On the weekend of the the 31st of May, The Manning District played host to the Zone 6 Pennant playoffs. With clubs coming from the Upper Hunter and Hunter Districts to see who will have to opportunity to head off to the state playoffs at the start of August.
As luck would have it the Manning District was very fortunate and secured almost half of the flags on offer. In the No1 grade Tuncurry Beach proved that last years efforts were not just a once off, and brought home the bacon for a second year running, although this year they held the lead almost all of the game and didn’t have to chase them down in the dying ends, but they did manage to fight off a late charge from the Kurri Kurri team. Tuncurry Beach defeated Kurri Kurri by 2.
I the No2 grade this was once again a double up, for the second year running the No2 flag was taken out by a Manning club, last year it was brought home from Maitland buy Wingham B.C., and this year Tuncurry Beach not only proved to be the measuring stick in the district but the Zone by winning this grade also. The boys from T.B.B.C got the jump early on and lead by almost 30 shots not long after the gun went off. But a shift in momentum saw their opposition, East Maitland B.C, claw their way back to level peg for most of the remaining ends. But the fellows from T.B.B.C dug deep and ran away in the end, Tuncurry Beach defeated East Maitland by 18.
Our next winners didn’t know they had won their flag until after lunch on Sunday. With the No7 grade flag being a three way play off to decide the winner Forster B.C came out fighting on Saturday morning but had to settle for a narrow loss. The Saturday afternoon game was a different affair, and F.B.C redeemed themselves with a victory to balance out their loss of the morning. How ever, as fate would have it the third game in the section would prove to hold the most shot of the weekend for F.B.C with Merrriwa getting a 7 on the last end to beat East Maitland and to hand Forster the No7 Flag by a single shot on a count back.
The other grade winners were
No3 Denman, No4 Greta Workers, No5 Scone RSL,and No6 Murrurundi.
The district wishes our sides and all the other winner of Zone 6 flags all the very best at the State play offs at various venues across the state over the first weekend in August.