A GFGC Scratch & Handicap Pennant Teams fundraiser will take place at Big Swing Golf, Bell St Preston on Friday 1 September at 6:30pm. Come along for four hours of simulator golf and socialise with fellow members. $45 each including prizes, pizza and a drink on arrival. This event is limited to 50 people, first in best dressed. Please text your name to Warren 0409 568684 or Josh 0419 239966 to secure your spot. |
Ladders and links to full Results - click here
Scratch Team The Scratch Team lost to Lakeside at Albert Park, but once again the result came down to the last few matches. Warren Hanna (5&4), Damien Blythe (5&4) and Simon Stoker (5&4) all lost, but Josh Evers (6&4) got us on the board with a win, and Aaron Nolan capped an unbeaten season with a 3&2 victory to make it 3-2. Wayde Barling fought back from dormie 4 down to win the next two holes, but was unable to hole a putt on the 17th to keep the match alive. Luke Audley was 1 down playing the 17th, but lost a ball onto Queens Road off the tee, and went down 2&1. And Jason Baines took his match to the 18th, but lost 1 down. Our disappointment at the 6-2 result, and the possible implications, turned to relief when we received word that Altona Lakes had beaten Centenary Park to guarantee us 2nd place on the Ladder and a place in the Final. We now have a chance to complete the journey which started ten years ago - from Division 5 Champions to the top of Division 1. We face off against Lakeside again this Sunday at Werribee Park, teeing off at 8:30. Look forward to seeing plenty of support out there, go Frogs! Handicap Team The handicap pennant team lost to Northcote playing at home, 2.5 to 5.5. Jason Laurie (2&1) and Liam Lloyd (3&2) both had well deserved wins and Tony Shipano also did well to halve his match. We only had to give away 36 shots this round, but were unable to turn our home game advantage into a win. This puts us at the bottom of the Division 8 ladder. The seasons best performer (SBP) was Tony Shipano with 2 wins, 3 halved matches and only one loss. Not far behind was Liam Lloyd with 2 wins, 1 half and two losses for the season. Even though we did not reach our goal of making it into the finals, the entire squad showed enthusiasm and a competitive spirit to the very end and represented the Growling Frog Golf Club well. Thats it for VGL Handicap Pennant 2017 season. Ladders and links to full Results - click here
Scratch Team The Scratch Team maintained their position on top of the ladder, defeating seven-time reigning champions Lakeside 5-3 at home. Like all matches so far this year the result came down to the wire. Wins to Josh Evers (3&2), Luke Audley (2up) and Aaron Nolan (walkover), plus halves to Damien Blythe, and losses to Warren Hanna (4&3) & Jason Baines (2&1) meant that the score was 3.5 - 2.5 with 2 more matches coming up the last hole, the 9th. After finding the fairway with his drive, Aaron Delia was first to hit. The four-time club champion was up to the challenge and hit his second shot to a matter of feet. He then rolled in the birdie putt to secure the win for both himself and the team (1up). In the final pairing, Wayde Barling was good enough to halve the last hole and square the match giving the team a 5-3 result. Handicap Team The Handicap Team recorded their first defeat for the Season, going down to Division leaders Northcote Gold at their course. Tim Lewin (1up) and Ryan Rogers (2up) both did well to win their matches on the final hole, and Jason Laurie also made it to the 18th before losing (1down). The other scores were Richard Walpole (3&2), Liam Lloyd (5&4), Trevor Skeoch (4&2), Michael Athanitis (6&5) and Tony Schipano (3&2). Congratulations to the Growling Frog Scratch Team who capped off an undefeated season with victory in the VGL Division 2 Pennant Final on Sunday.
The Club's sixth Flag (4 Scratch and 2 Handicap) in eleven years came with a hard fought win over Ringwood, who put up a strong fight, 4.5-3.5. After wins by Warren Hanna, Luke Audley and John Bozinovski, the match came down to the final two matches. Wayde Barling completed a gritty half under pressure with a par on the 18th, then Best & Fairest winner Paul Delia secured the win with a brilliant tee shot to a foot on the long Par 3 17th. Well done to (pictured above) Paul Delia, John Bozinovski, Aaron Nolan, Wayde Barling, Simon Stoker, Aaron Delia, Warren Hanna, Damien Blythe and Luke Audley for a great season. And a big thank you to those Members who made the effort to support the team during the year and on Sunday, particularly Trevor Skeoch, Ray Plant, Mark Cowie, Judy Cooper, Michael Wilson, Ken Barbuto and Ryan Rogers. Bring on Division 1 next year! The Scratch Pennant Team have completed an undefeated Home & Away season with home wins over Ringwood (6.5-1.5) and East Malvern (5-3), an away win at Mandalay (1.5-6.5) and a hard fought tie at Ringwood (4-4) in the last four weeks.
Sunday's final game at Ringwood came down to the last putt of the last match, with Aaron Delia holding his nerve to win 1up and secure the tie. The two teams will meet again in the Final on Sunday 5 June 7:30am at Werribee Park. All Members are welcome to come along and support the team, something which is always appreciated by the players. The Handicap Team gave themselves a chance of staying in Division 7 by winning their final game 5-3 at home to Royal Park. This also came down to the final putt, Dermot Fitzgerald sinking a 15 footer, including a 360 circle around the cup, on the 18th for the win. Unfortunately, the team fell agonisingly short, and were relegated on match differential 14.5-33.5 compared to Burnley 17.5-30.5. The final four weeks saw a 4-4 tie at home to Burnley, along with away losses at Royal Park (8-0) and Emerald (8-0). Thanks again to everyone who has supported the Pennant teams this year, and to the players who have represented the Club. Good luck to the Scratch Team in the Final, go Frogs! The Scratch Pennant Team are top of the Division 2 ladder after securing a vital 5.5 - 2.5 away win at East Malvern on Sunday. John Bozinovski (5&4) and Paul Delia (4&3) scored strong victories, while Wayde Barling continued his unbeaten start to the season, and both Luke Audley and Warren Hanna showed their experience on the back nine with gritty wins. Damien Blythe's match was up and down all day, eventually finishing all-square, and Simon Stoker was well beaten. Playing at Number 1, Aaron Delia battled hard but was beaten on the 18th.
The Handicap Team hosted Emerald at the Frog, going down 2.5 - 5.5, but with three close matches going the distance it could easily have been a different result. David Lazare finished all-square, while David Lumb and Liam Lloyd both lost on the 18th. Tony Schipano and Angelo Nisi each had convincing 6&5 wins. This Sunday the Scratch Team are home to Ringwood, while the Handicap Team travel to Royal Park. The Scratch Pennant Team got the season off to a winning start with a strong 7-1 victory over local rivals Mandalay. Many of the matches were closer than the eventual result might suggest, with six going to at least the 15th hole, and all were played in great spirit.
Debutants Paul Delia and Aaron Nolan slotted in well, with Paul recording a 3&2 win, while Aaron battled hard in a tight match, eventually going down on the 17th. Wayde Barling provided an exciting finish to the day, fighting back from 3 holes down on the back nine to win the last three for a gutsy 1up victory. The team really appreciated the on course support from Club Members Trevor Skeoch, Mark Cowie, Judy Cooper and Ray Plant. It makes a big difference, and is no small part of us getting over the line. Thanks guys, great effort. The Handicap Team travelled to Burnley, losing a close encounter 5-3. New recruits Ryan Rogers and David Lazare had a great induction to Pennant with big 6&5 wins, and Captain Tim Lewin also won 2&1. The points were still up for grabs late in the day, but a couple of narrow losses on the 17th and 18th eventually swayed the result against us. Burnley were great hosts, and all players enjoyed competitive but friendly matches. This Sunday the Scratch Team are playing at East Malvern, while the Handicap Team will entertain Emerald at home. It came down to the wire again, but the Growling Frog Scratch Pennant Team couldn't quite repeat the heroics of the last round, and went down 2.5-4.5 in a tight Division 2 Final against Altona Lakes.
With a couple of wins on the board, and the 'ball' match secured, we needed 1.5 points from the last two matches to take the flag. When Mick Lowrie's opponent conjured birdies at the final two holes to snatch an unlikely half, it again came down to Skipper Warren Hanna needing a win on the 18th. His opponent hit a spectacular drive onto the green at the 310M Par 4, and although Warren nearly matched the feat his tee shot rolled through the green into a bunker. When he couldn't hole out for a miracle eagle, Altona Lakes had two putts to take the title. Special thanks to all the Members who came to Werribee to cheer on the team, and help out with caddying and administration, the guys really appreciate your support. Despite the final result, it was a great season, and all players enjoyed the privilege of representing the Club in a team competition. Well done to both teams for all your efforts: SCRATCH SQUAD Luke Audley, Wayde Barling, Damian Blythe, John Bozinovski, Aaron Delia, Warren Hanna (capt), Michael Lowrie, Luke March, Mark Stapleton, Simon Stoker. HANDICAP SQUAD Michael Aldrich, Ken Barbuto, Dermot Fitzgerald, Jason Laurie, Tim Lewin, Liam Lloyd, David Lumb, Angelo Nisi, Ray Plant (capt), Sam Sahin, Vince Scali, Trevor Skeoch. Needing a win in the last game of the season to qualify for the Final, it was all on the line for the Growling Frog Scratch Pennant Team on Sunday. With road wins hard to come by, playing away at ladder leader East Malvern didn’t make the task any easier.
Four matches were decided early, two to each team, and with the other pairs evenly balanced it always looked like this was going down to the wire. In the top group Luke Audley was up, and given his strong form all year looked unlikely to lose. But skipper Warren Hanna had been behind all day, and was in desperate trouble three down with five to play. When No 8 Simon Stoker rolled in a ten footer for birdie on the 16th he secured a 3&2 win in the tie-breaker ‘ball’ match, so it appeared we needed at least a half from Club stalwart John Bozinovski. He narrowly missed a birdie putt to level the match on the Par 5 15th, then both players completed solid pars under pressure on 16 and 17 to leave Boz still 1 down with only the long 191M Par 3 18th to go. He pulled his tee shot left of the green, in a nasty spot, and his opponent hit a beautiful shot onto the green. It seemed like it was probably all over. But John continued to pile on the pressure, hitting a great chip in close. His opponent was up to the task though, completing his two putt for a half and winning a hard fought match 1 up. Meanwhile, a couple of holes behind, Luke had won 3&2, leaving the overall score 3-3 with one match still going. We need a half for victory ‘on the ball’ and a trip to the Finals, a simple equation but not an easy one, given Warren is now dormie 2 down with 2 to play and staring down the barrel. On the 17th he hit a good looking second shot from the tree line on the right, but it spun back to the front of the green. His opponent was short in two but had been chipping well all day. If he could get up and down, Warren would have to hole a long putt to keep the match alive. He couldn’t, and a solid two putt was good enough to win the hole. One down, one to play, the whole match… the whole season, resting on the Captain’s shoulders. He steps up and hits a nerveless three iron to the front of the green, putting all of the pressure back on to his opponent, who pulls his shot to the left and ends up in a similar spot to the one Boz had been in earlier. A tricky chip at the best of times, he can’t get up and down and Warren completes his two putt to secure the decisive half and a famous win. A gutsy performance by Warren, and a great team win away from home. Much credit goes to the East Malvern boys, who played in great spirit and showed their class despite the tough loss. Well done to the whole squad (Luke Audley, Wayde Barling, Damian Blythe, John Bozinovski, Aaron Delia, Warren Hanna, Mick Lowrie, Luke March, Mark Stapleton & Simon Stoker) for a great season in a tight Division, and on to the Final against Altona Lakes at Werribee in two weeks time… |
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