GolfWA’s Junior Pennant season started with a flurry thanks to the opening two rounds taking place across three days.
24 boys’ teams will battle it out across four different divisions while on the girls’ side of the competition there are 12 teams in two different divisions.
The boys from Joondalup CC are on the hunt for their fourth straight Division One crown and they wasted no time establishing their authority over the rest of the competition.
Boasting an impressive team on paper, Joondalup crushed Royal Fremantle 6-0 in their opening contest. The boys from the northern suburbs impressed again on Sunday morning as they again took a 6-0 victory, this time over Melville Glades.
Mount Lawley halved their opening round clash against Gosnells thanks to wins from Jordan Flatman, Joe Buttress and Terry Hatzis.
Jordan Jung’s return to the Mount Lawley line-up in round two helped the side to a commanding 5-1 victory over Royal Perth.
Mount Lawley sit one point back from Joondalup in second position on the table and look to be one of the few teams that have the potential to challenge for top spot.
In the girls’ Division One competition, Mount Lawley Devils and Royal Perth established an early lead with both teams winning their opening two fixtures.
Round one was an all Mount Lawley affair with their two teams playing each other on their home course. In a battle that read somewhat like a Dan Brown novel, the Devils triumphed over the Angels 4-2.
The Mount Lawley Devils continued their winning ways on Sunday with a dominant 4.5-1.5 win over the girls from Lake Karrinyup.
Royal Perth sit hot on the tails of Mount Lawley and have had an impressive start to their season. Round One saw them record a 4.5-1.5 victory over Lake Karrinyup. Royal Perth’s newest recruit, Mai Julius was a standout with a 4&3 win in her match.
Royal Perth’s winning ways continued in Round Two with a tight 3.5-2.5 victory over Gosnells. The Gosnells girls claimed points in the opening two matches but from there the tide swung in Royal Perth’s favour.
Amie Phobubpa capitalised on the advantage of playing on her home course to record a 7&5 win that was enough to ensure Royal Perth would walk away with the points.
Gosnells top seed, Maddy Hinson-Tolchard celebrated her 18th birthday with 3&2 win in her match.
Abbie Teasdale’s 6&5 win helped guide Royal Fremantle to their first win of the season. The girls from the port city lost their opening encounter but rebounded strongly on Sunday.
Speaking after her match, Abbie said “I worked hard over the holidays and I’m looking forward to this season.”
Bunbury’s Shani Waugh and Kate Goddard were all smiles mentoring the South West/Goldfields team.
The team have some new faces and fresh talent this year and they had been up in Perth for the last couple of days “working as a team.” Despite the opening two rounds of Pennants being the first experience of match play for some of the team, the girls have handled the challenge brilliantly and currently sit atop the Division Two leader board.
It was terrific to witness athletes from all clubs compete in a friendly atmosphere. Parents, coaches and competitors who travel so far from home each week to participate in the Perth competition should be commended on their commitment to the Junior Pennant calendar. We look forward to seeing how the season unfolds.
