Saunders to defend title, but out of rep. golf

Press, 2 April 1980, Page 44

Saunders to defend title, but out of rep. golf

By

BOB SCHUMACHER

Geoff Saunders, Canterbury’s No. I golfer last year, will defend his provincial match play championship at Shirley over Easter weekend, but after that event little will be seen of the 26-year-old solicitor on golf courses. Saunders confirmed yesterday that he would not be available for- representative fixtures this, season, which will be a severe blow to the selectors for he remains one of the most talented and selfassured players in the province. However. Saunders is unlikely to be lost to Canterbury golf for long. Personal reasons and a recurring shoulder injury have com-

bined to help him make his decision this year, but he intends to return to the competitive scene next year. After seven successive years in the Freyberg Rose Bowl competition- — in that period he won two provincial stroke championships and one' match play title—Saunders is not too worried about having a short break. His shoulder injury occurred about five years ago and forced him to miss a South Island championship. He has had problems with it cation w’*h recurring dislocation and recentlv aggravated it when nlaying cricket in the Banks Peninsula competition. Although Saunders, who

missed the Russley open a fortnight ago through influ- : enza, has had an interrupted preparation for his Canter- i bury title defence, he is op- 1 timistic about his chances 1

after playing reasonably well ; last week-end in the Central • Canterbury Sub-association’s i inter-club competition. While Saunders was mak- i ing clear His intentions for the season, another of Can- . terbury’s foremost players ‘ for ■ the last decade, Bruce Taylor, said that he would 1 adopt a similar approach to :

that which he has followed in recent years. ' ' • Two years ago, Taylor was unavailable for the Freyberg team after representing Canterbury for eight successive

years, and last year he failed to regain his position after a shortened season. . . ■<_ The tall Russley player is not keen to play through the winter months, but he has already staked strong’claims with his fourth victory, in the provincial stroke championship in February and a high

I placing in the recent Russley open. ’ . Taylor intends playing al! ’ events leading to and includ- • ing the New Zealand ama--1 teur championship in May, , but will curtail his golf from then and, apart from the odd event which has become an annual tournament for him, 1 will not resume seriously until September.Both Saunders and Taylor will be leading candidates for . the match play championship which , has only a few of the province’s top players missing. Des Turner, the 1973 champion, is not playing, and the accomplished Mark Street, the Canterbury No.- 2

last year, will be competing in the, Australasian junior teams’ championship in' Sydney. .. The tightest-assessed player in the field is Waitikiri’s Gary Maw, who is on plus one. But there are many capable, golfers in the senior field, which has a full entry of players on a handicap of four or less. Murray Brown, the beaten finalist last year, and John Williamson, twice runner-up, are both members of last year’s Freyberg team who have the qualities to meet' the strenuous demands of match-play competition.