On 14th July 2014

Glenelg wins 2014 Bonnar Cup

Glenelg has taken out it’s first men’s pennant title since 2008, defeating the highly favoured Grange side in the 2014 Bonnar Cup Final at Flagstaff Hill Golf Club on Sunday.

It was a tight contest all day, with the overall result in the balance until the final holes. Glenelg were behind early after the bottom order got off to a shaky start, however the biggest margin was only 2 down and some fighting spirit would always keep ‘The Bay’ in the contest.

The experienced heads of James McDonald and Ben Magi looked in control throughout the day, with some solid shot making and clutch putts keeping their quality opponents out of the match. Braeden Kelly (#7), James Brown (#6), James Bridgen (#4), Sam Raschella (#3) and Will Starkey (#2) were all locked in an arm wrestle and we were going to need a couple of these players to dig deep if the Bonnar Cup was going to make it’s way back to Glenelg for the first time in six years.

Fortunately, this was exactly what happened, with Braeden Kelly winning three successive holes to head down the 18th hole 1up. A solid par was enough to take out the number 7 match and lock away the vital first point. Sam Raschella, too, turned his match in a matter of holes, playing solid golf as his opponent made consistent bogeys. Sam turned a potential loss into a comfortable 3/2 win and this proved the turning point after the overall result began to look rather bleak in the middle stages.

In the end, Ben Magi (#5) and James McDonald (#1) used all their experience, hitting quality shots in clutch moments. After Magi closed out his match on the 17th and McDonald ended his on the 16th, the celebrations began.

The win was very much a team result, with some experienced and calm heads on the bag, along with some great determination and team spirit from the players. Congratulations to all seven players, caddies, Wayne Humphries (Team Manager) and those players who recorded invaluable wins throughout the season but were unlucky not to be picked for the final.

Congratulations to Will Starkey, too, on his Outstanding Achievement Award after recording four wins, two halves and a loss throughout the season, a tremendous contribution to the team.

Bonnar Cup Final Results

# The Grange (2.5) lost to Glenelg (4.5)  
1 Coleman, Colin lost to McDonald, James 4 and 2
2 Demasi, Mark halved Starkey, Wil Halved
3 Baker, Cory lost to Raschella, Sam 3 and 2
4 Thompson, Jack defeated Bridgen, James 2 and 1
5 Coleman, Michael lost to Magi, Ben 2 and 1
6 Morris, Carl defeated Brown, James 3 and 2
7 Andrew, Brad lost to Kelly, Braeden 1 down

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