Sport
12 March, 2026
Donald dominates region titles
Representing North Central, Geoff Rigby and Belinda Murray took out the prestigious prizes in matches played at Wedderburn over the long weekend.
DONALD Golf bowlers have dominated at the Wimmera region state event finals, winning both the Men’s and Ladies’ Champion of Champion titles.
Representing North Central, Geoff Rigby and Belinda Murray took out the prestigious prizes in matches played at Wedderburn over the long weekend.
Rigby beat the Grampians’ Chris Young 25-19 in the final on Monday afternoon.
He held the lead almost throughout the contest, with Young in front for just two ends.
Rigby stormed home with nine shots to two in the final five ends for a comfortable win.
He defeated Wimmera’s Daniel Gloury 25-21 in the morning’s knockout round.
It was a tight contest, with Gloury holding the lead until the 12th end before Rigby went on a run that saw him add 15 shots between ends 12 and 24 to his opponent’s three.
A day earlier, Murray beat North Wimmera’s Rebecca Gruar 25-17 in her final on Sunday.
The match was tied at 12 shots apiece after 16 ends before Murray hit a purple patch.
She added 10 shots to one over the next five ends to cruise to victory.
The Donald pairing of Lindy Morgan and Hunter Wingfield won the Mixed Pairs title with a runaway 19-4 triumph over a Grampians team on Monday.
On Saturday, the Wedderburn trio of Robert Tonkin, Damien Mason and Andrew Caserta won the Men’s State Triples for North Central with a 23-14 victory over the Wimmera team.
They established an early 10-shot lead, and their Wimmera opponents were unable to bridge the gap.
Tonkin completed an outstanding weekend by also winning the Men’s Novice Singles prize, beating the Grampians’ Allan Pascoe 21-11.
Boort’s Louise Newsome made the final of the Ladies’ Novice event, falling to Kim Preston from the Grampians, 21-9.
Wedderburn’s Ruth Hall, Sandra Standfield and Sandra Steel lost in the knockout round of the Ladies’ Triples to a Grampians team, 18-11.
Amy Roberts and Thelma Moresi, also from Wedderburn, made the final of the Ladies’ Pairs on Sunday but lost a tight battle with the Grampians team, 18-15.
Moresi also represented North Central in the Ladies’ Singles, but fell in the opening round to Wimmera’s Judith Albrecht, 25-20.
Donald Golf’s Brian Bayles, David Peake, Steve O’Shea and Tony Dionisopoulos were a self-described “scratched together” team in the Men’s Fours, but they were good enough to make the final.
They lost to a Wimmera team 17-8 after beating the North Wimmera side 19-8 in the first round.
Donald Bowling Club, in the form of Margaret Quick, Margaret Kelly, Kaye Wylie and Beryl Milne, provided the North Central Ladies’ Fours team, but they were eliminated in the first round to North Wimmera.
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