The Junior Country Boys Regions Competition was played over two stroke rounds, with seven districts competing for gross and nett honours. Each team was made up of nine players, with the top six scores counting for each round.
Fielding a very young team, including seven players representing Ballarat District for the first time, we assumed that we were going to be outclassed in the gross event. This proved to be accurate, as we finished in last position, 105 strokes behind eventual winners South Western.
We had an expectation of performing strongly in the nett event and after day one we trailed the leaders by only seven strokes. Unfortunately a number of our players struggled during the latter stages of the final round and we finished in fourth position, 14 strokes behind eventual winners Goulburn Valley.
Highlights:
- Rory Brennan – Our most experienced player led from the front, with gross scores of 80 and 81
- Jack Smith – Performed magnificently on debut, with gross scores of 81 and 85, to finish Runner Up in the B Division Nett event
- Jarrod Martin – Performed strongly on debut, with gross scores of 89 and 92, to finish top ten in the B Division Nett event
- Brandyn Davidson – Performed well on debut and was the quiet achiever of our team, with gross scores of 92 and 93
- Paddy Murphy – At only 12 years of age Paddy wasn’t overawed by the situation, with gross scores of 101 and 104, bouncing back strongly from a couple of poor holes in each round
Before leaving Rosebud, the team reflected back on the two days of competition and acknowledged that to be successful in the future we need to:
- Demonstrate the same level of dedication and comradery as the leading teams
Take full advantage of having Andrew Cartledge involved in the program by committing to the training sessions conducted in the lead up to the competition
Prepare more thoroughly, with all team members competing in the Ballarat junior tournaments held in December and January, along with the BDGI 54 Hole Open Tournament and playing Junior Pennant for their respective clubs
Many thanks to:
- Andrew Cartledge (Coach) for his guidance and tuition in lead up to and throughout the competition
- Graham Poulson (Official) for driving the team bus and supervising the boys throughout the competition
- Ivan Cato (former BDGI Junior Coordinator) and Ron Adams for (BDGI Secretary) for laying the foundations that brought the team together, including supporting the Ballarat junior tournaments held over the summer and the BDGI Junior Pennant competition
- The BDGI Committee led by Helen Pascoe for their advice and financially supporting the program
With eight out of our nine players eligible to compete again in 2018, these players are rapidly improving and it won’t be long before Ballarat District are again challenging for gross honours at the Junior Boys Country Regions Competition.
