Chch, Harewood share cup lead

Press, 1 May 1978, Page 28

Chch, Harewood share cup lead

By

BOB SCHUMACHER

Christchurch, after a runaway victory, and Harewood, after a tense and tight battle against Avondale, are the only two teams with the maximum points after two rounds of the Woodward Cup inter-club golf competition.

Templeton is also unbeaten but is a half point behind the leaders after drawing with Waimairi Beach in the first round. Yesterday at Harewood, Templeton had to wait until the last pair had putted out before it clinched victorv against Waitikiri. There was always a chance at Avondale, an upset winner over Coringa in the first round, repeating its performance against Harewood. Four matches ended early, with the teams tied at 2-all. The other four progressed to the final green, where Harewood gained the decision, 3-1.

John Hanton, finishing with two birdies, and Bruce Trangmar set Avondale off on a winning note but that advantage was quickly negated when the Harewood No. 3, Brent Street, won at the fifteenth and the No. 4, Noel Bain, triumphed a hole earlier.

The Avondale veteran, Frank Roberts, and Nick Horgan, fittingly finished all square. Thev had a win each and halved the other 16. Harewood gained an advantage when John Dixon tenaciously held his one-hole lead to the finish against the experienced Don Gaudin.

With six matches completed, Harewood led 3|-2J, but the outcome was still open because the top two players in each team were all square as they walked off the sixteenth. Alan Williams, the Avondale No. 2, must have felt confident of going 1-up on the sixteenth. His opponent, Mike Small, was still off the green after four shots on the par 4 but chipped in from 6m to halve the hole.

Both holed pressure putts for pars on the seventeenth — Williams from 5m — but Small birdied the last to take the decision. In contrast, Mark Street, the Harewood No. 1, lost the last hole to a birdie by Ricky Vincent and had to be content with a squared match. Over the first 14 holes, Street made most of the running and hit 12 greens in regulation figures to Vincent’s two. But Vincent kept level by ramming in five long putts. Vincent played the seventeenth hole badly and went 1 down but he holed his birdie from 2m on the last.

There was a faint cha-nce of Waimairi gaining a draw at the turn but the more seasoned Christchurch players asserted themselves on the homeward half. Waimairi’s saving grace was a newcomer. Paul Holmes, who capitalised on some loose play by last year’s Freyberg reserve, Wayne Tucker, to lead 3 up after seven. Holmes found

pars difficult to make on the second nine. Tucker erased the deficit and was 1 up playing the last. Holmes won the last to score his team’s half point. Joe Whitaker, John Williamson, Murray Brown, and John Parlane, promoted from the Blank Cup team, were in charge most of the way and Simon Robinson, after a good start, recovered from a lean middle patch to beat John Ellerm at the seventeenth. John Orr came from behind to beat Bob Manley and Geoff Saunders scored Christchurch’s seventh win after a prolonged battle with Fred Poskitt in the top position.

Saunders birdied the eleventh to be 2 up but lost the next two. The fifteenth was halved in birdies, Saunders won 16 but lost the seventeenth to a par, and the pair was tied again. Poskitt had tree troubles on the last and Saunders, with a birdie, won the hole comfortably. Templeton’s win againt Waitikiri was a minor surprise and was confirmed only after the top pair, John Prebble and Bob Farrant, had played the eighteenth. Prebble resisted his accomplished rival throughout. Prebble chipped in to go 2 up after 13. Farrant missed an important putt on 15 but kept the match alive when he holed a 5m putt to win

17. They halved the last in pars.

Tony Soper, 3 under after seven holes and 5 up against Gregg Hanna, had a good win for Waitikiri and Bryce Jordan, recruited from the Blank Cup ranks, made a successful debut.

The promising junior, Stephen Paterson, scored Waitikiri’s other win and the captain Jack Devine, managed a half against Harley Henderson. Impressive displays by Lindsay McKinley, Gary Kirk, and Roy Newburn ensured Templeton its win. For the second time, Coringa was beaten, 3J-4i. Russiey again relied on Peter MacDonald and Roger Sisson. They both won in their Woodward debuts at seven and eight in the first round. Promotion in the order to four and five did not alter their results. Bruce Taylor, starting strongly, kept Stephen Street at bay but the Russiey No. 2, James Angus, was worn down by Dennis Beggs after leading 2 up after 11.

Russiey always had the slightly better position but Peter Neal squared his match and contributed a half point towards Coringa’s total when he holed a 10m putt for an eagle on the last against Lionel Martin.

Points: Christchurch 2 (121), Harewood 2 (9|), Templeton 11 (81), Russiey 1 (8), Avondale 1 (7J), Wai-

mairi Beach | (41). Coringa 0 (7), Waitikiri 0 (6|). Results: Waitikiri 31, Templeton 41 R. M. Farrant lost to J. W. Prebble, 1 down; S. J. Paterson beat I. T. Carruthers, 3 and 1; D. R. Griffiths lost to R. P. Newburn, 4 and 3; C. A. McNally lost to L. S. McKinley, 7 and 5; A. T. Soper beat G. J. Hanna, 4 and 3; J. P. Devine halved with H. J. Henderson; I. R. Pollock lost to G. Kirk, 5 and 4; B. Jordan beat A. Doherty, 3 and 2. Christchurch 71, Waimairi Beach 1 G. C. Saunders beat F. J. Poskitt. 1 up; S. S. Robinson beat J. Ellerm. 3 and 1; J. W. A. Whitaker beat J. Williams. 6 and 4; J. N. Williamson beat D. Pickering, 5 and 4; W. I. Tucker halved with P. L. Holmes; M. G. Brown beat D. Briggs, 4 and 2; J. R. A. Parlane beat R. Fogalele, 4 and 3; J. A. Orr beat R. Manley, 3 and 2. Avondale 3, Harewood 5 R. M. Vincent halved with M. E. Street; A. Williams lost to M. W. Small, 1 down; A. J. Crawford-Smith lost to B. K. Street, 5 and 3: L. D. McMillan lost to N. L. Bain, 5 and 4; F. W. Roberts halved with N. D. Horgan; D. J. Gaudin lost to J. I. Dixon. 1 down; J. Hanton beat P. Shearer. 4 and 2; B. B. Trangmar beat B. M. Walsh, 3 and 2. Russiey 41, Coringa 31 B. C. Taylor beat S. W. Street, 2 and 1; J. M. Angus lost to D. L. Beggs, 2 down; G. N. Martin lost to J. L. Allin, 6 and 4; P. MacDonald beat N. Mclvor, 4 and 3; R. M. Sisson beat B. G. Paterson, 1 up; A. K. Hynd lost to B. M. Alexander. 2 and 1: L. P. Martin halved with P. E. Neal; A. I. McNish beat C. Paterson, 3 and 2. BLANK CUP Christchurch 7. Avondale 1: Waitikiri 4, Coringa 4; Rawhiti 6, Templeton 2; Harewood 7, W’aimairi Beach 1. SIMON CUP Hagley 5, Kaiapoi 3; Harewood 51, Russiey 21; Templeton 61, Windsor 11; McLean’s Island 51, Coringa 21.