Golf trophy stays with Canterbury

Press, 19 August 1985, Page 40

Golf trophy stays with Canterbury

A strong performance right down the order enabled Canterbury to retain the Smallbone Trophy by a more comfortable margin than last year in its annual representative golf fixture with Aorangi at Templeton yesterday. Having lost the trophy last year by a slender 17-15 margin, Aorangi must have had high hopes of getting its hands back on the cup when play began yesterday morning.

At the end of the first round, however, those hopes had effectively been dashed as Canterbury had bolted to an llVz-dVz lead. It repeated that dose in the afternoon to eventually hold the trophy, 23 matches to nine.

Canterbury boasted strength in the top order, and solidity at the bottom, where John Reid, Graham Vercoe, Neville Brightwell and Kerry Lake recorded two victories apiece, invariably by impressive margins. There were no morning blues for the quintet at the top for Canterbury. All but John Sanders won comfortably enough. Indeed, Sanders had a demanding da .y-

He edged out the Aorangi captain, Peter Hayes, 1 up, in the morning before going down by the same scoreline in the second round to Sid Keen.

Hayes gained some compensation for his narrow loss to Sanders by halving with Canterbury’s No. 1, Brent Paterson; as did Robbie Bell against John Williamson, having fallen at the hands, or clubs, of Paul Minifie in the morning. Minifie, the Canterbury

stroke and foursome champion, was in good touch, dishing out the heaviest defeat of the afternoon, to Charlie Alexander. Graeme Brown went home last evening with two scalps for Aorangi, having beaten two of Canterbury’s better juniors, Richard Hurley and Mark Elley. Canterbury established a commanding 7-1 lead at (he half-way stage of the junior representative match with Aorangi yesterday, and finished with a 12V2-3V2 victory. Scores (Canterbury names first).—

Morning round B. G. Paterson beat S. Keen, 3 and 2; J. B. Sanders beat P. Hayes, 1 up; P. F. Minifie beat R. Bell, 3 and 1; J. N. Williamson beat C. Alexander, 3 and 2; M. E. Street beat T. Jackson, 5 and 4; R. M. Vincent beat J. Button, 4 and 3; J. M. Craw-ford-Smith lost to P. Brand, 1. down; M. G. Brown halved with L. Starr; G. M. Gunn lost to A. Mangum, 3 and 2; R. L. Start beat C. Dawson, 4 and 3; R. Hurley lost to G. Brown, 1 down; M. E. Elley lost to K. Frazier, 2 and 1; J. L. Reid beat G. Mayne, 5 and 3; G. Vercoe beat E. Davis, 4 and 2; N. Brightwell beat B. Nuttall, 5 and 3; K. A. Lake beat W. Angus, 2 and 1. Afternoon round

Paterson halved with Hayes; Sanders lost to Keen, 1 down; Minifie beat Alexander, 5 and 4; Williamson halved with Bell; Street beat Bufton, 1 up; Vincent beat Jackson, 1 up; Craw-ford-Smith lost to Starr, 3 and 2; Brown beat Brand, 5 and 3; Gunn beat Dawson, 1 up; Start beat Mangum, 3 and 2; Hurley halved with Frazier; Elley lost to Brown, 2 up; Reid beat Davis, 5 and 3; Vercoe beat Mayne, 3 and 2; Brightwell beat Angus, 2 and 1; Lake beat Nuttall, 2 up.