Town golfers survive Country pressure

Press, 12 August 1985, Page 48

Town golfers survive Country pressure

By

BOB SCHUMACHER

Supporters of the Town golf team endured twitchy fingers and toes for most of the two rounds at Amberley yesterday before victory in the annual contest against Country was guaranteed. Although Country was beaten for the sixth successive year, it was by no means disgraced. The contest was still in the balance with the last four players of each team Still on the course, but Town’s top order, in a reversal of its morning form, produced the better finish. Twon prevailed, 18-14, after repeating its morning success of 9-7 in the second round. The Town juniors did not cause their supporters such anguish. They led Countiy, 10-2, after the first

round and completed an emphatic 17 ¥2-6% victory. Whereas the bottom half of the Town senior team had held the side together in the morning when the recognised Canterbury players, with John Sanders and Mark Street the exceptions, succumbed in quick order, it was the turn of the tail to fail in the afternoon. With half of the second round matches decided, Country had closed the gap to 12V2-II Va and there was acute embarrassment in the Town camp. The resplendent trophy at stake had been left behind, on the mantlepiece of one of the Town players. His wife, however, proved a Good Samaritan and the arrival of the trophy late in the afternroon coincided

with a change in Town’s fortunes.

Of the last eight matches, Town recorded four wins and halved three, Country’s only success coming when Graeme Gunn, the No. 3, hit a magnificent iron to the last green to thwart, thoughts of a come-back by Paul Minifie. Sanders, Street and a very impressive John Craw-ford-Smith had two wins in the top order for Town, while Rick Vincent had a win and a half. He was grateful to his second-round opponent, Harley Henderson, for three-putting the last green to give him the half. Mark Elley and Richard Hurley, both juniors last year, had rewarding senior debuts for Town. They had double successes, with

Neville Brightwell gaining a first-round win and a half in the afternoon when his opponent, John Smale, won the last two holes.

Gunn was the Country champion in the top half, winning both matches, while Tom Whittaker had a double victory in the bottom pairings. The No. 4, Graham Vercoe, also had a satisfying day: he downed Minifie in the morning and had John Williamson, the Town captain, in strife when he won the seventeenth to go 1

up. But Williamson hit a perfect approach to the last green and an easy par was good enough to take the hole.

The Town No. 1, Brent Paterson, was inconsistent with: his approaches in the

morning and had three three-putts, mistakes readily capitalised on by Russell Start, but Paterson was more at ease with himself and the course in the afternoon, birdieing the fifth and sixth holes to gain a lead which he never lost against the Country No. 1, John Reid. The most peculiar match was probably between Sanders and Start in the afternoon. They matched scores for the first 10 holes, and it was not especially good scoring, before Start ended the deadlock by. birdieing the eleventh. Sander’s reply was to chip in for an eagle at the twelfth and he pressed ahead from that point.