Fourth Woodward Cup to Chch golfers

Press, 1 October 1979, Page 3

Fourth Woodward Cup to Chch golfers

; By 808 SCHUMACHER Christchurch has a long way to go before matchingthe big sequence of wins! established by Russley in; the Woodward Cup inter-i club golf championship in the late 1960 s and early 19705. but it took one step. I further at Russley yesterday; when it won the premierj trophy for the fourth succes-| sive year. The genial captain of the Christchurch team. Andrew Robinson on accepting the) cup, remarked that Christ-y church’s 6-2 victory against the previously unbeaten' Waitikiri team was not a true reflection on how manyj, of the matches were vigor-i ously contested. Perhaps Robinson wasj being a little kind. Christ-i church won its seven L matches and 4.3} out of a ' possible 56 individual; matches. It was a side well-: endowed in ability from its top to its eighth player. The win against Waitikiri was well deserved. However, few would dispute Robinson’s comment that the successful side from! Shirley was perhaps the! strongest that he has been! associated with. Robinson’s' ties with the Woodward Cup team goes back 27 years. Its top order of Geoff Saunders. Simon Robinson, John Williamson and Murray Brown are all in the Canterbury eight-man team i for the South Island inter-! provincial tournament this! month. At five was Des Turner, Canterbury’s No. 1 at last year’s Freyberg tournament, and the remaining threesome Wayne Tucker, Robinson, and John Parlane, have all represented the province. Waitikiri was a finalist for the three major interclub trophies, the Woodward, Blank and Simon Cups. Earlier this year its junior team had finished runner-up in its competition and it seemed that fate had decreed the same placings for its senior sides. The Simon Cup was also .'decided at Russley, and I Waitikiri. after looking (likely near the finish, experienced a sharp change of| ’fortunes over the closing! .holes and lost to Harewood,l 131-4 J. Christchurch had] I early control of the Wood-|t I ward Cup and never reJin-1 ’quished it and a telephone! ’call to Waitikiri — venue! ifor the Blank Cup final —I. ’brought the news that Hare-! |wood had been successful. ! ! However, a second call! Iproved friore rewarding. The! 1 ’ information then was that! ’Waitikiri had won and it j

proved correct, the home team beating Harewood. 44-

One of the biggest galler-1 ies for many years attended! the Woodward Cup final. For* once the weather was favourable and the course! was in good order. The golf was very good mostly and! the sportsmanship exemp-! lary, but for Waitikiri supporters there was little else! to cherish.

The team was soon in deficit: there was a glimmer of hope near half wav, but it ended almost as quickly as it started, and Christchurch was firmly in command over the final holes.

Only once was Waitikiri ahead and that was after the’ No. 7s and 8s had completed! the opening hole — the elev-! enth at Russley.

Andrew Robinson and Gary Maw halved the bole, but the Waitikiri No. 8, Murray Palmer had a par and a win against Parlane.

By the time all players had completed the first.' Christchurch was ahead 51-21 and the margin never decreased. After three holes, Christchurch was ahead, 61-11, and that score remained after six holes. By the turn. Waitikiri had made a gain of a half point and the 6-2 score I stayed unaltered to the finish.

Palmer gained the first success for Waitikiri. The greens were firm and fast and Parlane never really adjusted to them with his approach shots. Palmer, unspectacular but very sound, putted competently and held sway from the turn.

Andrew Robinsen levelled the score. He and Maw had

iboth won their previous six matches. They had a good contest, but Maw had a i couple of bad holes to allow Robinson a 2 up lead after ’nine. Maw drove splendidly, ■but Robinson made no mistakes and a birdie at 15 and another at 17 enabled him to finish with a 100 per cent I record. I With Saunders and Simon Robinson dominating their ■top-order matches against Bob Farrant and Stephen Patterson, respectively, Waitiikiri badly needed wins in ’the middle order. I But it was not to be. The jleft-handed Jeff McCarthy (had a battle royal with TuIcker. They were square at I the turn, but McCarthy was 12 up after 12 and held on I tenaciously to win 1 up. iThat was Waitikiri’s second (and last success. | Turner came away from ’John McCormick over the second nine and, although Len McKenzie and Ross Griffith fought valiantly, they were unable to overcome their bad beginnings against Brown and Williamson, respectively. ! All four' players contributed to some spectacular | golf. Williamson attacked (the flag with devastating results — six birdies — and he was two under at the finish. Griffith was less brilliant but played admirably and did well to keep the match alive to the seventeenth j Brown, in recording his seventh successive win, will share the Stan Rich Salver with Andrew Robinson for the best individual record. McKenzie was out Of luck with two putts at the finish and almost holed out from a bunker on the last to get the birdie he needed to halve with Brown. However, Brown was strong and consistent and never faltered under pressure. There were other features in an absorbing day. Roger Sisson (Russley) scored an albatross on the par-5 thirteenth. He won 1 up and helped Russley to an upset win againsl Harewood. Templeton scored its first win at the expense of Avon- • dale. Gary Kirk, promoted to' 1 No. 1 for Templeton for the i ifirst time, surprised the ' ’Canterbury representative, Ricky Vincent. Kirk was 1 ’ | up playing the last but w. s ’bunkered off the tee. He was ! still there after his second but holed his next shot to halve the hole and score a 'memorable victory. ! Coringa finished fourth in | the championship, finishing ’ ’ with a resounding win over! IWaimairi Beach. j Final points: Christchurch 7 c | Waitikiri 5. 1 , (33), Harewood • 1 4 t. 33), Coiinga 3 <23Vi, Russley, j 1 2A i2si», Waimairi Beach 2.’. (24). j Avondale 2£ (23i), Templeton J J Christchurch 6, Waitikiri 2 j G. C. Saunders beat R. M. Far-, rant 4 and J; S S. Robinson I j beat S. .1, Paterson 7 and 6; J F IN. Williamson beat D. K. Griffitiii 2 and 1; M. G. Brown beat L. G.i ; McKenzie 1 up; W. 1. Tucker'; 'lots to J. McCarthy 1 down; D. t In. Turner beat J. McCormick 3 £ and 2; A. W. Robinson beat G.. L. Maw 2 and 1; J. R. A. Parlane I lost to M. D. Palmer 4 and 2. t Harewood 3, Russley 5 |S M. E. Street beat B. C. Taylor.t 1 up; P. A. Shearer lost to P K. i Atkinson 2 and I; B. K. Street ‘ lost to N. M. Griffiths 2 down; 2 N. J. Horgan lost to A. K. liynd t 4 and 3; N. Cunnington lost to £ R. M. Sisson I down; J. I. Dixon r lost to G. Nobbs 6 and 4; D. F Marks beat P. L. Holmes 2 and £ 1; R. Henderson beat A. Borck g 4 and 2. Templeton 4i, Avondale 3*, ( G. -I. Kirk beat R. M. Vincent. II up; J W. Prebble beat A. N.' c ; Williams 4 and 2; R. P. Newburn/t i halved with J. Hanton: A. J. [ Doherty beat A. E. Vincent 3 and •2; M. Roche beat J. Bowen 6 1 ‘and 4: N. Hilton lost to M. G. € i Wright 1 down; N. Burt lost to.c iD. .1. Gaudin 3 and 2; R. Price r j lost to F. W. Roberts 4 and 3. £ Waimairi Beach 2|, Coringa 54 . • F. J Poskitt lost to J. 1.. Allin t . 1 down; N. Shackley lost to B. G. Paterson 5 and 4; J. E. Car* If (bines lost to P. E. Neal, 4 and 2; ;R. Poskitt lost to J. Smale 2 r jand I; D. J. Briggs beat C. J. J (Paterson 4 and 3; J. Williams's halved with B. M Alexander; D. t Pickering lost to 1.. Lundy 2 and ;1: J. A. Ell erm beat J. Louwman * i 4 and 2. £