Auckland Wins Freyberg Rose Bowl Golf

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32253, 23 March 1970, Page 7

Auckland Wins Freyberg Rose Bowl Golf

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J. K. BROOKS)

INVERCARGILL. The much-criticised Auckland system of selecting a Freyberg Rose Bown team on form displayed in a trial series of medal rounds was vindicated at the Otatara course on Saturday when the Auckland team won the prestige inter-provincial golf tournament for 1970.

It was a surprise win, but a well-deserved one. Auckland accounted for the holder, Hawke’s Bay, in the morning while the highly-fancied Wellington team, the overnight leader, lost to Waikato. The longawaited meeting between Wellington and Auckland in the afternoon developed into a tight struggle, but Wellington crumbled on the last two holes, and the unbeaten Auckland side triumphantly took the trophy.

The elated Auckland manager, Mr N. V. Edwards—a former tennis star and an Auckland golf representative for 20 years—said his team’s win had proved the worth of the trial system. Since it was introduced six years ago, Auckland had won the rose bowl twice.

“This year Paul Shadlock, who played so well in last year’s Freyberg, missed out, but the results of this tournament proved that the best five form players had been chosen,” he said. The Aucklanders, in common with many other North Island teams, came from courses burnt brown by the hot summer sunshine, but quickly adapted themselves to playing on the lush green fairways of Otatara. More than that, the Auckland players displayed intense concentration and dedication to a cause, and it was this attribute which placed them above their rivals in the tense final stages of the competition.

The team’s No. 5 player, R. D. Gillespie, was the only man at Otatara to win seven successive matches. But his fellow players all achieved a measure of personal success in the interests of the side. P. A. Maude, who helped Waikato win the rose bowl in 1968, w’as unbeaten with six wins and a half: K. R. Hankin, the captain, had four wins and a half: and G. R. Hughes, in his first Freyberg tournament, had five wins and a half.

Perhaps the most meritorious performance was that of the 19-year-old P. Burney, who was entrusted with the

onerous task of playing in the top position. He was beaten only twice, by the experienced internationals, S. G. Jones and R. C. Murray, and then by only narrow margins.

Wellington's twin defeats tugged the side down from first place to fourth in the course of a day. But Waikato and Otago prospered, and finished second equal, a point behind Auckland. Canterbury redeemed itself to a certain extent in the final round by beating ManawatuWanganui, and thus finished sixth equal, in company with Mid-South Canterbury and Gisborne. The match was notable for R. M. Farrant’s defeat of M. R. Osman in the top game. Osman, who was eight under par for the tournament, had won his previous six games, but his occasional brilliant iron shot or accurate putt was not sufficient to offset the steady brand of golf produced by Farrant.

Fnal points, with total wins in parenthesis, were:

Auckland 6i (265). Otago 5$ (21$). Waikato 5$ (19$). Wellington 5 (22), Manawatu-Wanga-nui 4 (19$). Mid-South Canterbury 3$ (18$). Gisborne 3$ (18), Canterbury 3$ (17), Hawke’s Bav 3 (17$), Taranaki 3 (14$). Southland 2$ (15$), Buller-West-land - Nelson - Marlborough 1$ (12$), Bay of Plenty 1 (14). Northland 1 (8$).

Auckland’s dedication to its goal was epitomised by Gillespie. who was two down to I .D. Woodburv (Wellington) with four to play in the final round. It was obvious that only a superlative effort would suffice if the situation was to be reversed—and Gillespie, to his credit, was equal to the task. He finished with three birdies and a par to beat a bemused Woodbury on the eighteenth hole.

Wellington equalled the score when Hughes lost his usual pre cise touch with his short irons and was finished off quickly by I. S. MacDonald. The unbeaten R. M. Barltrop made a determined effort to build on this advantage, but Hankin lived up to his reputation for coolness under pressure by emerging from a bunker beside the last green to hole an 18ft putt for a half.

All now depended on the outcome of the two top matches. J. D. Durry (Wellington), bun kered at the seventeenth, became one down to Burney, and Maude, just ahead of these two, rammed home the advantage for Auckland by scoring a grand birdie at the last hole to beat B. C. Rafferty. Durry. who sliced his second shot at the eighteenth and hit a woman in the crowd, never looked capable of catching Burney—but by then the rose bowl was in Auckland's keeping. Maude was the hero of the gripping final minutes with his last-hole win. He hooked his drive to the edge of the rough under some trees, and did not have an unimpeded swing for his shot to the green. In spite of this, he hit his ball to a point 12ft from the pin.

Rafferty took up station behind Maude as he prepared to putt and the big Aucklander angrily waved him away. Then, regaining his composure, he holed the putt.

Earlier .in the day, Rafferty was well beaten by E. J. McDougall (Waikato) who, with an aggregate of nine under par, was the best scorer on a stroke basis at the tournament. Waikato capitalised on McDougall’s achievement to sow the seeds for Wellington’s eventual eclipse. Manawatu-Wanganui won an even tussle against Mid-South Canterbury, with Osman adding the prized scalp of R. C. Murray to his impressive collection. Murray played well in the middle stages, but struggled over the back nine and finished three over par. Farrant, characteristically determined, stopped Osman’s charmed run with a 2 and 1 win in the last round. Osman’s golden putter was. by then, losing some of its gilt, but Farrant earned his win by attacking the pin and holding the important putts.

Three birdies in five holes after the turn proclaimed that J. F. Logie and his putter were once more in accord. He won comfortably against his Russley club mate, C. J. Smale (Mana-watu-Wanganui), who had started with two birdies.-

After a week of frustration, R. A. Mohekey (Manawatu), began to hole his putts against B. C. Taylor, who contributed to his own defeat with some wayward shots after the turn. The tried and trusted campaigner, J. F. Farley, also putted well, but R. K. Atkinson (Canterbury), gained pars at the last six holes to halve. .

J. R. Broadhurst (Canterbury) was in an ebullient mood against S. M. Owen and overcame his rival by a good showing with his irons.

Canterbury, however, could not match Otago, but Broadhurst again distinguished himself by heading off the international, G. D. Brown.

Taylor, who. strangely, always played his best golf in the morning, gained Canterbury’s other win by showing a more studious approach than his Otago rival, J. S. Roche. Taylor was two under par and six up after 11 holes, and was able to drop two shots and still win easily.

Roche later ended the unbeaten run of G. P. Vesty (MidSouth Canterbury), but the Timaru man had a splendid tournament and showed commendable steadiness under pressure.

Murray was back to his best in the final round and was three under par in beating his fellow international, G. E. Clarke (Otago). S. G. Jones (Hawke’s Bay), joined Osman as the most successful of the No. 1 players when he beat the national champion. G. C. Stevenson (Waikato). in the last round. Steven son was a forlorn figure at the end, with only one win and a half in seven matches. Results were:— SIXTH ROUND Auckland 3s> Hawke’s Bay 1$ P. Burney lost to S. G. Jones, 3 and 1: P. A. Maude beat J. M. Dorreen. 6 and 4; K. R. Hankin halved with F. H. Parker; G. R. Hughes beat S. J. Wilson, 5 and 4: R. D. Gillespie beat B. Jamieson, 4 and 3. Manawatu-Wanganui 3, MidSouth Canterbury 2 M. R. Osman beat R. C. Murray, 2 and 1; S. M. Owen halved tfith A. C. Browne; R. A. Mohekey halved with G. P. Vesty; J. F. Farley beat W. L. Maw, 1 up: C. J. Smale lost to J. Barbour. 1 down. Cisborne 3, Buller-Westland 2 M. J. Fisher beat L. J. Stephens, 4 and 3; E. J. Gordon ‘beat W’. Rainbird, 4 and 3; C. H. • Cock lost to K. Gardiner. 2 and 1; R. Bignail beat D. W. Maley, 1 up; W. A. Neill lost to M. R. Gyde, 6 and 5.

Otago 3, Canterbury 2 G. E. Clarke beat R. M. Farrant, 3 and 2; G. D. Brown lost to J. R. Broadhurst, 1 down; J. S. Roche lost to B. C. Taylor, 5 and 4; C. G. Munro beat R. K. Atkinson, 2 and 1; P. N. Conlon beat J. F. Logie, 3 and 2. Waikato 3. Wellington 2 G. C. Stevenson lost to J. D. Durry, 4 and 3; E. J. McDougall beat B. C. Rafferty, 3 and 2; S. M. Leech lost to R. M. Barltrop, 4 and 2; S. E. Reid beat I. S. MacDonald, 4 and 3; P. Hartstone beat J. D. Woodbury, 4 and 3.

Southland 5, Northland 0 P. R. Adams beat A. Day, 3 and 2; M. W. Strange beat G. McKinnon, 2 up; K. R. Downie beat A, Widger, 5 and

4; J. E. Kerr beat W. Mason, 4 and 3; D. J. Vear beat G. Clark, 4 and 3.

Taranaki 3s, Bay of Plenty 1$ R. L. G. Pease halved with P. Watson; R. L. Cameron beat E. Carswell, 2 up; P. J. Young lost to M. Nicholson, 2 down; A. N. Jeffery beat K. Sommervi'lle, 2 and 1; R. Rei beat J. Lancaster, 6 and 5, SEVENTH ROUND Gisborne 4s, Northland $ Fisher beat Day, 3 and 1; Gordon beat McKinnon, 2 and 1; Cock halved with Widger; Bignell beat Mason, 2 ana 1; Neill beat Clark, 1 up. Otago 3, Mid-South Canterbury 2 Clarke lost to Murray, 4 and 2; G. Brown beat A. Browne, 2 up; Roche beat Vesty, 7 and 6; Munro lost to Maw. 4 and 3; Conlon beat Barbour, 2 and 1. Auckland 3s, Wellington 1$ Burney beat Durry, 1 up; Maude beat Rafferty, 1 up; Hankin halved with Barltrop; Hughes lost to MacDonald. 5 and 4; Gillespie beat Woodbury, 1 up. Waikato 3, Hawke's Bay 2 Stevenson lost to Jones, 4 and 3; McDougall beat Dorreen, 7 and 6; Leech beat Parker, 2 and 1; Reid halved with Wilson; Hartstone halved with Jamieson. Southland 2s, Taranaki 2$ Adams beat Pease, 2 up: Strange beat Cameron, 2 and 1; Downie lost to Young, 3 and 1; Kerr lost to Jeffery. 3 and 2; Vear halved with Rei. Bay of Plenty 2s, BullerWestland 2$ Watson beat Stephens, 5 and 4: Carswell lost to Rainbird, 3 and 1; Nicholson halved with Gardiner; Sommerville beat Maley. 2 and 1: Lancaster lost to Gyde, 4 and 3. Canterbury 3s, ManawatuWanganui 1$ Farrant beat Osman, 2 and 1; Broadhurst beat Owen, 3 and 2: Taylor lost to Mohekey, 5 and 3; Atkinson halved with Farley; Logie beat Smale, 3 and 2.