Favourable draw for Canterbury golfers

Press, 23 October 1980, Page 30

Favourable draw for Canterbury golfers

No team is easy prey at the Freyberg Rose Bowl golf tournament and the fact that there are upsets every day, in almost all of the seven rounds, makes the national i h t e r-associations teams’ championship an absorbing and exciting event. However, Canterbury can look forward to the tournament at the Hutt course from November 5 to 8 with some confidence. The draw appears favourable in that Canterbury will not play two of the three teams which finished above it last year. Auckland, the defending champion, and Waikato both have good records in the, Freyberg

event and they will be among the leading fancies again. Canterbury ' has avoided both of them. The third day might be the decisive one for Canterbury. It will play Otago, the 1978 title-holder and runnerup last year, in the morning, and will be opposed by Wellington (disappointing last year but certain to make drastic improvement) in the afternoon. Canterbury will play the other four South Island teams, . Mid-South -Canterbury, Southland, Otago and Tasman, and apart from the traditionally tough contest against Wellington,, its other North Island opposition will be Poverty Bay-East Coast

: and Bay of Plenty, sides ; which Canterbury usually > defeats. After its success in the , South Island inter-provincial championship earlier this . month, Canterbury should not be lacking in self assurance against its South Island opposition.

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However, its one loss in that tournament was to MidSouth Canterbury and its nearest neighbour will be Canterbury’s first opponent. The combined team has not beaten Canterbury since 1974, but it normally provide es resolute opposition and

always warrants respect, es-1 pecially with the accomplished" ‘ Robbie Bell and Charlie Alexander in the top positions. Poverty Bay-East' Coast, the afternoon opposition, seldom poses a threat and has been last of the 14 teams for the last two years.

BOB SCHUMACHER

On both occasions it has managed only a half point, but that half point in 1978 was at the ’expense of Canterbury. . Canterbury’s opponent on the second day, when there is only one round, is. Southland, a team which Canter-

bury has twice beaten comfortably this season.; Without Jim Lapsley, now representing Canterbury, and Bruce Soulsby, competing in the United States, the team does not appear as formidable as in previous years. The return of Geoff Clarke to the Otago team at No. 1 will make the team that much stronger in all positions and all five Canterbury players will need to be at peak for the match. The Wellington side does not have the experience of previous -years and Canterbury will be hoping to repeat last year’s performance against the capital city when none of the team was beat-

Tasman and Bay of Plenty are Canterbury’s rivals on the final day. Tasman upset Canterbury in the first round last year and will want to avenge that loss. Bay of Plenty has been highly placed ,in recent Freyberg tournaments, but has found Canterbury a stumbling block for many years. Mid-South Canterbury’s draw in order is: Canterbury, Manawatu-Wanganui, Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Poverty Bay-East Coast and Hawke’s Bay. Tasman’s rivals are: Waikato, Taranaki, Poverty Bay-East Coast, Hawke's Bay, Auckland, Canterbury, and Mana-watu-Wanganui, ' ‘