Overnight storms cleared to a windy but generally fine day, as the third round of the 2018 GV Pennant season was completed on Sunday 25 March. As the season enters a week’s break for Easter, ladder trends have begun to emerge as the 38 previously undefeated teams dropped to 26 after a keenly contested round.
Kingston Heath is the only undefeated team in Division 1 of Men’s Pennant after accounting for Metropolitan by five matches to two while Huntingdale toppled 2017 Champions Commonwealth by four matches to three to be the sole unconquered club in Division 1 of Women’s Pennant.
Elsewhere in Men’s Pennant, three of the four previously undefeated teams in Men’s Division 2 all lost with only Huntingdale maintaining an unblemished record. Having won 17 out 21 individual matches played so far in 2018, the club now looks well placed to get back to Division 1 next season. In Division 4, Riversdale and Sandhurst are undefeated but will meet in Round 4 at Kooringal on April 8 to determine Divisional favouritism.
Division 2 of Women’s Pennant sees Royal Melbourne and Spring Valley maintain perfect records, the latter accounting for the previously unbeaten Kew 4/3. Keysborough head Division 3 with a third straight win after the previously undefeated Riversdale went down 4/3 to The Heritage. Rossdale lead the way in Division 4 after a 5/2 win against Northern.
2017 Division 1 Colts winners Commonwealth head the unbeaten Colts teams with multiple teams maintaining perfect records through the other Divisions. The 26 teams with the perfect 2018 record after the opening three rounds across 15 divisions of GV Pennant (6 Men’s; 4 Women’s and 5 Colts) is as follows:
Men’s Division 1 – Kingston Heath
Men’s Division 2 – Huntingdale
Men’s Division 3 – Gisborne
Men’s Division 4 – Riversdale & Sandhurst
Men’s Division 5 – Cranbourne & Settlers Run
Men’s Division 6 – Whittlesea & Eastern
Women’s Division 1 – Huntingdale
Women’s Division 2 – Royal Melbourne & Spring Valley
Women’s Division 3 – Keysborough
Women’s Division 4 – Rossdale
Colts Division 1 – Commonwealth
Colts Division 2 – The National & Latrobe
Colts Division 3 – Cranbourne, Churchill-Waverley & Mt Derrimut
Colts Division 4 – Sandhurst, Cheltenham & Box Hill
Colts Division 5 – Bacchus Marsh, Goonawarra/Melton Valley & Green Acres
This season, 31 clubs are participating in Women’s Pennant, 47 in Men’s Pennant, 38 in Colts Pennant and 32 in Friday Women’s Pennant, in arguably one of the strongest club team golf competitions in the world.
Given the scheduling of the Australian Men’s and Women’s Interstate Teams Matches in early May, the 2018 finals will be played on Sunday 6 May for teams not involving Victorian State players and Sunday 20 May for the Division 1 Men’s and Women’s finals and any other Division where a final would involve a team containing a Victorian State player.
The finals on May 6 will be played at The National (Long Island site), Kew and Eastwood while the 2018 Division 1 Pennant Finals on May 20 will be played at Cranbourne. While the Division 1 Men’s and Women’s Finals have already been scheduled, the remaining 13 finals will be allocated following the final round of contests on 29 April.
All pennant results will be available on the Golf Victoria website at www.golfvic.org.au/pennant following the conclusion of each round.
Following the Easter break, GV Pennant resumes on Sunday 8 April at the following venues:
Men/Colts
Division 1 – Latrobe
Division 2 – Rosanna
Division 3 – The Heritage
Division 4 – Kooringal
Division 5 – Mt Derrimut
Division 6 (Men’s Pennant Only) – Melbourne Airport
Women
Division 1 – Southern
Division 2 – Woodlands
Division 3 – Riversdale
Division 4 – Rossdale
Friday Women’s
Division 1 – Royal Melbourne (East)
Division 2 – Southern
Division 3 – Riversdale
Division 4 – Patterson River