We are just lucky to have such great depth at the club and the support of the board and golf resort management. To win three titles is just incredible. JAY-AR MARTIN
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YARRAWONGA avenged last year’s North East pennant final loss with a hard-fought win over its arch rival Beechworth on Sunday.
The Yarrawonga-Mulwala Golf Club resort dominated the pennant finals, with their two teams fighting out the Division 2 decider.
The club also claimed the junior handicap.
After losing the decider to Beechworth a year ago, Yarrawonga re-jigged its line-up in the Division 1 contest with success.
Perennial No. 1, captain Jay-ar Martin, swapped his seeding with pennant player of the year Troy Robertson.
Robertson, undefeated in the round robin, was beaten 3 & 2 by Nathan Schneider, but Martin won 4 & 3 over Vaughan Saunders.
Down the order, Andrew Long lost at the last to Tim Purtill, but Yarrawonga’s Darren Edwards and Caleb Bovalina, 16, won tough matches.
“It was a battle all day,” Martin said.
“Coming into the back nine it really could have gone either way.
“We are just lucky to have such great depth at the club and the support of the board and golf resort management.
“To win three titles is just incredible and goes back about five years when Des Roome kick started our part in pennant golf.
“For the Division 1 team, I need to mention Peter Warner — he was part of the team but decided to act as Caleb’s caddy for the final.”
Martin believes success in Division 2 scratch pennants should mean two teams from the club enter the top grade next year.
“There should be relegation where the side that finished last in Division 1 drops to Division 2 and the winner of that grade is promoted,” he said.
Yarrawonga (2) defeated the club’s No. 1 team in Division 2 pennants, also held at Jubilee.
Grass experience proved the difference when Wangaratta ran out 5-0 winners over the sand-scrape team from Chiltern that had to settle for runner-up for the second straight year.
At Wangaratta, the Section 1 handicap decider between Yackandandah and Myrtleford went to the final match and the 18th hole, with Yackandandah winning.
Yarrawonga went back-to-back in the juniors, also decided by the last match on the last hole.
