Summit's sad realities	North continues surge up the l...
Reigning premiers bounce back ...	Rovers get over the line
The Murray Pioneer Writers' Aw...	Important win for second place...
Barmera's finals chances impro...	Last minute win for Renmark
Collier crowned eightball king	Local sports award date set
Martin the best of Riverland l...	Kruger to captain SA
Far reaching changes are predi...

Far reaching changes are predicted for football in the Riverland's surrounding regions, following the Murray Mallee summit held at Karoonda on Sunday. Due to dwindling player numbers, the Ramco Football Club could join the Riverland Independent competition next year. However, the Roosters might need to change their colours or wear an away strip to avoid a clash with Independent club Paringa (above).

By NICK DILLON
The Ramco Football Club could join the Riverland's Independent competition next season due to dwindling player numbers.
The revelation came at Sunday's Murray Mallee football summit in Karoonda, when the Mid Murray Football Association (MMFA) revealed it was likely to fold after the 2008 season.
Several MMFA clubs, including Ramco, have struggled to fill all four grades in recent years.
Independent clubs only field two teams (seniors and under 17s), an obligation Ramco could comfortably fill.
Rival MMFA club Blanchetown-Swan Reach also expressed interest in joining the Independent league on the proviso that under 13 football was available, but was exploring all possible options.
It was also confirmed at the summit that all six Mallee Football League (MFL) clubs have decided to battle on, despite low player numbers.
However, it was indicated that at least two clubs may be forced to fold within the next two years.
The Karoonda Football Club nearly folded at the start of this year before recruiting more than 10 players from out of the area, while the Peake Football Club has struggled for several years to maintain player numbers.
Murray Mallee Barrier Barossa regional director Tim Jackson said the problems the MMFA and MFL were having, could hit closer to home in coming years.
“The most disturbing aspect of the meeting was that the population declines in the Murray Mallee areas are not unique and other neighbouring competitions may not be far away from experiencing the same problems,” Mr Jackson said.
“It was an emotional meeting, tinged with sadness that we were witnessing the demise of a proud league.
“However, the reality of population trends and player numbers were undeniably poor.
“Out of the 475 senior players registered across the two leagues, 176 travelled from outside of the league to play for a club.
“More disturbingly is that there is only 176 registered under 16s and under 13s filling spots for 440 positions available.”
Mr Jackson said the clubs would now determine the opinion of their members and reconvene at Swan Reach on August 10 to map out a way forward.

North continues surge up the ladder
Loxton North moved into fourth spot on the ladder with a 24-point win over Berri in Riverland A grade football on Saturday.
Once again the Demons faded away in the last quarter after being right in the contest at three quarter time.
There was a strongish but gusty breeze favouring the river end to which Berri kicked in the first term.
Loxton North continued to show too little respect to Demon wingman Chris Scholefield, who ran unmarked for most of the game.
He kicked the opening goal under no pressure, and finished with four for the game.
His effort was replicated by Panther captain Michael Arnold a minute later, and he too finished with four goals.
Berri was the more accomplished side in the first term, though the run of the ball was certainly favouring the home side.
The Demons enjoyed a 13-point lead at the first break.
That lead lasted only five minutes into the second term.
Brad Williams kicked the Panthers' first, a 55-metre set shot which made full use of the breeze.
Berri scored its only goal for the term at the 24-minute mark, but Brett Stephens got that one back for North on the siren to give the visitors a three goal buffer at the half.
Berri started the third term well with a good goal to Eisenberg.
But it took more than 10 minutes for the classy Safralidis to kick his team's second, and put the Demons within a goal.
North was still playing attacking football, but Berri rebounded too easily from its defensive zone.
At the break Panther coach Mac Grummet demanded that his forwards man up better and they followed his demand to the letter. The ball hardly left the North forward line in the final quarter.
Though the Panthers were wasteful with their shots for goal, Berri was unable to clear the ball from the restart as smoothly as it had in the third term.
The Demons managed two late goals in 'red time', which made the margin look a little more respectable.
Berri did not have a four-quarter performer.
Their usual contributors Harwood, Allen, Storic and Safralidis all had periods of brilliance which their Panthers opponents effectively reined in.
North will be most pleased with the performance of its juniors.
Worsfold, Koch and especially debutante Matt Hampel show great promise for the years ahead.
Loxton North host Barmera-Monash next week, and a win would ensure it a finals appearance.
For Berri the weeks ahead should be used to blood a few more youngsters, and to plan for next season.

Reigning premiers bounce back to form
By COLLIS MARRETT
Reigning premier Waikerie bounced back to form with a convincing 37-point win over a depleted Barmera-Monash in Riverland A grade football at Lakeside Oval on Saturday.
The visitors set up the win in the second quarter when, with the breeze at their backs, they piled on five goals while holding the Roos to just four points.
The young Barmera side, led by Scott Fraser at centre half back and Matt Leyson in midfield, lifted their work rate in the second half and, to their credit, outscored the Magpies against the breeze in the final term.
However, the final scoreline flattered the home team to some degree as Waikerie had blown the lead out as far as 53 points after Nicholson had calmly slotted his fourth, 14 minutes into the final term.
Barmera was always going to be up against it going into the game against the reigning premier, missing their hard working star centre half forward Andrew Nunan (shoulder), as well as the poise and drive of talented youngster Dillon Millard (West Adelaide) from defence.
They suffered a further setback when in -orm ruckman Ryan Cotter was a late withdrawal after suffering a foot injury at work on Friday, and when vice captain Stephen Marks went down in the opening minute with what looked like a re-occurence of his knee injury, the home supporters appeared to be in for a very long afternoon.
Marks left the field unassisted, but did not return for the remainder of the game.
All local football fans will be hoping that the news for the popular former captain is positive after just his fourth game back from a full reconstruction in 2007.
However, Waikerie also went into the match with a couple of key outs of their own. One being a former Brownlow medallist, and the other being leading goal scorer Tom Hyde.
But even with these outs, the Magpies were clearly too good for the third placed Roos, and emphasised the gap in class between the top two sides and the rest of the league this season.
Waikerie's superior strength and experience were too much for the younger bodies of the home side and at times it was simply a case of boys against men.
Veteran midfielder Nathan Tape backed up a best on ground performance for Waikerie with three excellent goals.
Tape worked hard at both ends of the ground and his long kicking was a feature of his game.
Russell Boatswain carried on his good form from last round, linking many Magpie forays forward, while Luke Horner and Jackson Sutton constantly threw their bodies fearlessly into the packs to break open play for their team-mates.
Nicholson was well supported up forward by the aerial strength of 200-game captain Steve Liebich and Ben Venning at centre half forward, while on the ground the dangerous Stevens boys, Shayne and Damien, were a constant threat at the foot of the packs.
For the Roos, Tyson Swanbury battled well to finish with four goals from limited opportunities after being switched from defence to attack when Marks left the field, Robert Price stepped up in the ruck in Cotter's absence and Dave Whitbourne kept his usual calm head in defence.

Rovers get over the line
By SIMON TURK
Renmark brought home the two points in a tough Riverland A grade football encounter with Loxton on Saturday, winning by 18 points.
From the outset both teams showed great desperation, not allowing their opponents any easy touches.
In the early stages of the first term the Rovers looked ominous, when Nathan Farr tapped to Ben Wagnitz who delivered to the chest of Ryan Bennett.
However, the Tigers where able to seize some control back from the in form Rovers.
Loxton's midfield showed great speed and skill early, but its first quarter was marred by its inaccuracy in front of goal, kicking 1-5 including some kicks that did not even register a score.
The second term became a shoot-out, with both teams making the most of their opportunities in front of goal.
Wagnitz was given the role of centre half forward and showed he was worthy when he took a strong pack mark on the 50 arc and converted.
Leigh Kruger started to have a big influence in the second term, which was highlighted when he single-handedly cleared the ball from the centre and hit key forward Ash Montgomery on the chest, who kicked a belated first goal.
Jaryd Rowe and Nat Doyle both had outstanding first halves for the Rovers in defence, repelling a number of Tiger attacks.
In the third quarter Loxton refused to lie-down.
The Tigers took it up to Renmark, employing some strong-arm tactics to try and throw the Rovers off their game.
Rhys Mitchell and Raphael Liddle were both impressive, picking up possessions around the ground and using the ball effectively.
Everything was going Loxton's way when Scott Goetze slotted one from the boundary line, bringing the home crowd alive.
The Rovers' Scott Jenkins was impressive when he was needed to fill the void left by Aaron Camplin, who did not return after half time with an ankle complaint.
With the loss of key players the Rovers were forced to reshuffle their team.
Rowe was moved onto the wing were he continued to show great form.
The Tigers impressive third term gave them a big sniff and Montgomery had an unsuccessful shot after the siren, which would have given the Tigers the lead.
The final term was one to remember when both sides went goal-for-goal in a see-sawing battle.
Kruger was threatening in the middle all day and when he kicked a captain's goal on the run, early in the fourth, the Loxton supporters sensed victory.
The Rovers were able to reply quickly, when Russell Menz was gifted a goal from a free kick to take back the lead.
Loxton's Ash Montgomery and Liam Williams were both able to convert important goals in the final term, taking it right up to the Rovers.
However, it was Renmark who was able to string together late goals through Bennett and Bryant, stripping any chance of victory from the Tigers.

The Murray Pioneer Writers' Award
Waikerie midfielder Nathan Tape has emerged as a top contender for The Murray Pioneer Writers' Award after a best on ground performance against Barmera-Monash on Saturday.
Tape polled three votes to draw level with Renmark power forward Ryan Bennett, who polled one in the Rovers' victory over Loxton.
Despite not being on the winning side of the ledger, Tiger Rhys Mitchell grabbed three votes.
Josh Nelson polled for the first time this season, with the Loxton North midfielder receiving three votes against Berri.

VOTES
11 - Ryan Bennett (R), Nathan Tape (W).
7 - Dean Storic (B), Nathan Farr (R), Simon Callahan (R).
6 - Andrew Nunan (BM), Tim Arnold (LN).
5 - Ash Montgomery (L), Shayne Stevens (W), Justin Maschotta (BM), Tom Hyde (W), Luke Horner (W).
4 - Ben Venning (W), Ryan Proud (LN), Rhys Mitchell (L), Michael Arnold (LN).
3 - Adam Bryant (R), Aaron Camplin (R), Russell Boatswain (W), Josh Keller (W), Leigh Kruger (L), Lachlan Middleton (BM), Peter Safralidis (B), Craig Miller (W), Jason Goodes (LN), Damien Stevens (W), Trevor Thorpe (R), Josh Nelson (LN).
2 - Murray Middleton (BM), Heath Deer (R), Chris Scholefield (B), Dillon Millard (BM), Liam Williams (L), Craig Wooldridge (LN), Scott Fraser (BM), Jaryd Rowe (R), Matt Barry (LN).
1 - Ryan Cotter (BM), Nick Uren (L), Kirk Harwood (B), Robert Price (BM), Cohen Thiele (L), Adam Dunhill (R), Ben Wagnitz (R), Scott Nicholson (W), Matt Camplin (R).

Important win for second placed Paringa
Paringa scored an important 10-goal victory over Moorook-Kingston in RFL Independent A grade football on Saturday.
The victory keeps the Swans on track to finish second, with a massive game looming against arch rivals Lyrup this Saturday.
Paringa was in control against home side Moorook for most of the afternoon, after trailing by just eight points at quarter time, despite kicking into a strong wind.
After quarter time the Swans were simply too big and strong for the Warriors, with Nathan Rover leading the way. Rover took countless marks, often dropping behind the ball to mop up and launch another attack.
Paringa's Simon Sumner and Andrew Lloyd won the lion's share of centre clearances, while Nick Dillon and Matthew Lacey each provided some spark at vital moments during the afternoon. The Swans powered away in the final term, kicking six goals to one.
Dan Maywald was Moorook's only winning midfielder, while John Robertson played his best game for the club across half forward. Youngster Todd Griffin got plenty of the football, while Matt Cooper continued his rapid improvement with another enterprising effort on the wing.
Lyrup smashed Brown's Well by 217 points on Saturday.
The Lions kicked 15 goals in the final quarter, with Adrian Abdulla jnr and Ken Karpany finishing with 19 goals between them.
The Lions simply dominated the match, with Jim Abdulla, Brendan Hill and Brodie Dillon also in good form.
Brown's Well ruckman Kane Thiele and midfielder Russ Charles (two goals) had respectable games for the Bombers, while Ash Smith made the most of limited opportunities up forward.
Cobdogla continued its march toward finals with a 154-point win over East Murray on Saturday.
East Murray held its own in the first quarter, before Cobdogla blew it away in the second, making the most of the strong breeze.
Brad Horsell had another brilliant game for the Eagles, while Darrell Tilbrook kicked 10 goals to close within 31 of the century mark. The Eagles were deadly accurate in front of goal, with Jim Wegener finishing with six, and Horsell four.
John Wenske tried hard for the Tigers, along with youngsters Craig Johns and Jeremy Payne.

RESULTS
A GRADE
Lyrup 10-6 20-9 27-14 42-19 (271)
Brown's Well 2-1 5-2 7-4 8-6 (54)
Best: Lyrup - A. Abdulla jnr, K. Karpany, J. Abdulla, B. Hill, B. Dillon, S. Huddleston. Brown's Well - K. Thiele, R. Charles, S. Gillett, C. Patterson, D. Wall, C. Scholz.
Goals: Lyrup - A. Abdulla jnr 10, K. Karpany 9, A. Lippis 5, N. Wilmott, J. Abdulla, S. Lloyd 3, D. Grenfell, A. Abdulla snr, J. Smedley, C. Taylor 2, S. Huddleston. Brown's Well - R. Charles, A. Smith 2, J. Patterson, K. Thiele, C. Patterson, J. McDonald.
Paringa 2-2 9-6 13-10 19-16 (130)
Moor-King 3-4 5-6 9-7 10-10 (70)
Best: Paringa - N. Rover, N. Dillon, C. Baxter, M. Lacey, S. Sumner, A. Lloyd. Moor-King - D. Maywald, J. Robertson, T. Griffin, M. Hogg, M. Cooper, T. Graetz.
Goals: Paringa - S. Sumner 4, S. Lehmann, L. Rasheed 3, C. Turner, J. Rover 2, S. Hissey, T. Jackson, C. Baxter, A. Lloyd, N. Rover. Moorook-Kingston - J. Loxton 3, R. Pietrolaj 2, D. Maywald, R. McLean, J. Robertson, B. Smith, T. Graetz.
Cobdogla 4-4 14-7 20-12 32-13 (205)
East Murray 3-3 4-3 5-6 7-9 (51)
Best: Cobdogla - B. Horsell, D.Crowe, L. Hefford, C. Brown, R. Vagg, D. Tilbrook. East Murray - J. Wenske, C. Johns, J. Payne, F. Zadow, S. Rover, J. Berger.
Goals: Cobdogla - D. Tilbrook 10, J. Wegener 6, B. Horsell 4, D. Starkey, R. Smyth 3, L. Hefford 2, C. Brown, D. Clarke, D. Hill, S. Williams. East Murray - R. Tonkin 2, J. Berger, T. Francis, J. Boughen, G. England, D. Francis.
COLTS
Moorook-Kingston 20-11 (131) d Paringa 12-6 (78).
Best: Moorook-Kingston - Z. Vlaanderen, M. Raison, J. Wood, R. Taylor, A. Hoff, B. Kahl. Paringa - J. Millington, T. Jackson, L. Blackley, M. Pearce, D. Roesler, Z. Thompson.
Goals: Moorook-Kingston - R. Taylor 5, J. Wood 4, B. Reid, A. Rapisarda, J. Bonney 2, B. Kahl, D. Spence, J. Albrecht, M. Nemet, A. Hogg. Paringa - F. Brookes 5, R. White, T. Jackson 2, B. Reinertsen, Z. Thompson.
Lyrup 11-16 (82) d Brown's Well 9-8 (62).
Best: Lyrup - J. Gray, B. Stone, D. Johnson, Z. Bates, M. Wanganeen, T. Lindsay. Brown's Well - J. Lipacis, J. McDonald, J. Hyde, M. Reichstein, J. Gibbs, T. Braun.
Goals: Lyrup - K. Karpany, J. Gray, T. Lindsay 2, S. Abdulla, G. Abdulla, J. Abdulla, P. Chillam, D. Johnson. Brown's Well - J. Lipacis, J. Hyde 2, J. Gibbs, K. Hargreaves, D. Harvey, B. Victor, R. Beviss.
East Murray 8-6 (54) d Cobdogla 8-5 (53).
Best: East Murray - A. Hissey, Z. Kirk, M. Tyler, N. Francis, P. Payne, L. Hentschke. Cobdogla - T. Maynard, R. Werner, J. Finn, J. Wiseman, S. Tilbrook, E. Gorman.
Goals: East Murray - Z. Kirk, B. Schubert 2, Z. Schubert, J. Hentschke, M. Tyler, A. Hissey. Cobdogla - J. Finn 3, J. Rogers, J. Hart 2, C. Roach.

Barmera's finals chances improve
Barmera enhanced its chances of playing finals with an 11-goal win over Waikerie in Riverland A1 netball on Friday night.
Barmera is locked on four wins with fourth placed Berri, with only percentage separating the teams.
Berri will need to win against Barmera in the penultimate round to keep its top four hopes alive.
On Friday, Barmera was simply too polished for a tired looking Waikerie, with youngster Cobie Drogemuller once again showing she is a player of the future.
Drogemuller shot with great accuracy and dominated the goal circle, while young defender Kate McKinlay made Waikerie star Hannah Lehmann work hard.
Lehmann was still a handful in the goal circle, while Rachel Hillier continued her consistent season.
Renmark took top spot on the ladder with a 12-goal win over second-placed Loxton on Friday.
Renmark has now beaten Loxton on two of three occasions this year and is in good stead to win back-to-back premierships.
Renmark led from start to finish, with Leanne Menz, Jo Haynes and Lyn Sweeney working well in defence.
Sonja Modlinski had another top game at goal shooter for Renmark, while team-mate Denika Gartery was also prominent.
Kerri Griffiths and Eve Will were solid contributors for Loxton, especially in the last quarter when their team outscored Renmark by six goals. Kelly Moore played the first half in her return from an ankle injury.
An undermanned Berri defeated bottom side Loxton North by 12 goals in the other match of the round.
After a scrappy start, Berri was able to build its lead in every quarter.
Loxton North's inaccurate passing cost in several scoring opportunities, but to its credit stuck with Berri for most of the game.
Carolyn Martin and Kerryn van Dyk starred for Berri, while Emma Koch and Lisa Koehne tried hard for North. Games were not scheduled in several grades.

A2
Loxton 68 (M. Loxton, S. Edwards) d Renmark 37 (R. Leuders, A. Williams).
Loxton North 49 d Berri 48 (no details received).
A3
Berri 31 (J. Brand, K. Cousins) d Loxton North 23 (K. Hutchinson, K. Proud).
C1
Loxton 52 (J. Hargreaves, C. Edwards) d Cobdogla 41 (J. Gregory, K. Kourasanis).
C2
Waikerie 32 (K. Col, J. Barr) d Barmera 23 (B. Solly, S. Heinrich).
Berri 29 (H. Grosser, C. Sutton) d Loxton North 27 (D. Fazekas, R. Reichstein).
Renmark 36 (M. Tamblyn, S. Wiese) d Monash 10 (M. Webber, L. Evans).
17A
Renmark 56 (K. Haynes, J. Twyford) d Loxton 33 (K. Strother, E. Hoffmann).
Loxton North 44 (C. Hill, T. Learhinan) d Berri 36 (N. Thiele, M. Wenman).
17B
Renmark 42 (C. McDonald, K. Raams) d Loxton 37 (S. Pogorecki, Z. Dick).
17C
Waikerie 44 (L. Rigby, B. Powardy) d Barmera 28 (G. Webber, K. Anderson).
Loxton 43 (P. Mann, J. Jones) d Renmark 34 (S. Twyford, M. Anderson).
15A
Berri 55 (K. Thiele, T. Hoffmann) d Loxton North 37 (R. Farr, E. Seiboth).
Renmark 39 (K. Nelson, K. Ellis) d Loxton 20 (D. Hargreaves, D. Kirk).
15B1
Loxton North 42 (A. Langford, R. Cooper) d Berri 39 (H. O'Leary-Fletcher, C. Reeks).
15B2
Waikerie 38 (T. Hartwig, I. Cottle) d Barmera 17 (B. Winen, E. Roissetter).
Berri 62 (E. Hoffmann, K. Charnstrom) d Renmark Blue 17 (J. Sarti, S. Gartery).
Loxton 34 (C. Harris, J. Voigt) d Renmark 20 (J. Rees, S. Edwards).
15C1
Berri 38 (M. Graham, V. Migga) d Loxton North 31 (T. Milich, T. Howard).

Last minute win for Renmark
By KRIS WEIR
Renmark's men walked away with the chocolates last Friday night in the last 40 seconds of the game to defeat Loxton 2-1 in Riverland A grade hockey.
Loxton came out firing with Matt Simmons and Karl Hennig combining well to create headaches for Renmark's defence and Stephen Trezise grabbed his opportunity after some scrimmage in the circle and slammed one in from top of the circle.
Danial Shawyer used his speed and skills and caught Loxton goalie Dan Schubert out, putting Renmark's first goal on the board.
In the last 40 seconds of the game, Renmark's Jason Schubert drilled one past his namesake Dan Schubert to grab the vital premiership points.
Loxton A grade women looked like they were going to struggle on paper, but came out firing against arch-rivals Renmark.
Trish Gillard thumped one home in the early stages of the game putting Loxton a goal up.
That lifted the games tempo as Jenzen then weaved her way around traffic and slammed Loxton's second goal in.
Jenzen looked damaging, as Renmark had no real answers, within the next five minutes she hit truly putting Loxton three goals up.
Billie-Jo Hammerstein converted Loxton's fourth goal off of a penalty corner, which dispirited Renmark even more.
Waikerie A women took it up to Berri in the opening minutes, with Zoe Broekx and Kristen Pick strong in defence.
Berri's Sam Rashleigh found herself in attack, pounced on the ball in the circle and drilled it, putting the first score on the board.
After some scrimmage in the circle Stephanie Baird got stick to ball and put Berri's second goal on the ball.
Karri McMahon put Berri's third goal on the board after seizing the opportunity inside the circle.
Both sides retained a high standard but no further score was added leaving Berri with a 3-0 win.
Berri's A men were focussed from the opening whistle as in the first six minutes Matt Baird slammed one home against a surprised Waikerie defence.
Berri converted again when Mark Laskowski was on the receiving end of a hard fast ball into the circle.
Matt Reeks within minutes put Berri's third goal on the board from a shot at the top of the 'D'.
Simon Wundenberg was always looking dangerous and helped to set up another goal for Matt Reeks, giving Berri its fourth.
Todd Murfitt was rewarded with a goal and Berri's fifth.
With 30 seconds remaining in the game Matt Reeks weaved around traffic and slotted one home, his third and Berri's sixth for the night.

MIXED
UNDER 13
Berri 2 drew with Loxton Yellow 2.
Best: Berri - S. Walladge, A. Roberts, H. Thompson. Loxton Yellow - E. Hampel, M. Ormay, T. Haigh, J. Hampel.
Goals: Berri - S. Baird, A. Roberts. Loxton Yellow - L. Doecke, J. Hampel.
Renmark 4 d Loxton Black 0.
Best: Renmark - T. Cowey, D. Casey, C. Wickham, E. Chaplain, S. Kaye. Loxton Black - T. Skewes, C. Allister, L. McDonough, B. Hammond.
Goals: Renmark - D. Casey 4.
UNDER 11
Berri 2 d Renmark 0.
Best: Berri - J. Roberts, D. Couzner, H. Thompson. Renmark - T. Parker, B. Duggin, B. Casey, E. Chaplain.
Goals: Berri - B. Ackland, J. Roberts.
Waikerie 4 d Loxton 1.
Best: Waikerie - J. Dolphin, N. Hocking, C. Powardy, D. Moore. Loxton - O. Ackland, M. Cordy, D. Mowbray, J. Vivian.
Goals: Waikerie - M. Menadue 2; J. Dolphin, C. Powardy. Loxton - C. Rogers.

Collier crowned eightball king
Adelaide's Brenton Collier won the Berri Resort Hotel Open Eightball Singles Championships on Sunday night, taking home the $3500 first prize.
Collier defeated Bendigo's Nick Howie 4-3 in an intriguing final played in front of around 220 spectators.
It was the first time Collier has won the title.
Howie committed two critical fouls in the final. The first was for failing to nominate which group of balls he wished to play and the second was for an article of clothing making contact with a coloured ball.
While the fouls did not directly result in Collier winning the title, it certainly did not help Howie's cause.
Over 370 players competed in the tournament, down 16 on last year's event.
The Riverland's Jamie McInnes, Daniel Stieler, Tony Rover, Perry O'Connor and Bruce Knight all made it to the final 64, while Trish Stieler was the best performed local woman.
Loxton's Shane Irons finished runner-up in Friday night's restricted knock-out competition.
Adelaide's Ricky Emery was the under 18 knock-out winner, and also eliminated last year's winner Jake McCartney in the main event.
The event was played at clubs and hotels across the Riverland on Saturday, with the final matches played at the Berri Resort Hotel on Sunday.

RESULTS
Quarter finals: B. Collier (Adelaide) 4 d M. Swift (Adelaide) 1; N. Howie (Bendigo) 4 d R. Youlten (Adelaide) 2; G. Sumner (Elizabeth) 4 d M. Cairns (Adelaide) 0; R. Emery (Adelaide) 4 d J. McCartney (Ballarat) 2.
Semi-finals: N. Howie 4 d G. Sumner 3; B. Collier 4 d R. Emery 3.
Final: B. Collier 4 d N. Howie 3.

Local sports award date set
A date has been set for the presentation of the Riverland's most prestigious sports award.
The 5RM, Berri Resort Hotel, SGIC Riverland Sportsperson of the Year Award for 2007/08 will be handed out at the Berri Resort Hotel on Friday, October 10.
A number of other awards will be also be presented on the night.
5RM, in conjunction with Berri Ltd, is seeking nominations for the John Ormsby Coach of the Year Award, established in honour of local sporting stalwart, the late John Ormsby, to recognise outstanding efforts of sporting coaches.
Nominations are also sought for the 5RM/Berri Ltd Steve McFarlane Contribution to Sport Award.
Established in honour of outstanding Riverland sportsperson, the late Steve McFarlane, this award recognises a person who has given outstanding service to sport in the Riverland.
It is designed to salute a dedicated, often behind the scenes sporting volunteer whose efforts deserve special recognition.
For nomination forms, call 8582 1800 or drop in to the Studios of 5RM/Magic931 in Berri. Nominations close on Friday, September 12.

Martin the best of Riverland ladies
Berri's Lenore Martin won the Riverland Ladies Golf Association championship recently.
Martin scored 85 off the stick to take out the A grade title from Renmark's Bev Hartshorne on 92 and Ruth Christie on 94. Christie took out the A grade handicap, narrowly ahead of Loxton's Jill Fogden.
Barmera's Gai Barrett and Jenny Morrell won the association foursomes championship.
Barrett and Morrell finished with a score of 88 to win from Berri's Judi Nowell and Barmera's Carole McKendrick on 92.
Berri's Lynn Smith and Barmera's Sally Minns were the foursomes handicap winners.
- More results and photos in Friday's Pioneer

Kruger to captain SA
Loxton captain Leigh Kruger has been named captain of the South Australian Country football team.
Kruger and fellow locals Peter Safralidis (Berri), Michael Arnold (Loxton North), Damien Stevens (Waikerie) and Ryan Bennett (Renmark), all made the 24-man squad announced yesterday.
The team will play in the Australian Country Championships in Shepparton, beginning this Thursday.
All five players will miss this Saturday's round of local football.

Far reaching changes are predicted for football in the Riverland's surrounding regions, following the Murray Mallee summit held at Karoonda on Sunday. Due to dwindling player numbers, the Ramco Football Club could join the Riverland Independent competition next year. However, the Roosters might need to change their colours or wear an away strip to avoid a clash with Independent club Paringa (above).
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