Eight Ball
12 January, 2026
Wimmera Friendly continues to shine
Players from across Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia joined a host of locals to compete in the ninth annual Wimmera Friendly Eightball Invitational, held at Wimmera Events Centre on Saturday January 11 and Sunday January 12.
The 2026 tournament continued the Wimmera Friendly’s year-on-year growth, with roughly 400 players making up 56 teams across seven divisions.
Among the participants were 2025 Victorian singles champion Gus Di Giorgio and Australian under 23 representative Joseph Evans.
Both Di Giorgio and Evans helped Stawell claim their second straight Wimmera Friendly division one title.
After finishing the round games at the top of the table with six wins and four losses, Stawell beat Bordertown 7-2 in the semi-final and then defeated Any Danger 7-3 in the grand final.
The Stawell team consisted of Di Giorgio, Evans, Logan Brann, Ronnie George, Sean Partridge and Wimmera locals Jake Brazendale and Matty Verhulsdonk.
In division two, Misfits, a team comprised of players from across Victoria, emerged victorious.
After finishing second on the ladder with six wins and one loss, Misfits beat Horsham teams The Hart (7-6) and Misfits (7-3) in the semi-final and final, respectively.
Division three saw Bendigo-based team Just the Tip pull off an impressive win.
The side just scrapped into the semi-finals but then defeated first-placed Stawell 7-5 in the semi-final before they overcame 4 Plus 3 7-4 in the grand final.
In division four, Castlemaniacs claimed victory, topping the table before defeating Lightning and Str8 Shooters in the semi-final and grand final, respectively.
In division five, Hamilton 8 Ball Club were undefeated throughout the tournament, claiming the title with a 7-4 win over the Helicopters in the grand final.
Horsham team The Avengers claimed their first ever tournament victory in division six.
The team of Dion Sherratt, Shannon Bartlett, Brian Reddie, Andy Beacham, Bryan Prebble, Kobi O’Keefe and Peter Sevenich finished top of the table with six wins and one loss before they defeated Thunderkatz 7-2 in the grand final.
In division seven, Oddballs defeated Stawell Three 7-5 in the grand final to claim the division win.
Despite the impact of Friday’s fires delaying the start of the competition until Saturday morning instead of Friday night, organiser Darren ‘Deadly’ Duncan said the tournament ran smoothly, complimenting Wimmera Events Centre for helping to accommodate the event.
“I was thankful that we didn’t go ahead on Friday with how bad the fires were and the risk,” Duncan said.
“Usually we have our knockout competition on Friday night but we held it on Saturday night and that worked well.
“The competition went very well.
"The players are really pleased with the centre, the facilities, as it’s probably one of the better venues they have competed in."
Asked about the Wimmera Friendly’s continual growth in numbers every year, Duncan praised the community of players.
“It's the word of mouth that does that,” Duncan said.
“I honestly don't believe it's got anything to do with me; it's about the players and the people.
“They just want to keep coming and seeing each other and people they haven't seen for a long time while having a few games of pool.”
