Chch slight golf favourite

Press, 10 June 1977, Page 24

Chch slight golf favourite

By

BOB SCHUMACHER

Six of the eight-man Canterbury golf team who played Wellington last month are in the Christchurch and Harewood Woodward Cup teams for the crucial contest in the final round of the premier interclub championship at Waitikiri on Sunday. The balance is fair and equable, with three of thej

(Players in each team and all at the top of the order. Christchurch, which is attempting to win the trophy for the third time in the last four years, has the same number of points as Harewood, but trails by two individual games. A draw would be of no use to Christchurch. Christchurch must start as ; slight favourite as it appears |to be a little stronger

I through the ranks. However, . conditions are certain to be ■ heavy at Waitikiri and the ■ longer hitters are not going : to have any great advantage. : Accuracy and putting will be the key issues. Geoff Saunders reappeared ! at No. 1 for Christchurch in • the sixth round and marked his return with a superb dis- ; play to overwhelm the prov- ; ince’s top player, Bruce Tay- : lor (Russley).

He will be opposed by a newcomer to this year’s Freyberg team, Stephen Street.. Street has won four of his five matches in his first season in the top position for Harewood. The New Zealand junior was not as spectacular as Saunders in the last round, but he makes few errors and should push the Christchurch No. 1 close. Mark and Brent Street follow their older brother in the Harewood order and both have previously played well at Waitikiri. Brent, the present South Island boys’ champion, was third best qualifier in the Canterbury match-play championship; his twin brother Mark has a growing reputation for his great putting ability.

Mark, who has had four wins and one half from five matches, will have to contend with Simon Robinson and Brent is Wayne Tucker’s rival. The two Christchurch players will need to show a little improvement on their last Woodward Cup performances, when both were beaten. The putts around one and two metres will be of importance to Tucker. The seasoned Noel Bain and John Dixon are competent players in the Harewood middle order and the finishing trio is likely to be Stuart Smith, Nick Horgan and Barry Walsh. Walsh has suffered only one loss this season.

John Williamson, after an indifferent start to the season, has fought back strongly, winning his last four Woodward matches and reaching the final of the Canterbury match-play title. He will be at four and Murray Brown, who has a 50 per cent record this season, will be at five. The unbeaten lan Dobson, John Orr, who has succumbed only once, and the powerful John Parlane, who [gained a respectable half in [his Woodward debut at Coringa, complete a more than useful tail. There Will be interest too in the result of the Stan Rich trophy, for the player gaining the most wins. Dobson and the steady Russley No. 3, Neville Griffiths, have had five wins and a half. Should both falter at the last hurdle, the Canterbury stroke champion, James Angus (Russley), is well positioned with five wins.