In a fitting celebration of the club’s 125th anniversary, three BGC Women’s teams have been victorious during the recently-completed 2021 Brisbane District Ladies Golf Association Pennant competition.
Considered to be among the most successful results on record, three of the five teams – Gold, Silver and Weekend No.2 – won their respective divisions, while a fourth team – Bronze – finished second by just half a point.
And while the fifth team – Weekend No.1 – came sixth in its eight-team competition, there was good reason. For three of the seven weeks of the Pennant season, key players were unavailable because of Club Championship commitments.
But the BGC women most certainly endorsed a pre-competition prediction by Club Captain Helen Caris, who declared ‘our women’s team this year is awesome’.
“Following the abandonment of last year’s Pennant competition because of Covid, we have received terrific support from our members and as a result each of our five teams this year are really strong. Obviously, it is always difficult to judge the strength of our opposition, but I believe Brisbane will be very competitive across all divisions,” Helen predicted back in mid-May.
Played over seven weeks and in five Divisions, each team plays five games against their respective opposition. Two points are allocated for a team win, one for a square and none for a loss.
If, at the completion of the season, teams leading the respective divisions are equal on these points, a countback system – on games won – decides the Pennant winner. And this countback system cost BGC a fourth Pennant in Bronze division.
BGC and Oxley were equal on points – 10 each from five wins – but Oxley was awarded the Pennant by virtue of winning 21.5 games, to 21 games by BGC. Gold featured in another close result, but this time BGC was on the winning side of the ledger with 10 points and 21 games, beating Royal Queensland (10 points, 18 games).
Silver won with 10 points (21 games), with Pacific and Royal Queensland on nine points, but the Weekend No.2 team, playing in zone two, was the most impressive Pennant winner for BGC. In accumulating 13 points and winning 22.5 games, the team did not lose a game during the entire season.
“This has been an outstanding achievement by our ladies, and something of which all BGC members should be very proud,” said Women’s Club Captain Helen.
“Our triumph this year has, quite obviously, been a direct result of the commitment of our players, their skill and their fighting spirit. But success in Pennant competition is based on a huge team effort, on and off the course – the players, their caddies that kept them on the straight and narrow, as well as the non-playing captains who organise their respective teams week-to-week.
“And the other vital ingredient is the camaraderie generated between the players and the various teams as the season unfolds, and the pride they have for our club and for each other. This is what makes winning teams.” – TONY DURKIN