N.Z. golfers poised to beat Aust.

Press, 24 March 1984, Page 80

N.Z. golfers poised to beat Aust.

PA Dunedin New Zealand takes a handy 3Vi-2Vi lead into the second day of the Sloan Morpeth golf international against Australia after two rounds of play at St Clair yesterday. New Zealand came back to take three of the four reverse singles matches in the afternoon round to step up their bid to regain the trophy Australia has held since 1982.

In the singles, Brent Paterson, Michael Barltrop, and Terry Cochrane all consolidated on leads at the half-way stage to win, while Colin Taylor from Hamilton was beaten only on the eighteenth hole. Paterson, the young Canterbury golfer who was runner-up in the Australian championships last year, beat Tony Dight (New South Wales) 3 and 2, after having the cushion of a 3-stroke lead after nine holes.

Barltrop completed a good day for personally beating Chris Tatt (Victoria) 4 and 3 after combining with'Taylor in the morning round to halve their foursomes.

Barltrop, aged 37, who represented New Zealand at the Eisenhower tournament in 1980 and 1982, played steady golf. He was 1 up after nine holes, improved to 2 up after 13, and won the fourteenth and fifteenth to seal the match. Cochrane’s win over Neil Crafter, the South Australian 1983 open winner, was a close match throughout with the Aucklander holding a 1hole advantage after nine holes and finally winning on the sixteenth. Michael Atkinson (Southland) kept New Zealand in the Clare Higson Trophy match for under-26 golfers with two wins. He was the only New Zealander to win in the singles round but did so convincingly 5 and 4 over Don Fardon (Queensland). Sloan Morpeth Reverse foursomes: B. Paterson (Canterbury) and T. Cochrane (Auckland) lost to T. Dight (New South Wales) and C. Tatt (Victoria) 4 and 2. M. Barltrop (Auckland) and C. Taylor (Hamilton) halved with N. Crafter (South Australia) and J. Wagner (N.S.W.). Reverse singles: Paterson beat Dight 3 and 2, Barltrop beat Tatt 4 and 3, Cochrane beat Crafter 2 and 1, Taylor lost to Wagndr 1 down. Clare fligwn Reverse foursomes: G. Radka (Southland) and M. Atkinson (Southland) beat P. Wuoti (Queensland) and D. Fardon (Queensland) 7 and 6, S. Morshuis (Otago) and J. Kupa (Napier) lost to D. Smith (Victoria) and B. Johns (Tasmania) 2 and 1. Reverse singles: Radka lost to Smith 6 and 5, Morshuis halved with Wuoti, Johns beat Kupa 7 and 5, Atkinson beat Fardon 5 and 4.