Canty loses at Motueka

Press, 5 November 1979, Page 3

Canty loses at Motueka

From 808 SCHUMACHER in Motueka Third time just proved unlucky for the Canterbury golfers in their ’annual, match against Wellington yesterday. | Wellington was successful last year, but it was a close [call at Motueka yesterday i with the scores level at I three each. I The Canterbury No, 2. [Mark Street, was matched against Wellington’s top player, John Durry. the: present national amateur champion. The talented Street, aged 19. tackled Durry and accounted for him after 15. holes. Durry. strangely astray with his approaches and uncertain with his putting. was never as convincing.

, Wellington’s second plav[er. an in form Keith Roberts, levelled the contest, in- ' flicting one of the heaviest ,match play defeats suffered by the Canterbury champion. Geoff Saunders. Roberts was quite astonishing on the greens, holing almost everything from 3m. He had six birdies over the 13 holes of the 'match, yet Saunders was onlv two over! par. Two matches finished at the sixteenth and each province gained a win. A former national champion, Rod Barltrop. was not available arid Dale Prosser, the Wei- ' llington match play champion, replaced him. Prosser, considered unlucky to miss his province’s Freyberg team, was soon 3‘

' up against the Canterbury, No. 5, Murray Brown, and he kept control although Brown was a determined opponent on the back nine. Canterbury’s No. 3, Simon; Robinson scored his team’s second win. beating Stephen Barron, at the sixteenth. Robinson was 1 up at the turn and never fell behind against Barron. The key matches between John Williamson (Canterbury) and Tony Proctor, and lan Ross and Martin Webber (Wellington), both went to the last green. Near the finish it seemed ‘Canterbury had a good; chance of victory; WilliamIson was 2 up after 16 and ‘ Ross, was 1 down playing the last. There he was nicely ‘ positioned for a birdie but a weak chip left him a long ;

■, birdie putt which missed I narrowly. U With only' Williamson and Proctor on the course. Canterbury looked set for a idraw. Proctor won the short iseventeenth with a par and. .■was faced with a 3m birdie] putt on the last to gain a half and give Wellington the: .win, 34-24. Williamson. awkwardly: placed off the tee, did well to reach the green in three and -two-putted from 12m. To his relief, Proctor missed his birdie attempt. Results: Canterbury 3, Wellington 3 ! G. C. Saunders lost to K. Roberts. 6/5; M. E. Street beat J. D. . Durry. 4/3; S. S. Robinson beat S. J. Barron. 3/2; J. N. Williamson beat A. Proctor. 1 up; I. J Ross lost to M. Webber, 1 down; M. G. Brown lost to D. Prosser, 3/2.