The Peninsula District Golf Association has reclaimed the Country Week Shield Competition after the final day of contests were played over the Long Island Golf Club on Friday October 5th.
During a week of fine Melbourne Spring weather punctuated midweek by strong gusty winds, Peninsula took out the District’s 10th Shield win in with a barnstorming final day 7/2 win over Sunraysia. Defending champions Ballarat also finished strongly with a 6/2 victory over Geelong to finish in third while Bendigo defeated Goulburn Valley five matches to four in the final contest. Geelong and Sunraysia were both relegated to the Plate Competition for 2013.
Meanwhile in the finale to the Plate and Bowl competitions at Patterson River, West Gippsland (Plate) and South Western (Bowl) emerged victorious. An undefeated West Gippsland sealed the Plate title with a final day 6.5/.5 contest win over Corangamite while South Western managed a 3.5 halve against Dalhousie to claim the bowl.
West Gippsland and North Eastern will move up to the Shield in 2013 while South Gippsland will move to the to the Bowl alongside East Gippsland for next year’s competition.
Over the past three days, the 16 Victorian Country District Golf Associations have competed in team match play as part of the Country Golf Week. The Shield (or “A” Division) consists of six District Teams of nine players per team. The Plate (“B” Division) and Bowl (“C” Division) competitions were re-structured in 2005 to now consist of five District teams per competition with teams comprised of seven players per team.
The early part of Country Week saw 310 Victorian Country Golfers contest the Victorian Country Championship; “B” Division Stroke event; Individual Stableford and Four-Ball Stableford competitions. Country Week, an institution of Victorian Golf, enters its 84th year in 2013 when players from all over the State will again come to Melbourne to play at ten Metropolitan Clubs.
To conclude the week, the following Victorian Country Team was announced:
2012 Victorian Country Team to play the South Australian Country Team on the weekend of October 27th – 28th at Millicent GC:
Andrew Kane (Barham) – Captain
Nathan Schneider (Myrtleford)
Graham Rentsch (Hamilton)
Ryan Fuller (Beaconhills)
Luke Petherick (Mooroopna)
Ricky Elward (Yea)
Aaron Coates (Rich River)
Andrew Schoneville (Rosebud)
1st emerg: Adam Burdett (Rich River)
2nd emerg: Brad Kivimetts (Woodend)
3rd emerg: Kyle Michel (Shepparton)
4th emerg: James Wendel (Yea)
Managers: John Snowden and Mark Bamford
Click here…> for all final results and ladders.