was known for his quick wit, wonderful storytelling and a dislike for “Mickey Mouse” golf events, especially at Christmas time.

He once boasted of having played against Sir Donald Bradman in a pennants match, which he lost, but always bemoaned not having ever scored a hole in one.

He would bristle every time another C-grader aced a hole in one of the comps at Murray Bridge.

Vale John – you will be greatly missed, and St Peter certainly won’t know what’s hit him up there.

Matt Egel wins Ross Wright Memorial feature race

Matt Egel has secured the victory in the 25-lap Ross Wright Memorial feature on Saturday night during the opening night of the Australian Sprintcar Masters at Murray Bridge Speedway.

With Murray Bridge enduring weather conditions of over 40 degrees throughout the day, the track conditions proved to be tough, but Egel survived to defeat an impressive Jy Corbet and Daniel Pestka.

In the process, he edged ahead of Luke Dillon in overall series points.

• Read more: www.facebook.com/MurrayBridgeSpeedway.

Dancing Storm wins Magic Millions Two-Year-Old Classic

Richard and Chantelle Jolly’s Dancing Storm has won the richest juvenile race in South Australia, the Magic Millions Two-Year-Old Classic, in a thrilling victory at Murray Bridge Racing Club.

Chris Bieg Racing’s Overstrike took out the Magic Millions Three- and Four-Year-Old Classic in a tight finish, winning by 0.1 lengths.

• Read more: Magic Millions 2024

Division one bowlers prepare for finals at Karoonda

Last weekend’s heatwave has resulted in the Lower Murray Bowling Association semi-finals for all grades being pushed back to this Saturday, with the preliminary finals to be held on Sunday.

Karoonda will host both division one semi finals and will be favoured to take the shortcut to the grand final.

The youthful combination of Josh Porker, Shaun Wood, Erin O’Malley, with either the experienced Bill Cornish or Don Loller on the lead, has been the outstanding performer for Karoonda all season and will have a big say in the result.

Porker is in outstanding form at the moment, winning the regional singles championship, and although he has at times seemed a little nervy in big games in the past, he should now have the confidence to back his ability.

The other two rinks, skippered by Rowan Zadow and Ian Symonds respectively, have been a little inconsistent, but seem to have settled on their lineup, with Garry Mason third to Symonds and Rohan Zadow filling the same role for Zadow.

For Murray Bridge the seemingly ageless Bruce Attrill is still a major trump card, but there is a feeling his ability to perform miracles at the crucial time is waning a little; he will be keen to prove that wrong.

David Kempe has assumed skippering duties and had some big wins and, with Ben Traeger and Paul Smart in support, will cause problems.

Darren McIntosh has probably not had the season he would like, but there is no better time than finals to turn things around.

Mannum and RSL will contest the elimination semi final, with Mannum winning both of their previous completed matches this season, and the third being lost to heat with Mannum in control.

RSL have been too inconsistent of late, but will go into the match feeling they have nothing to lose.

If Jason Sipos can find his best form they will threaten, but I expect Mannum to be too steady with the experience of Gavin Pfeiffer, Terry McDonnell and Graham Wakefield in charge.

In division two Murray Bridge will be strongly favoured to progress through to the grand final on their home ground, although Jervois will be buoyed by inflicting one of their only two losses in their most recent meeting.

Mannum should be too strong for RSL in the eliminator.

Division three will be played at Meningie, with both home teams pitted against Murray Bridge teams.

The top four was relatively tight, and both matches could go either way.

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