GOLF Canterbury Wins Both Its First-Day Games

Press, Volume C, Issue 29517, 19 May 1961, Page 17

GOLF Canterbury Wins Both Its First-Day Games

“The Press” Special Service

NAPIER, May 18. ... i/ 1 '? tea , ms AuckL 'ind, Hawke’s Bay, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago were unbeateni at the end of the first day’s play in the F'eyberg Rose Bowl golf tournament on the Waiohik’ course yesterday. Bay of Plenty and Manawatu-W anganui each scored one win. , e . remainder Northland, Waikato, Taranaki, Nelson-Marlhorough-BuUer-West Coast and Southland—appear to have ruined their chances by losing each of their two games. These records of the day might suggest that fonn worked out as expected and that everything was more or less straightforward. In fact the situation was far different. Auckland, a co-holder of the bowl, found itself struggling hard for most of the morning against Northland, and Wellington, the other co-holder. had a tremendous battle with Taranaki in the afternoon.

Also, the two lowest teams In the competition. Northland and Southland, which now recognise their status by holding their, own private meeting before the tournament has begun, p-essed Canterbury and Auckland respectively to the limit in the afternoon. One of the features of the day was the performance of the players from these provinces. R. C. Murray, top for Canterbury, as an example. began his match with C B. McLeod, of Northland, by winning three of the first four holes. McLeod after that stuck mainly to bogey figures and twice won holes with birdies. At the thirteenth hole of the match (they had begun the wrong way round) he got a fine three to level the score. Only then did Murray’s g-eater experience tn the highest level of competition begin to pay off He won but only by playing at his best As another example. W W Smith, a semi-finalist in the national amateur championship last year and a finalist in 1958. seemed assured when placed at number six in the Auckland team of a series of victories against men of much less experience Caddy’s Comment Smith so ingloriously muffed an opportunity against L J Stephens, of Southland, that when he stepped off the seventeenth green he was greeted by his c>ddy with the statement: “That was a pitiful performance.” “I deserved it too.” Smith said Southland won this game. SgfeSW&aM!! bit of luck that Northland also deserved against Canterbury. it could have put the champion team of the last three years into serious difficulty One of Hawke’s Bay’s best autumn days favoured the tournament and. in spite of its recent troubles with the weather. Waiohiki came out well. There were some delays A M Pool, of Taranaki, who Plays right-handed with woods and irons and lefthanded with his putter, took off his shoes after his morn-

ing round, heard his name called for his second match, replaced the shoes, and sped on to the tee without benefit of lunch. Best Player The national amateur champion, R. R. Newdick. was the best player of the day. I. B. Dawson, of Northland. was the most harassed. W. G. Horne, of Wellington was the most threatened, and I. S. Harvey, of Canterbury, was the longest hitter with the wood. Newdick. playing “the wrong way round,” dropped a shot at the second hole of his morning match with McLeod, of Northland Although he once or twice did not quite get onto his drives and at the tenth hole of the afternoon carried the green with his second, he made no other mistakes worth mentioning throughout a day of sound golf. He had four birdies in the first nine holes in the morning. His afternoon play against D. W. Maley was little less sound. Having holed a 10footer for a birdie and a win on the short seventh. Maley remarked to his caddie "I could hold this chap—if I could only putt.” He made a brave attempt too and his three shots at the long ninth, a drive, a number 4 wood and an 8-foot putt for an eagle 3 were very good. Newdick plainly was of a different class—and the two shots he played at the lovely fourth hole in the morning to reach the green when 90 per cent, of the rest of the field finished 20 and 30 yards short, demonstrated conclusively how fine a standard he has now reached. Home had an extraordinary struggle with. T. G. Tncker, of Taranaki. He was 3 down with five to play and then won three holes in succession. At the long 17th Tricker slogged his second shot far over the fence. A ioud crash announced that the ball had struck a parked car and there was a melancholy look on Home’s face when the ball rebounded to the fairway. Tricker al! but got a birdie and Horne bad to bole a tricky 8-footer to halve. Woon had almost as strenuous a match with Deadman. He was three down with five to play and then won three in succession. Deadman scored a birdie to win the second to last and at the last hole Woon hit a long second which finished almost unplayably against the trunk of a large tree Harvey In Form Dawson won the title of most harassed player when, having given W. J. Godfrey, a very hard fight in the morning, he steadily chewed through six aspirin tablets For the last six weeks, be said, be had suffered from blinding headaches whenever he had played In tbe heat He bad forsworn aspirins as a preparation for the tournament but in the heat of the contest Could think of no other way of keeping going But Harvey, in the afternoon, played excellently after scratching about for the first seven holes. In the next four holes Har-

vey had three birdies and in the eight holes between the eighth and the fifteenth he had five birdies. His driving was tremendous for both length and accuracy and at the fifth hole, as only one example, his ball pitched beyond where most other shots were coming to rest. S. G. Jones played well, especially in the afternoon, when he was two under scratch. So did I. D. Woodbury. the runner-up in the amateur Championship, who holed a long putt of about 20ft to square his match with the experienced T. J. Jeffery on the seventeenth green. Results FIRST BOUND Canterbury v. Southland R. C. Murray beat D. W. Maley 5 and 4; I. s. Harvey beat G. C. Halligan. 5 and 4; R. E. Clements beat H. A. Walker, 2 and 1; K. D. Foxton beat G. J. Williamson, 4 and 3; G. P. Vesty beat S. J. Deslands. 1 a 9 d „? : B ’ A - Colquhoun beat L. J. Stephens, 1 up. Canterbury 8. Southland 0. Auckland v. Northland R. R. Newdick beat C. B. McLeod, 6 and 5; W. J. Godfrey beat T. B. Dawson, 3 and 2; N. F. Dowden beat J. Connell, 4 . 3: ., G 2 M - Ijees beat G - M. Wardell. 2 up; B. P. Vezich beat S. G. Cooper, 7 and 5: W. W. Smith lost to R. G. Whimp. 3 and 2. Auckland 5, Northland 1. Wellington v. BuUer-Westland-Marlborough-Nelson I- D ' Woodbury beat T Prahlert, 1 up; J. D. Durry beat P. Stapp, 5 and 4, P. K. Creighton lost to J. Roxburgh, 3 and 2; J. W. Scott beat R. Strachan. 5 and 4: K. Meikle beat M Ewing, 6 and 5; W. G. Horne beat G. Lummis, 6 and 5. Wellington 5. Buller-Westland-Marlborough-Nelson 1. Hawke's Bay v, Taranaki S. G. Jones beat T. J. Jeffery. 3 and 2; F. T. Gordon and J: P. Means, all square; R. B. Dailey lost to A. W. Middleton, 3 and 2; J. M. Doreen and A. M Pool, all square; I. S. Macdonald beat R. L. Pease, 2 and 1; J. H. Lowes beat T. G. Tricker, 6 and 4. Hawke’s Bay 4, Taranaki 2. Bay of Plenty v. ManawatuWanganui B. K. Boone beat J. Stern. 3 and 2; A. C. Relph lost to H R. Carver. 8 and 7; E. Carswell and B. M. Silk, all square; I A. Wylds lost to K. J. S. Smith. 3 and 1; M. J. Leahy lost to J. F. Farley, 3 and 1; I. E. Deadman and G. Cunningham, all square. Manawatu-Wanganui 4. Bay of Plenty 2. Otago v. Waikato A. R. Timms beat R. D. Haycock, 4 and 2; R. D. Kearns beat J. H. Harker, 2 and 1; B A. Whitburn and H. F. Vivian all square; R. F. Jones beat B. T. Boys, 3 and 2; J. R. Howorth beat F. J. Cullen. 3 and 2; W. H. Kitto and D. L. Woon. all square. Otago 5. Waikato 1. SECOND ROUND Canterbury y. Northland R. C. Murray beat C. B. McLeod, 3 and 2; I. S. Harvey beat I. B. Dawson. 5 and 4: R. E Clements and J. Connell, all square; K. D. Foxton beat G. M. Wardell. 1 up; G. P. Vesty lost to S. G. Cooper, 5 and 3; B. A. Colquhoun beat R. G. Whimp, 2 and 1. Canterbury 4J. Northland 1J Wellington v. Taranaki I. D. Woodbury and T. J. Jeffery, all square; D. J. Durry beat J. P. Means, 1 up; P. K. Creighton lost to A. W. Middleton, 3 and 2; J. W. Scott beat A. M. Pool, 4 and 3: K. Meikle beat R. L. Pease, 3 and 2; W. G. Horne and T. G. Tricker. all square. Wellington 4, Taranaki 2. Bay of Plenty v. Waikato B. K. Boone beat R. D. Hay-cock.-8 and 8: A. C. Relph lost to J. H. Harker, 8 and 5; E Carswell beat H. F. Vivian. 5 and 4; I. A. Wylds beat B. T. Boys, 4 and 3; M. J. Leahy lost to F. J. Cullen. 4 and 3; I. E Deadman beat D L. Woon, 3 up. Bay of Plenty 4, Waikato 3 Auckland v. Southland R. R. Newdick beat D. W Maley. 4 and 3; W. J. Godfrey beat G. C. Halligan, 4 and 3; N. F. Dowden beat H. A Walker. 1 up; G. M. Lees beat G. J. Williamson, I up; B. P Vezleh beat S. J. Deslands. 5 and 4; W. W Smith lost to L. J Stephens, 1 down. Auckland 5, Southland 1. Otago v. Manawatu-Wanganui A. R. Timms and J. Stern, all square; R. D. Kearns lost to H. R. Carver. 1 down; B. A Whitburn beat B M. Silk. 3 and 2; R. F. Jones beat K. J. S. Smith. 2 and I; J. R. Howorth lost to J. F. Farley, 2 and 1: W. H. Kitto beat G. Cunningham. 1 up. Otago 34, Manawatu-Wanganui 2J Hawke's Bay V. Buller-West-land-Marlborough-Nelson S. G Jones beat T. Pfahlert 5 and 4; F. T. Gordon beat P Stapp. 4 and 3; R. B. Dailey beat J. Roxburgh. 8 and 4; J. M Doreen beat R. Strachan. 3 and 1; I. S. Macdonald beat M Ewing. 3 and 3; J H. Lowes lost to G Lummis. 3 and 2. Hawke’s Bay 5, Buller-West-land-Marlborough-Nelson I.