This year’s Country Week has culminated in style, with the backdrop of perfect spring conditions paving the way for tense battles in all divisions on the final day.
Victoria GC hosted both the men’s & women’s division 1 contests, with the teams sitting in first & second positions overnight facing off on the final day, the script could not have been written better.
The battle for the men’s shield came down to the match between Golf Peninsula Vic & Ballarat, with both teams possessing many of the inform players of the opening two rounds ensuring it would be a tightly fought affair. The strength of Ballarat’s lower order proved the difference, with 4 of the opening 5 matches going the way of the men in purple which led to a 5 matches to 2 win & this year’s Shield title. West Gippsland will be demoted to the Plate division in 2018.
The women’s division one title was a nail biter, with the title coming down to the final hole of the final match between Montana Strauss (Golf Peninsula Vic) & Steffi Vogel (Goulburn Murray). Golf Peninsula Vic had got off to a flying start winning the opening three matches, with Goulburn Murray clawing back with win’s in matches 4 & 3 to then require just a further half a point to be crowned champions.
When Golf Peninsula Vic’s Ashleigh Hall recorded a dominant 4&3 win in the number 2 match, the result then rested upon the shoulders of both number one players. Strauss headed to the last hole with a one up advantage, but it was Vogel who dug deep winning the final hole resulting in a squared match & the trophy heading up the Hume Freeway with the Goulburn Murray team. Western will be demoted to division 2 in 2018.
At The National (Long Island Site), the round 5 men’s contest off the 1st tee was convincingly won by eventual division winners Goulburn Murray who defeated Golf Central Victoria with a score of 6.5 to 1.5 matches. On the opposite side of the course was the battle of the fourth and fifth positions, with Dalhousie defeating North Eastern by the narrowest of margins, with only one match separating the two teams in the contest. Goulburn Murray will be promoted to the Shield division and Dalhousie will be demoted to the Bowl division for 2018.
In the women’s section, all matches were halved in the final contests of the tournament despite some impressive individual match scores across the board. Division winners Golf Central Victoria halved with Dalhousie while Northern halved with East Gippsland.
Over at Rossdale, the four remaining men’s teams in Bowl Division enjoyed a friendly day out in the sunshine with East Gippsland already sitting undefeated as the Bowl Champions after round 4 with a bye this morning. Northern defeated South Gippsland 4.5 to 2.5 while Wimmera took out Kara Kara 6 games to 1.
It was a fight to the finish in the Women’s Division 3. South Gippsland were first in the clubhouse recording the first 4.5 to 2.5 win over Murray Darling, moving the spotlight to the match still out on course. Tied on 3 matches each, it was down to the last match as the decider, with West Gippsland securing a 4 and 3 win on the last over Wimmera and handing South Gippsland the Division 3 Alice Coltman Cup.
Played concurrently for the first time this year, men’s & women’s country week has been an immense success with the hospitality of host clubs Kew, Rossdale, Keysborough, Spring Valley, Cranbourne, Settlers Run & Victoria enjoyed by all district teams.
To view final men's results, ladders & photo gallery, click here.
To view final women's results, ladders & photo gallery, click here.
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