Britain, Aust. Share Title

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30267, 21 October 1963, Page 20

Britain, Aust. Share Title

(N-Z. Press Association-Copyright) SYDNEY, October 20. Australia and Britain yesterday finished joint title-holders after an amazing finish in the final round of the Commonwealth golf tournament at Royal Sydney. They tied with six match points each. A count back on individual games won failed to separate the two countries, each scoring 20 j wins.

S. C. Saddler clinched Britain’s tie when he won the final match ot the tournament on the eighteenth green. The Scot beat B. Ticehurst, one up, and gave Britain a 5-4 win against Canada. Earlier, Australia missed a wonderful opportunity to win the championship outright when its singles players slumped badly in the final round, after having won the foursomes, 2-1. South Africa, the defending title-holder, caused an upset, winning 3| of the six singles matches to draw with Australia. Britain, needing to win four of the six singles against Canada, seemed the certain title winner late in the after-

noon. It led in four matches, and the other two square, with only five holes to be played. But two players missed short putts ait the last green. The British amateur champion, M. Lunt, took three strokes to get down from the edge of the eighteenth green and finished all square with the Canadian champion. N. Weslock. Britain had another opportunity when M. Bonallack needed a short putt on the eighteenth green to defeat the young Canadian, W. Wakeham. Bonallack, under tremendous pressure, was wide with his putt and the match finished square.