GOLF INTERPROVINCIAL TOURNAMENT

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27047, 23 May 1953, Page 9

GOLF INTERPROVINCIAL TOURNAMENT

Manawatu Team Unbeaten

FINAL MATCHES TODAY

With four rounds played in the New Zealand interprovincial golf .tournament for the Freyberg Rosebowl, last year’s winner, Manawatu-Wanganui, is the only team which remains unbeaten. Canterbury and Taranaki, unbeaten on Thursday, each lost one game and drew one yesterday. Conditions were good, with the greens a little faster than on the first day. The course was still playing its full length. If any complaint was to be found it was that the ball was lying close on the fairways for wood shots. Players were watched yesterday by the New Zealand selectors, Messrs G. P. Roberts. B. J. Menzies, and J. A. Scouller. Their task of selecting a team to tour Australia will be difficult, as several of the Dominion’s best players, all in the tournament, have performed well. It appears that Manawatu-Wanganu: will win the competition again this year. Today is the last day of the tournament, and the team is faced with two games against the teams which are at the bottom of the list, Buller-Westland and Wairarapa, both having scored only half a point. Several players have gone through the four rounds without losing a game. The former amateur champion, D. L, Woon, has won all his games, but he will be tested today against S. A. McDonald (Wellington), and the 1947 amateur champion, J. Holden (Taranaki). The following are the points scored by each team:— Manawatu-Wanganui 4, Auckland 2*. Canterbury 2s, Taranaki 2J, Waikato 2|, Bay of Plenty 2, Hawke’s Bay 2, Otago 2, Wellington 2, Nelson-Marl-borough li, Southland lj, BullerWestland i, Wairarapa J.

Silk Beaten After being beaten by the young Southland player, T. M. Stout, by the substantial margin of 6 up and 5 to play, the Hastings amateur, S. G. Jones, reversed his form in the afternoon, and beat B. M. Silk by the same margin. Jones did not play well against Stout, but with the exception of one hole his figures against Silk were good. Jones put a ball out of bounds at the fourth hole, and he finished with an eight, but he was three under fours for the rest of the round. Jones has not been able to handle the greens, and his approaching and putting in earlier games were weak. Against Silk, however, le approached and putted well, and also lad control of his other shots. Woon had two further wins. The first against L. Domigan (Buller-Westland) did not produce any bright play! Woon’s -ound of 75 was good enough to give him a win, 2 up with 1 to play. Domigan matched Woon for length, and had he putted a little better would, have made the former champion work harder for his win. ™ oon ’ s figures were better against M. J. Thornton (Bay of Plenty). He won comfortably, and was even with scratch when the game ended. Holden Plays Well Holden and J> P. Ralph (Auckland) produced some of the best golf of the day in their game, which finished all square. Both ware round in 71, and there Was never more than two holes between them. They started briUiantly, Ralph with three 3 s (birdies at the first two holes), and H .‘? lde , n ith 3 - 4 > 2 (birdies at the first and third holes). Holden has played soundly on this visit to Christchurch, and there is little wrong with any department of his game. > The Canterbury team did not fare well yesterday. After two good wins on Thursday it was expected to do well again yesterday, but was well beaten by Bay of Plenty, and only managed to draw with Wellington. Canterbury’s number one player, M. W. Stanley, was narrowly beaten in each match. Against M. J. Thornton (Bay of Plenty) he wrecked his chances by hooking his drive into the trees at the last hole, when the game stood all square. Thornton won the hole and the match with a scratch 4. Thornton’s round was 75. , Stanley produced better figures against s. A. McDonald, and could be considered unlucky not ttxhave at least halved the McDonald, an aggressive player, established a lead in the first half by win- " "£, the uu ight £, th „ an eagle 31 and the pinth with a birdie 2. Stanley managed to take one hole back, and was 1 down playing the long sixteenth. He played a fine third and was only eight feet from the hole, but he was unfortunate that the ball came to rest in a pitch mark, and h « w . as for ced to chip it out with a lofted club. McDonald was still further ?Y a ,y four shots - and be holed a tricky 10-feet putt for a 5 and a half. The last hole might also have gone to Stanley. .McDonald hooked his drive into the trees, and then put his recovery into a , sand trap beside the green. He exploded out and again holed a 12-feet putt for a half, winning the game, 1 up.

T. 3. Jeffrey in Form . P? G. F. Smith (Auckland) was beaten m both games yesterday. He lost to T. J. Jeffrey (Taranaki), 2 and 1, in the morning, and he lost to A. Gibbs (Otago) in the afternoon match by the same margin. Jeffrey, one of the possible selections tor the Australian tour, scored well, and included a 7 at the long

The West Coast player, R. H. Donaldson, had one of the best performances of the day in his game against T. J. Atkins (Nelson-Marlborough). They started at the tenth, and played the second nine holes first. Donaldson covered this half in 34 two strokes better than scratch, and he was two strokes better than scratch when the game ended on the eleventh green. J. S. Hamilton-Gibbs (Nelson-Marl-borough) had two wins yesterday. Although playing much better than on the previous day. Hamilton-Gibbs was at times uncertain with his wooden shots. He scored quite well against G. Falloon (Wairarapa) and won the game 4 up with 3 to play. HIS round was 74. HamiltonGibbs played some fine short iron shots, and he finished within a few feet of the hole with several.

The following are the results, with the names of the winning teams mentioned first:—

_ - Hawke’s Bay v. Southland S. G. Jones lost to T. M. Stout. 6 and 5: C. W. Caldwell lost to R. A. Wilson, 1 down: G. E. Wilson beat G. C. Halligan, 2 and 1; J. H. Lowes beat E. J. Geary, 1 up; R. Dailey beat H. A. Walker. 7 and 6: T. Irwin halved with A. J. McLachlan. Hawke s Bay won by 3‘/ 2 games to 2J.

Southland v. Wairarapa T. M. Stout beat G. _Falloon, 4 and 3; R. D. Wilson beat F. Fenwick, 5 and 3; G- C. Halligan beat F. Shearer, 2 and 1; E. J. Geary lost to B. Maunsell, 5 and 4; H. A. Walker halved with L. Connolly: A. J. McLachlan lost to R. Charles, 3 and 1. Southland won by 31' 2 games to 2>i.

Nelson-Marlborough v. Wairarapa ♦ J. S. Hamilton-Gibbs beat G. Falloon, 3 and 1; T. J. Atkins lost to F. Fenwick, 5 and 3: R. Smith beat F. Shearer, 6 and 5; G. L. Mead halved with B. Maunsell; R. J. Ford beat L. Connolly, 5 and 3: N. Hoar halved with R. Charles. Nel-son-Marlborough won by 4 games to 2. Nelson-Marlborough v. Buller-Westland J. S. Hamilton-Gibbs beat L. Domigan, 2 and 1; T. J. Atkins lost to R. H. Donaldson, 6 and 4; K. Smith beat C.F. Schadick, 8 and 6; G. L. Mead lost to A. Black, 5 and 4; R. J. Ford lost to J. N. Thomas,