Hardcourt were never going to lose this and wanted to regain some lost ground after the Corowa defeat and played with consistency and power to overwhelm the Chiltern team.
Hardcourt have once again put themselves into the premiership race and with one week to go will need to overcome Lawn at home to cement a top two finish and an ideal position for a title defence.
Chiltern on the other hand have been relegated to last position but there is hope for Chiltern. Brodie, Erin, Deb and Jarrod McKinnar provide the backbone of the team and with a little recruiting could be vying for a finals position.
Hardcourt have experience everywhere which will be vital in their title defence. On Saturday Hardcourt took control of their match early and never looked likely to relinquish the stranglehold they had on the match and were comfortable winners.
Corowa Red will finish on top of the Section 1 ladder after they disposed of Corowa Blue effortlessly on Saturday. When Red had the first seven sets in the bag Red took the foot of the pedal and allowed Blue three sets to finish the day with a more respectable scoreline which flattered them. Red were always to strong and now look the team to beat, the only doubt on Red is their ability to play on the plexipave surface which is the home surface of Wang Hardcourt.
Corowa Red never looked in doubt thanks to Kim Broughton, Claire Davidson, Scott Francis and Greg Filliponi while Helen Curtis, Janice Cook, Alistar Clay and Josh Quick battled against the odds.
Section 2 - Everton have put a fox in the chicken coop with a victory over the previously undefeated Myrrhee and have opened up the finals race again. Is this the start of ‘Colliwobbles’ for the Myrrhee team, or the loss you need to have? After the first four sets the scores were almost level, then Myrrhee took the advantage winning both reverse women’s sets but Everton then regained composure and won the return men’s sets to level the sets and hold a four-game advantage before the all-important mixed sets. Everton’s dominance in the men’s set translated to supremacy in the mixed sets with Everton winning three sets to record a good win. Everton’s best were Julie Deretic, Leanne Wood, Dook Gibb and San Bennett while Myrrhee’s Di griffin, Robyn Oliver, Maria Pulvirenti and Dylan Van Berlo were competitive. Wang Hardcourt showed Boorhaman what the top echelon of Section 2 looks like with a comprehensive victory on Saturday. Boorhaman battled hard but a little like the boy with his finger in the dyke, there were too many holes to plug and when the wall burst they were overwhelmed and had no answers. Hardcourt have put themselves back into the picture again for premiership honours but will still need to find some consistency to be a complete force. Hardcourt had Matt Lucas, Curtis Hines, Kath Trainer and Kim Brimblecombe in brilliant form while Boorhaman were best served by Darren Saward, Dale Robinson, Hayley Thomsom and Hannah Knott.
Section 3 - Wahgunyah United (Glen Bobbin, Brodie Molnar, Fiona Rose and Matt Davies) were too good for struggling Wooragee (Houn Reilly, Daniel Ladbrook, Mick Ladbrook and Annika Knoth) on Saturday. Wooragee won the first set courtesy of Huon and Daniel but from there on it was a dismal day. United is one of the contenders for this year’s Section 3 title. United have strength across the board which should be enough to for them to pose threat to fellow finalists. The surprise result was the whitewash result Wahgunyah Red (Travis Lewis-McDonald, Wayne Johnstone, Peter Treberly and Tye Callow) had over second placed Wahgunyah Sth (Jake Saville, Priscilla Hill, Corey Hill and Amanda Hemphill). South never looked likely to put enough pressure on Red who were absolutely on fire and never missed a thing. This result has caused ripples through the competition and now everyone is looking how to dismantle the Red combination. Rutherglen Blue (Peter Smith, Henry Smits, James White and Sarah White) turned their fortunes around on Saturday and recorded a victory against Corowa (David Strachan, Aaron Spencer, Jack King and Ryan Gofton) which had ended Corowa’s chances of playing finals. The wily Peter Smith used his vast knowledge and experience to bamboozle his younger opponents which helped Rutherglen to victory.
Results –
Section 1: Wang Hardcourt 11-91 def Chiltern 1-35, Corowa Red 9-83 def Corowa Blue 3-49.
Section 2: Everton 7-75 def Myrrhee 5-62, Wang Hardcourt 11-91 def Boorhaman 1-42.
Section 3: Wahgunyah Red 6-48 def Wahgunyah Sth 0-23, Wahgunyah United 5-47 def Wooragee 1-27, Rutherglen Blue 4-40 def Corowa 2-32, Wahgunyah Blue 6-48 def Rutherglen Red 0-0.
Under 15: Wahgunyah 7-42 def Corowa 0-13, Wooragee 7-42 def Beechworth 0-10.
Ladders –
Section 1: Corowa Red 119, Wang Hardcourt 118, Wang Lawn 117, Corowa Blue 69, Chiltern 31.
Section 2: Myrrhee 156, Everton 126, Wang Hardcourt 99, Boorhaman 69.
Section 3: Wahgunyah Red 101, Wahgunyah Sth 85, Wahgunyah United 83, Wahgunyah Blue 81, Corowa 72, Rutherglen Blue 64, Wooragee 27, Rutherglen Red 1.
Under 15: Wahgunyah 93, Wooragee 78, Corowa 49, Chiltern 42, Beechworth 13.
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