Oh so close to missing finals

That’s percentage difference equates to just three behinds ... less than a goal.

Rochester was the unlucky story out of the final home and away Goulburn Valley League VL round, with its 65-point win over Shepparton United giving it a chance of sneaking into the top six at the Bombers’ expense.

But it proved to be in vain by an agonising margin, particularly considering the young Tigers kicked 16 behinds in their game.

Kyabram denied the Tigers the chance to play finals with its plucky effort against second placed Shepparton, going down by just two goals and even looking a chance late in the game to snatch a win.

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Got a message from Lynette Kay re my stories and photos in these columns recently from the 1954 Kyabram District Football League grand final of that year, in which Kyabram Boys Club defeated Lancaster.

Lynette is the daughter of Gwen Cox (née Salmon).

Four (out of five) of Lynette’s uncles were the Salmon brothers — Fred, John, Frank and Bob – and were in the Lancaster side which went down by seven points.

Lynette says Frank Salmon is still alive and well today and living in Eaglehawk and Bob Salmon died earlier this year.

So at this stage, Frank and Leo Connally are the only survivors from that 1954 runners-up Lancaster side.

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Former champion Kyabram table tennis player Len Stone celebrated his 90th birthday last Sunday.

Stone was part of an amazing era in Kyabram table tennis in the 1950s and 1960s.

He was a five-time Victorian country champion during that time and together with Merrigum’s Ian Foster and Kyabram’s Doug Crow won the statewide Atlas Shield team event representing Kyabram in 1954, 1958 and 1961.

Kyabram played against the major Victorian towns in that competition.

Foster was also a three-time champion in that period, while Crow was a three-time runner-up.

In the halcyon days of table tennis in that period, the Kyabram association boasted a massive 70 teams playing each week across the district.

Stone now lives in Eaglehawk and was still playing his beloved game up until a few years ago.

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Young James (Jimmy) Hargreaves who was in the Kyabram under-16s side which lost Sunday’s GVL under-16 grand final is the great, great grandson of Wally Hargreaves.

Wally’s son is Neil and his grandson is Daniel, Jimmy’s father.

Wally played for Kyabram Imperials in the 1930s and was a star player who won a club best and fairest award in 1935.

The Hargreaves family has had a long association with the Kyabram Football Club and young Jimmy, who is a talented youngster, will carry on the tradition nearly a century later.

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So much for speculation that Benalla and Benalla All Blacks Football Club may amalgamate.

Both have had limited success in their respective Goulburn Valley and Ovens and King Football Leagues this season — All Blacks won only one game and Benalla four.

But the All Blacks just announced all the coaches for the 2025 season, so are obviously going nowhere at the moment.

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Local trots trainers Rod Woods Snr and Brent Thomson enjoyed wins last week.

Four-year-old pacer On A Night shed her maiden status for Woods at the Shepparton Trotters Cup meeting.

The Grinfromeartoear mare, raced by the Woods family and driven by Damian Wilson, enjoyed the run of the race on the back of the pacesetter and favourite Hello Sweetheart and sprint lane to victory.

A $7.50 chance on the tote On A Night had indicated a coming win with a second and fourth placing prior to breaking at his previous start on the Shepparton track.

The extra bonus of the win was On A Night was also bred by the Woods clan.

Thomson produced four-year-old trotting mare Majestic Charma to win at the Bendigo meeting at only his second race start.

Racing near the rear of the field for most of the race and despite being forced six wide straightening for the run to judge, Majestic Charma finished all over her rivals to win running away.