WELLINGTON v AUCKLAND FINAL? Two Teams Dominating Rose Bowl Golf

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32251, 20 March 1970, Page 17

WELLINGTON v AUCKLAND FINAL? Two Teams Dominating Rose Bowl Golf

(From J. K. BROOKS)

INVERCARGILL.

The fate of the Freyberg Rose Bowl for 1970 will almost certainly hinge on the Auckland-Wellington match at Otatara on Saturday afternoon. The two North Island teams emerged from yesterday’s play in the interprovincial golf tournament as the principal contenders, as other likely sides knocked each other out of consideration.

Manawatu-Wanganui was in a strong challenging position when it beat the holder, Hawke’s Bay, in the morning and led the favoured Wellington team at the turn in the afternoon. But. in a tense finish, the former Hawke’s Bay player, I. S. MacDonald, came from behind to beat the 50-year-old, J. F. Farley, on the last green to give Wellington a 3-2 win.

It was a bad day for Hawke’s Bay, for the side also lost to Otago, the South Island champion team. But Otago was crushed by Wellington, while Auckland advanced its claims with! two big wins.

Canterbury had many trials and tribulations before beating Gisborne and halving with Bay of Plenty, the result in each case being in doubt until the last putt of the last match. Mid-South Canterbury overcame Southland in the tightest encounter of the series, but lost ground by failing to hold Waikato. Major Upset But the biggest upset was provided by the unfancied Buller - Westland - Nelson - Marlborough team, which routed Waikato, 4-1. in the fourth round. L. J. Stephens (Nelson) and W. Rainbird (Buller) gained great personal triumphs by beating last year’s national amateur finalists, G. S. Stevenson and E. J. McDougall, respectively.

Points after four rounds,] with total wins in parenthesis, are:—Wellington 4 (141),: Auckland 31 (15), Waikato 21 ‘ (10), Canterbury 21 (10), Mid-; South Canterbury 24 (11),I Otago 24 (11), Hawke’s Bay 2 (101), Manawatu-Wanganui 2 (11), Taranaki 11 (8), Gis-< borne 1} (9), Buller Com-j bined 1 (71). Southland 1 (7). Northland 1 (7), Bay of: Plenty 1 (81). Established internationals l held the centre of the stage on Wednesday, but yesterday: their thunder was stolen by] M. R. Osman, a chunky 22-1 year-old Wanganui furniture' manufacturer, who is top man; for Manawatu-W’anganui.

Two Big Wins

In the morning, he beat S. G. Jones (Hawke’s Bay), six; times national champion, and I in the afternoon completed al grand double by outplaying; J. D. Durry (Wellington), who] has won the New Zealand title three times.

With Hawke’s Bay and Manawatu-Wanganui poised at two matches each, Osman came from behind with birdies at the fifteenth and seventeenth holes to beat Jones by one hole. Osman lost a ball at one hole but more than compensated for the blemish by holing six birdie putts. Three up at the turn against Durry, Osman unleashed a devastating burst of scoring ■which gave his luckless opponent little chance of prolonging the match. Osman holed a 20ft putt for a birdie at the tenth, and his joy knew no bounds at the next hole when a 60ft eagle putt from off the green went down.

Durry chipped in for a birdie at the twelfth, but could gain only a half, and the match ended on the fourteenth with yet another Osman birdie. At this stage the Wanganui player was six under par. Spectacular Shot I The young Manawatu No. 5. I C. J. Smale, w’ho will be playing for Russley. this year, : hit his tee shot at the parthree seventeenth to within 2ft of the hole to beat I. D. Woodbury (Wellington), but Manawatu - Wanganui’s big hope, Farley, lost a winning lead against MacDonald by three-putting the sixteenth and hooking his drive into the i trees at the eighteenth. : Canterbury was involved in two tense matches, and on each occasion the result depended on J. R. Broadhurst. One down with four to play against E. J. Gordon (Gisborne), Broadhurst woil the fifteenth and sixteenth holes and halved the last two to give Canterbury a 3-2 victory. Broadhurst was square playing the last hole against E. Carswell (Bay of Plenty), but he won the hole on the strength of a splendid chip, and this enabled Canterbury to escape with a half. R. M. Farrant hit some splendid drives and putted [well, but his iron play was not always accurate. After beating a confident M. J. Fisher (Gisborne) in a good display, Farrant lost for the second successive year to P. Watson (Bay of Plenty), whose crunching drives set him up for some fine birdie putts on the back nine. J. F. Logie, hitting his drives well but lacking his usual touch on the greens, had a win and a loss, and R. K. Atkinson showed improved form from tee to green but was well beaten by the 19-

year-old R. Bignell (Gisborne), whose deadly putting was a feature of the second day’s play. In one purple patch in the morning, B. C. Taylor played brilliant iron shots to the greens to be five up and four under par at the turn. But his opponent, C. Cock (Gisborne), proved a resolute fighter and took a worried Taylor to the seventeenth green before losing. G. P. Vesty, who has won all his matches, was a towering figure for Mid-South Canterbury yesterday, but his team-mates had mixed fortunes. R. C. Murray had difficulty in beating Stevenson, because of the amateur champion’s fine putting. Murray was one down with two to play, but contributed to his own defeat by two ill-directed tee shots. Mid-South was at full stretch to beat Southland, all the matches going the full distance. Vesty and A. C. Browne each won, one up, J. Barbour lost one down, and W. L. Maw halved his match. Murray seemed set to preserve his perfect record, but he played the last hole badly, and had to be content with a half against P. R. Adams. Faltered Again

There was jubilation in the ranks of the Buller-Westland-Nelson-Marlborough team after the rout of* Waikato. Stephens, three down at the turn against Stevenson, won the next four holes, but lost the fifteenth to be back to square. But, once again, Stevenson faltered at a critical stage, cutting his drive behind trees at the sixteenth and three-putting the seventeenth, to lose the match. Rainbird took McDougall on in a long-driving duel, and held his own. In a splendid finish, both men were

bunkered at the seventeenth, Rainbird holed his putt, McDougall did not, and he was forced to acknowledge his first defeat. There were several matches to interest the national selectors. Durry and G. E. Clarke (Otago) had an exciting game of see-sawing fortunes which ended, fittingly, in a half. But in another close match, Clarke lost to Jones on the final green. B. C. Rafferty (Wellington) further his claims for more national honours by convincingly beating his fellow New Zealand representative, G. D. Brown (Otago). But on the day, all these notables were overshadowed by Osman. There will be unusual interest in his matches against Murray and Farrant on the final day.