The Examiner is Wrong!

How wrong can one paper be??? The local Tasmanina newspaper "The Examiner" run a column about golf each week, and with the pennant season in full flight they tend to centre the column around that. This would be fine if they actually gave a shit about any division other than the top Divisions.

I've been covering Divisions 3a, 7 and 8 in my blog because my golf club have teams in these grades. I know the situation and likely outcomes for each but apparently, according to the Examiner, I've got it wrong.

"In Division 3a, Bridport has a handy lead and can win that section with victory at home against Exeter".

This is true, however, Bridport have such a good lead in Div 3a they don't have to win to seal victory in the section. If they win any two individual games they win the section, so victory isn't required in the last round.

"In Division 7, it is Prospect Vale (formerly Quamby) who has also enough in hand to win the pennant regardless of the danger match at Tam O'Shanter on Sunday".

That is completely wrong!! Scottsdale are breathing down our necks and can still win the pennant if they beat Mowbray and we lose to Tam O'Shanter. That is the reality! We (Prospect Vale) need to win at Tam O'Shanter to win the pennant. the only way the Examiners statement comes true is if Mowbray beat Scottsdale, which might happen. But I would rather win round six and be sure of pennant victory.

"The result in Division 8 sees Prospect Vale and Launceston with three wins and both facing critical away matches on Sunday".

This is true, they both have three wins for the year, but it doesn't paint much of a picture about the division. Prospect Vale play Bridport this week. There are three teams, Prospect Vale Launceston and Bridport, that can still win the pennant. Prospect Vale can seal the deal with only two individual wins on the weekend. For Bridport to win, they would need to hold Prospect Vale to one individual win. For Launceston to win, they would need to win all seven matches (thats unlikely) and have Bridport win 6/1 or better against Prospect Vale.So, the pennant is really out of Prospect Vale and Bridport, with Prospect Vale sitting in the easiest position to win.

So what is my point? Well, if you a going to the trouble of writing an article in the paper, at least do some research and get your fact straight before publishing. Their article did nothing to inform the competitors of these divisions, and is some cases may have given some players the wrong idea.


Bridport Div 3a have the section sewn up. They are playing the bottom side, at home, and only need two wins to win Div 3a.

Prospect Vale Div 7 are close to victory but still need to win this week to seal the deal. Our fate is in our own hands!

Prospect Vale and Bridport Div 8 will fight it out for the win, Prospect needing 2 wins, Bridport need 6! Launceston have a slim chance but I don't see them winning


Good luck to both Prospect Vale (a.k.a. Quamby) teams this week! I hope we can both celebrate pennant victories!

Round 5 Pennant

I said it after the last round but, what a big round for the Quamby Golf Club! This week we saw both Div 7 and Div 8 continue their home course dominance, Div 8 more so. For Div 3 their season came to an end at Exeter in a very tight match.

The last time Quamby golf club won a pennant, was the year 2000. Now the club stands on the brink of winning two pennants to end our long suffering drought. To be completely honest, I thought Div 7 was going to have the best chance of winning but, I was wrong. Division 8 only has to win two individual games to secure the title. This is fantastic but it’s not a certainty. I’m sure they will be out to win the day to stamp some authority on the division.
For Division 7, we need to win! Any four (or more) winners and we will win the pennant. There is some hope that Mowbray will beat Scottsdale at home, but we don’t want it to get to that. Win and we will know we have it!


Division 3 Played Exeter, at Exeter this week. Quamby went into the round knowing they had to win the last two rounds to have any chance of winning the pennant. Exeter hadn’t won a single round and would be desperate to change that. The team was Corey deBruyn, Duane Morgan, Paul Martin, Matt Marston, John Murray, Matt Adams and Nic Bauld. The winners were Duane Morgan, John Murray and Matt Marston. The result wasn’t what the team was looking for. The games were very close but, in the end Exeter got 4 winners over the line to get themselves on the board and end Quambys season.

The other game in Div 3 was Greens Beach v Bridport. Bridport won 4/3


Division 7 played Mowbray at home. The team was Colin Butterworth, Steve Lovegrove, Anthony Burrows, Denis Lockwood, Dan Scott, Mitchell Britton-Thomas and Peter Gardner. This was a potential danger game. If we had lost we would have very little chance of winning the pennant. The team performed well and registered a good 5/2 victory. While I would’ve preferred a 7/0 victory to give us some breathing room, at the end of the day a win is a win. The winners were Colin Butterworth, Steve Lovegrove, Anthony Burrows, Denis Lockwood and Daniel Scott.

The other game in Div 7 was Scottsdale v Tam O’Shanter. Scottsdale won 6/1


Division 8 played Exeter at home this week. They went into this match looking to continue the clubs home course dominance. The team was Richard Lawson, Stephen Clarke, Glen Duncan, Leon Towns, Steve Burris, Scott Limbrick and Neil Chenhall. Division 8 seems to have found the secret to winning all their home matches. Once again they won 7/0 and have taken a huge step towards winning the pennant this year. They will be looking to win next week at Bridport but, any two or more individual victories and they will win the pennant.

The other game in Div 8 was Launceston v Bridport. Launceston won 5/2


The Ladders after round 3

Div 3
After five rounds the results are academic. Bridport will host Exeter at home where they haven’t lost this year. This should mean they will win the pennant. Greens Beach plays Quamby at Quamby. There is the slimmest chance that Greens Beach could still win, but I don’t see it happening. Quamby have been very strong at home and for Greens beach to have a chance they would need a substantial win (5/2 or better). I still say Bridport will win!


Bridport 4-1 22/13
Greens Beach 3-2 19/16
Quamby 2-3 19/16
Exeter 1-4 10/26


Div 7
It all comes down to the final round!

Golf is a solitary game, you generally play for yourself and that’s all. Pennant is one of the few times that golfers can come together and play as a team, and play for each other. These are the things you look back on in the future with pride. Pride in the accomplishment, pride in your team.

After our fourth win, Quamby sit in the box seat to win the pennant. Scottsdale aren’t giving up, they have given themselves a chance to win this season. I keep saying it, if we win this week we win the pennant. We have to show we are the real deal this week. We took it up to our nearest challenger twice this year and came away with the wins. Now we have to stay focused and not get ahead of ourselves. Tam O’Shanter won’t be pushovers on their home course and we should be ready to fight for the victory.

I personaly think we will win! We have a great bunch of players in Div 7, we all play for each other. I know I’ll be out there to win for them, for the club and for myself. It’s a long time between seasons and if we don’t take advantage of our chances, we will be very disappointed. I’m fired up for this round and I look forward to the challenge!

Quamby 4-1 23/12
Scottsdale 3-2 22/13
Mowbray 2-3 11/24
Tam O'Shanter 1-4 14/21


Div 8
As has been the trend in div 8 this year, all the home teams won. The biggest winner was Quamby with another 7/0 victory. Both teams at the top of the table travel away from home in the final round, which means they will have it tough to win. Quamby has the easiest and best chance to win the pennant this year. They only need to win two individual matches to have the pennant sealed up. They should have a strong team for this round and I think they will win the pennant.


Quamby 3-2 23/12
Launceston 3-2 17/18
Bridport 2-3 19/16
Exeter 2-3 11/24


Undefeated players
We have 1 player that has won 5 out 5 games so far this year, Glen Duncan. He is going magnificent and I feel will give himself every chance to go undefeated this week. I wish him the best of luck!


It’s been a long time between successes for the club but, we have the chance to change that! Division 7 and 8, go out there and finish what you’ve started. Don’t give your opponents any chance! Fire up and bring some long awaited glory to your team, your club and yourselves!

Go Quamby!!!

Tasmanian Flora part 2

I have a few more shots I want to share. All of the images in these two posts were taken at Port Arthur.












More of my Flower images can be found here.

Tasmanian Flora

I don't take a lot of photos of flowers but, while I was away on my holiday I made an effort to do so. Here are a couple of my shots from the trip. I still need some practice with this medium but I like the results.











More of my Flower images can be found here.

East Coast of Tas

I mentioned before that my car had a set of white wall tyres after driving on all the dirt roads around St Helens. I have proof just in case you all thought I was stretching the truth.



When day two started I wasted no time in getting lost. This was my first time at St Helens and I was a little turned around with my bearings. Even so, I figured out the location I wanted to get to for the sunrise (St Helens Point). I had to walk out to the point via the track that was signposted at the start. It said in this order, St Helens point, Beer Barrel beach return walk approx 30 minutes. Now maybe I’m an idiot but I would’ve thought that if St Helens point is listed first it would be the first place I would come to first. I was wrong! I headed up the track till I got to a junction. To the left was Beer Barrel beach. To the right there was no sign posted but it did head in the general direction of the point. So I went right. I bashed my way through the trees and brush until I couldn’t force my way any further. I turned around and headed back the way I came only to see the sunrise over the tops of the trees in a beautiful blood red. I was very disappointed to miss it!

After the mornings debacle I headed back to the shack and packed the car up. Since I was already up and had nothing to do I took off early down the coastline. Once again, this was the first time I had travelled down the coast. I saw some wonderful beaches and had to catch myself a couple of times or I would’ve driven into the sea.

I didn’t stop to take any photos till I got to the Freycinet National Park. I drove into Cape Tourville to have a look around and I finally took some photos. The cape has quite a view!









From there I drove into Coles Bay and the Edge of the Bay Resort to get shots of the Hazards. By that time most of the morning had gone, so I finished taking shots and headed for the Tasman Peninsula.

I had planned to drive through the Wielangta National Park just past Orford. It was all dirt road, so after the previous days dirt road excursion I decided to take a different route. I headed towards Buckland but, I didn’t want to go the long way around so I turned off towards Nugent. That was a mistake! As I took the turn off saw a sign out of the corner of my eye. It said something like “road not suitable for ????? Vehicles”, I missed part of it. Anyway it turned out to be a rough, tight, winding, dirt road. Lucky me! For part of the journey I was stuck behind an 18 wheeler which was covering my already dirty car with another layer of dirt. Now for the really ironic part of this tale. At the end of the dirt road it joined the National Park dirt road I had previously chose not to take. That road was at least three lanes wide and in very good condition, I’ll know better next time.

Once I got back onto the main highway it wasn’t long before I reached the Peninsula. I made a stop at Pirates Bay Lookout which takes in views of Eagle Hawk Neck and the East Coast of the Peninsula. Unfortunately the Forestry was burning off the forest, so I had a big smoke cloud in my shots. I also had to fight the continuous smoke haze for the rest of y trip.

I got to my B&B at Safety Cove just after 3.30pm. I settled down for a while waiting for the Port Arthur Ghost tour that night. It was the second time I had done the Ghost tour. I’ve got to say, the first time was much more enjoyable! I think because I had already done it and new the stories, it took some of the excitement out of it.

Then it was bed. I had another long day coming up and I needed some rest. Stay tuned, the story and photos will continue.

Calendar Submission

I've been busy lately!

About a month ago I approached the printers of the Tasmanian Alkaloids calendar about getting some of my images into next years calendar. I was told I had a good chance of this. At the time I had my Photography Anthology book as my portfolio, this got me a foot in the door. They asked me to put some photos together for consideration and thats what I've been doing this last week.

After my trip down the east coast I had some very good landscapes but, I still had plenty of images from the trip that I hadn't processed. I knew some of them would be good chances of making the calendar so, I went through and processed a select few.

For my presentation I put another book together with only Tasmanian Landscapes in it.

Tasmanian Land...

www.colbluephotogr...

By

Book Preview

Many of the images in the book have been seen on my blog before or are on my site. Some are still sitting on my computer waiting for me to upload to my site at a later date. They cover a wide area of Tasmania. Strahan, St Helens, Freycinet, Tasman Peninsula, Port Arthur, Richmond Bridge, Russell Falls and Mt Roland. I hope that I will be successful in getting some images in their calendar.

Safety Cove HDR

I was trying to go through all my holiday shots in the order I took them, but I got impatient last night.

I decided to go straight to some HDR shots from Safety Cove beach. On my previous trip to the Tasman Peninsula I stayed at Sea Change at Safety Cove, a little B&B that is almost the last building on the peninsula. I returned there because a: I absolutely loved the views and the sound of the waves crashing on the beach, b: I knew I could get some good shots on the beach and surrounding area. I would recommend staying here to anyone!

I had two mornings to explore the beach area and take the shots I wanted. The first morning I got onto the beach and found that the small rivulet I had found on my last trip had been filled in. That was unfortunate but I found other areas to shoot.

This shot was taken on the first day on my way to Eddystone Point. I drove down to a flood way and found this scene waiting for me.



The rest of these images are from the beach at Safety Cove.













These images and more can be found in my HDR gallery.

I'll have more images processed in the next few days. Keep an eye out on my site!