BY NATHAN DOLE
THE race to decide which A-grade netball team scored the most votes in the fairest and best award for the Esther Cheatley Medal in the Bendigo Bank Heathcote DFNL season was tight.
Unbeaten in its pursuit of back-to-back premierships, Elmore won the duel on 80 votes.
Runner-up was White Hills on 78 as Colbinabbin took third place on 73.
Still in the premiership race, Mount Pleasant polled 40 votes.
It was a historic medal win for Colbinabbin mid-courter Olivia McEvoy.
A tally of 32 votes meant the Grasshoppers’ star won her third Esther Cheatley Medal.
Runner-up was Heathcote’s gun centre and co-coach Brooke Bolton, the medal winner of ’21 and ’22.
Elmore’s brilliant goaler and co-coach Gabe Richards was third in the medal race on 24 votes.
Stoked with individual success, McEvoy and Richards have another bigger target to pursue – a premiership.
On Saturday, Richards and her Elmore team-mates take to Colbinabbin’s court to face White Hills in the second semi-final.
It’s a rematch of last year’s grand finalists.
Last September it was the Bloods who ruled against the Demons.
McEvoy and her Colbinabbin team-mates will fight to keep their season alive when they play Mount Pleasant in Sunday’s first semi at Elmore.
Club-by-club voting for the Esther Cheatley Medal in the 2023 season:
Colbinabbin, 73 votes:
32 Olivia McEvoy; 22 Ella Kerlin; 8 Matilda McIntyre; 5 Tanzin Myers, Elle Palmer; 1 Ashleigh Zera.
Elmore, 80:
24 Gabrielle Richards; 20 Tahnee Cannan; 12 Maddy Keating; 9 Cayde Hayes; 8 Abbey Hromenko; 5 Ellie Laffy; 2 Chloe Whitfield.
Heathcote, 55:
28 Brooke Bolton; 9 Kelsey Hayes; 8 Georgia Bolton; 5 Annalyse Carroll; 4 Maeve Hogan; 1 Jennifer Van Neutegem.
Huntly, 35:
13 Taylor Mann; 10 Ashlea Sherlock; 4 Brianna Burt, Erin Scott; 3 Jessica Saffron; 1 Samantha Nelson.
Leitchville Gunbower, 19:
7 Madison Elliott; 4 Ellah Gelletly; 3 Matilda Candy; 2 Gemma Angove; 1 Madison Curran, Taylah Henderson, Paige O’Connell.
Lockington Bamawm United, 18:
6 Jessie Hardess; 4 Rebecca Eade; 3 Tracy Ogden; 2 Stacy Bacon, Giselle Crawford; 1 Annalesa Turner.
Mount Pleasant, 40:
11 Maeve Tupper; 8 Sarah Mannes, Aisling Tupper; 5 Matisse Perez; 4 Ava Nihill; 2 Kealy Tupper; 1 Ivy Harrop, Kristen Lang.
North Bendigo, 34:
10 Genevieve McColl; 6 Ellena Binney; 4 Imogen Davies, Georgia Kinder; 3 Tayla Foster; 2 Georgie Carman, Jessica Hinrichsen, Darcy Scott; 1 Imogen Kinder.
White Hills, 78:
18 Molly Johnston; 17 Alyssa Cole; 11 Amy Morrissey; 8 Bridget Murray; 6 Olivia Treloar; 5 Lauren Bowles, Danielle Wee-Hee; 4 Tegan Elliston, Eliza Hynes.