Close golf win to Town

Press, 28 August 1978, Page 3

Close golf win to Town

By

808 SCHUMACHER

Although the Country golf team gave its best performance for five years agajnst Town in their annual match yesterday, the win it would have cherished so much on the pleasant and interesting country course at Waimakariri Gorge narrowly eluded it.

Town had no cause for complacency after the morning round when it held a slender lead, 8.J.-71. Reports on players’ progress over the opening holes in the second round suggested that Country had assumed the lead, but by the turn Town was in control in 10 of the 16 matches.

The Town team kept its advantage to the finish, winning the afternoon round, 9J-6|, and the contest over all, 18-14.

Five Town players, Geoff Saunders, Mark Street, Stephen Street, Len McKenzie and John Prebble, won both matches and Colin McNally and Simon Robinson settled for a win and a half.

George Turner, Steve Parker and Jim Monk had perfect records for Country while Richard Neal had a win and a half. On the debit side, three Town players lost twice — Joe Whitaker, Wayne Tucker and John Parlane — and John Allin, lan Carruthers, Gregg Hanna and Murray Stanley, suffered similar fates for Country.

The outstanding score of the morning came from the skilful Town No. 4 Mark Street. His genial opponent, Bob Pirie, summed it up after losing on the fifteenth.

“I would much rather play with you than against you,” he remarked. Pirie played soundly himself and was even with the card at the finish, but he could not withstand the birdie barrage by Street who was four-under. Street has few peers off the tee and his touch on the good greens was just as impressive. Although a little astray with some approach shots and behind early, Street regained his touch to defeat lan Carruthers, also at the fifteenth, in the afternoon. Saunders, the Town No. 1, had a close match with John Allin in the morning. Allin’s crucial mistake occurred Mt the sixteenth where he was everywhere except on the fairway. He went one down there and they halved the last two. Dennis Beggs missed too many greens to pressurise Saunders in the afternoon although he chipped excellently in the middle part of his round to save several holes.

Saunders was four up after 13, but Beggs delayed the result by scoring a birdie at the fourteenth and holing a long putt at the next hole.

Des Turner, after losing the first two holes to Beggs, was unable to get back to square, although he was still in with a chance when he won the fifteenth to go 1 down. But he was off-line with irons shots on the next two holes and lost both.

Turner finished a very comfortable winner against Allin in the second round. He played more steadily and

was aided by an opponent who faltered at some holes on the back nine. George Turner, who holed some telling putts, had an excellent double over the Town’s fifth and sixth players," Whitaker and John William.'on. It was Williamson’s first representative loss this season.

Parker also had two fine wins against redoubtable Town opponents, and the sound results lower in tne order by the veteran, Monk, and Neal helped to almost make it a day for Country to celeriiate. Results (Town names first) were:— Morning round D. N. Turner lost to D. L. Beggs, 3 and 1; G. C. Saunders beat J. L. Allin, 1 up; M. E. Street beat R. W. Pirie, 4 and 3; S. S. Robinson beat I. T. Carruthers, 5 and 4; J. N. Williamson beat 1. Ross, 3 and 2; J. W. A. Whitaker lost to G. H. Turner, 1 down; M. G. Brown lost to G. M. Gunn, 2 down; S. W. Street beat J. Barnes. 1 up; R.-M. Vincent lost to S. Parker, 1 down; B. K. Street beat G. J. Hanna, 5 and 3: W. I. Tucker lost to H. .1. Henderson, 4 and 2; L. D. McKenzie beat B. J. Arnst, 4 and 3; N. L. Bain lost to J. Monk, 6 and 5; J. R. A. Parlane lost to R. H. Neal, 3 and 2; C. A. McNally halved with P. Magee; J. W. Prebble beat M. Stanley. 1 up. Afternoon round

Saunders beat Beggs. 3 and 2; Turner beat Allin. 5 and 4; Robinson halved with Pirie; M. Street beat Carruthers, 4 and 3; Whitaker lost to Ross, 3 and 2; Williamson lost to Turner, 3 and 1; S. Street beat Gunn, 4 and 3; Brown halved with Barnes; B. Street lost to Parker, 5 and 3; Vincent beat Hanna, 5 and 3; McKenzie beat Henderson. 5 and 4; Tucker lost to Arnst, 1 down; Parlane lost to Monk, 4 and 3; Bain halved with Neal; Prebble beat Magee, 2 and 1; McNally beat Stanley, 4 and 2.