🏆 Sport

Sports reports: Murray Bridge Golf Club’s captain leads the way

Plus the latest in Murray Towns cricket, Lower Murray lawn bowls and Murray Bridge soccer and rifle shooting.

Contributed

Nov 28, 2023 — 6 min read

This post includes contributions from Michael Potts, Derek Vanderzon and Daniel Irvine.

Steine “Smilie” Trinder is all, well, smiles after a successful day on the golf course. Photo: Michael Potts.

Murray Bridge Golf Club’s captain leads the way

Murray Bridge Golf Club captain Steine “Smilie” Trinder was having just a so-so round on Saturday: some good shots, some wayward ones, pretty standard stuff.

But standing on the 13th tee block, with a score of three down for the day, something suddenly changed: everything started to go right, and all that the former termite exterminator touched turned to gold.

Six holes later he walked off the 18th green after six consecutive wins to enter the clubhouse three up for the day.

He had also resorted to taking the mickey by scoring a par four on the last hole when a bogey would still have been enough for a win.

As usual with Trinder’s golf game, what happened will remain a mystery and may not be seen again for quite some time, but the day’s efforts won him the par competition and the coveted pro comp for the best back nine with his brilliant five up.

Good stuff captain – persistency eventually does pay off.

New club manager Peter Kennedy, a more than handy seven-handicapper, had his first satisfying round at Ritter Street and showed just what he is capable of by winning the A grade with an impressive two-up.

Set-in-stone B-grader Lawerance Crack showed his wise-cracking playing partners how it was done in finishing one up to hold off runner-up Jim Honner.

In the C grade Neil “Dog” Rothe had an on week to claim victory with his two up and leave runner-up Jeff Wright – yes, he is now in C grade, this is not a misprint – and his one up in his wake.

It will be the start of a new month this Saturday, so a stroke round it must be – the type of golf where players get more shots for their money and therefore better value.

Results: murraybridgegolfclub.com.au/competition-results-reports.

Mypo hold top spot after low-scoring win at Homburg

Monarto 93 lost to Mypolonga 5/94

Monarto best: Daniel Matthews 24, Josh Mildwaters 3/11
Mypolonga best: Aaron Zrim 4/10, Samuel Elliott 3/19 and 42*

Meningie 4/119 defeated Wanderers 115

Wanderers best: Benjamin Trenorden 21, Craig Fidge 1/16
Meningie best: Paul McNicol 4/39, John Zadow 93*

Mannum 1/129 defeated Tailem Bend 4/127

Tailem Bend best: Brad Kleinig 35 and 1/28
Mannum best: Dwayne Krollig 2/5, Zak Muirhead 60*, Joshua Hancock 56*

Karoonda go top after out-bowling Mannum

In Lower Murray bowls, Karoonda hold top spot after taking 10 points from Mannum at Mannum, and are beginning to emerge as serious contenders with a 13-shot win.

Ian Symonds, Gary Zadow, Jake Venning and Malcolm Waechter led the way with a 23-13 win over Terry McDonnell, Tommy Towns, Steve Gregory and Ron Van Tijn.

Most of the damage was done early, with Symonds 11 shots clear after 12 ends before McDonnell clawed back to be four down with three ends to go.

A three to Symonds stifled the comeback as he added the last six shots.

With no Josh Porker, Len Symonds filled the void with Robin Burdett, Erin O’Malley and Bill Cornish to win by nine over Graham Wakefield, John Howe, Gary Odgers and Marie Wachtel, 23-14.

With regular number-three Shaun Wood missing as well, it would have been a particularly satisfying win for the visitors, and old-timer Symonds might figure he deserves to keep his spot after that performance.

Symonds trailed throughout the first half, but a decisive run of two, four, four and two turned a two-shot deficit into a 10-shot lead in the blink of an eye.

A 10-8 lead to Wakefield became 11-23 before a final-end three stopped the bleeding.

A late surge by Gavin Pfeiffer, Garry Fowler, Kelvin Newman and Lynton Jones gave Mannum two points with a 22-16 win over Rowan Zadow, Garry Mason, Don Loller and John Wegner.

Zadow led throughout until a three and a one to Pfeiffer tied the scores going into the final end.

Pfeiffer finished off in style with a six to complete the turnaround.

RSL had an impressive 14-shot win over Jervois at Murray Bridge RSL, getting up on all rinks and climbing up to fourth spot.

Stand-in skipper David Graham put in a terrific display to lead his rink of Neil Zander, David Newell and Allan Wooldridge to a 26-18 win over Shawn Hicks, Derek Vanderzon, debutant Stuart McCulloch and Shane Fromm.

Jervois held more than their share of shots early, but Graham was faultless as he repeatedly drew shot with his final bowl to take an early 14-2 lead.

A four and two to Hicks closed the gap at the break, but Graham again bolted away to lead by 17 shots, with a pinpoint drive adding five shots.

A late revival closed the gap to a more respectable eight shots, with Hicks taking the last four ends.

Trevor Mann, Graham Fromm, Graham Schenke and Neil Morris made a perfect start against Noel Kneebone, Anne-Marie Kuchel, Kerri Bolt and James Galbraith with a three and a five to open proceedings, but were eventually worn down to go down by five shots, 17-22.

The home side dominated over the last eight ends, adding 14 shots to two in overturning a seven-shot deficit.

The final rink was tight right through, with Jason Sipos, Gordon Beelitz, Matt Wynne and Garry Daniel scoring one on the last end with the scores locked at 17-all against Rodger Zarantonello, Daryl Little, Sam Mammone and Bob Solley.

A three to Zarantonello on the penultimate end had given the visitors a chance after six lead changes during the day, but they couldn’t quite get there.

Tailem Bend’s home game against Murray Bridge was played at the latter’s home ground due to the renovation of Tailem’s greens, and resulted in a two-rink win to Murray Bridge, 65-55.

Bruce Attrill, David Kempe, Mark Callery and Tony Gill were too strong for Merv Stevens, Kylie Slatttery, Con Jones and Colin Baxter, winning 25-16.

Darren McIntosh, Brian Traeger, Brian Leckie and Michael Ferris were 20-16 winners over Travis Schenke, Stuart Rooke, Kevin McDonald and Matthew Hogan.

Tailem welcomed back David Hoare from a knee operation, and he assisted Rob Hales, Nathan Mammone and Ian Shepherd to a 23-20 win over Paul Smart, Peter Shilton, Ben Traeger and Andrew Meddle.

Jeremy Byrnes will have some help from Alex Black in 2024. Photo: Murray Bridge Utd Soccer Club/Facebook.

New coach appointed at Murray Bridge United

Jeremy Byrnes will reprise his role as head coach at Murray Bridge’s soccer club going into the upcoming season; however, this season he will have the support of newly appointed reserves coach Alex Black.

Black, a committed one-club player with over 200 games for Murray Bridge United, will bring a wealth of experience to the role.

While his primary responsibility will involve coaching the reserves side and focusing on player development, he will also assist Byrnes with first team duties.

Read more: www.facebook.com.

John Cranwell gets ready to fire. Photo: Daniel Irvine.

Paech, Cranwell and Harrison win on the rifle range

Difficult winds have prevailed early at Murray Bridge Rifle Club as members contested a round of the annual championship from 800 metres.

The wind was gusting from the right, with directional changes that made it very hard to read; however, it did become steadier as the afternoon went on.

Leading the way early were TR shooters Andrew Heard and Robert Paech, both with 49s, and Mark Nesti, shooting sporting open, with a 56.