A Successful Junior Pennant Season in the ACT
The 2015 Junior Pennant season has been a great success with two pools including teams from Royal Canberra Golf Club, Belconnen Golf Club, Yowani Country Club, Yowani/Gungahlin Lakes Combined, Federal Golf Club, Gungahlin Lakes Golf Club, Yass Golf Club, Gold Creek Country Club, and Queanbeyan Golf Club.
This year’s format gave each club the opportunity to have lower handicap players able to play pennant when there would not be enough for a scratch team. It was great to have the combination Yowani/Gungahlin Lakes team step in when Goulburn withdrew.
The format for matches was for the number 1 and 2 players to play scratch matchplay and the number 3 to 7 players played handicap matchplay. There was no handicap limit for players.
On 22 March, a cool start to the morning saw Yowani verse Yowani/Gungahlin Lakes combined team in the junior pennant final at Federal Golf Club.
The match was won by Yowani/Gungahlin 4/3.
Yowani: Yowani/Gungahlin Lakes Comb
Tom O’Rourke, 3.9 lost to Zach Barton-Brown, 4.0 1UP
Riley O’Kines, 8.6 lost to Callum Williams, 8.3 3/2
Jay MacDonald, 17 lost to Michael Nguyen, 24 2/1
Fraser Miller, 20 lost to James Hynes, 35 3/2
Taylah Ellems, 26 defeated Levi Brideson, 36 1UP
Ryan Cannon, 30 defeated Mackenzy Miller, 36 4/3
Brett Murray, 33 defeated Silka Solomon, 45 on 19th
The ages in the teams ranged from 7 to 17 years. Both teams exhibited a strong camaraderie within their own team and with their opponents. It was quite remarkable that these teams met in the final and I am sure there were some mixed feelings with the Yowani players having to play against fellow Yowani players. Certainly on the sideline for the parents and club officials it was a unique experience.
The quality of play was inspirational with amazing demonstrations of shot making and putting under pressure.
