Canty Freyberg team to face old rivals again

Press, 29 August 1978, Page 28

Canty Freyberg team to face old rivals again

Two years ago, Canterbury won the Freyberg Rose Bowl golf trophy for the first time in 11 years after nerve-wracking victories on the final day against Wellington and Otago. The Canterbury team for this year’s tournament in Taupo from October II to 14 will be hoping that the draw is a lucky omen, for it will meet the same teams in the same order on the last day. The final two rounds might be crucial for the three teams, all of which are likely to hold winning chances at that stage. Last year Wellington won the tournament with Otago second and Canterbury equal third, but finished fifth on a count-back of individual games won,

In the five rounds preceding the final two, Canterbury appears to have an easier draw than in recent years. The traditionally strong Auckland side, the champion in 1975 and third last year,

By

BOB SCHUMACHER

and the highly regarded Hawke’s Bay combination (fourth last year) are not among its opponents. Nor is Waikato, a province which has won the Rose Bowl in three of the last seven years and is a dangerous rival in spite of its dismal tenth last-year. Although no team can be dismissed too lightly, Canterbury will be disi appointed if it fails to open

the tournament with two • wins on the opening day. Bay of Plenty will be the . first test. Although it finished eleventh last year, the : team is capable of improvei ment with an international, , Mika Nicholson, at No. 1

and a promising national junior representative, lan Peters, in the five.

For the third time in as many years, Canterbury will strike Northland on the first day. Canterbury has won the previous encounters and Northland will be weakened without the powerful New Zealand amateur, Alex Bennington, who recently decided to join the professional ranks. _

Canterbury meets its nearest neighbour, Mid-South Canterbury, in the only round on the second day. The combined team, eighth last year, has the habit of upsetting a favoured team, but it might be found wanting below the top two positions.

Southland, always a respected rival and sixth last year, might pose problems in the fourth round, but Poverty Bay-East Coast has a poor record in the tournament —- it was second last in 1977 and last the previous year.

However, the last day is certain to be the vital one. Even if Canterbury is not in with a chance, its results against Wellington and Otago could have an important bearing on which team .wins the Freyberg trophy,