Waitikiri has inter-club golf title tied up

Press, 14 October 1985, Page 3

Waitikiri has inter-club golf title tied up

By

BOB SCHUMACHER

If the Waitikiri players had written the script for yesterday’s Woodward Cup golf competition, they could not have plotted a more perfect finish than what took place after two rounds at Templeton yesterday. The premier inter-club championship has been won by Waitikiri even though there are two more rounds to be played at Russley next Sunday. It was a day of remarkable happenings at Templeton. Waitikiri went into the two rounds yesterday determined to maintain its unbeaten record; that it did, with a hard-fought win against Russley in the morning and a decisive victory against Harewood in the afternoon.

An amazing chain of events in the afternoon ensured that Waitikiri could start its celebrations a week early. In the seventh round in the afternoon, Russley beat Christchurch and that ended any chance Christchurch had of retaining the Woodward Cup. It also meant that the only teams with any remote prospect of overhauling Waitikiri, if that team was to lose twice on the final day, were Coringa and Templeton, who happened to meet in the seventh

round. Both desperately wanted a win to stay in contact, neither could afford a draw, but the result was 4-4 and Waitikiri was left with a lead of 2% points. Also remarkable was the rapid change in course conditions in the afternoon as the rain intensified. It was a wickedly cold afternoon without the rain and when that came it added to the misery. Many a player must have secretly wished to be home by the fireside with a hot cup of chocolate, but they had to battle on for four hours and more before they could experience the comforts of the clubhouse.

The greens late in the afternoon became saturated and big pools of surface water formed. Putting was a lottery and often amusing to those watching — the players would not have found it particularly hilarious.

Still, the Waitikiri team did not mind the discomfort of numb hands, wet clothes and the difficulty in holding clubs and judging greens that altered quickly from fast to extremely slow. In the morning, Mark Elley, who had been 4 up after four, Steve Paterson and Warwick Sherwood had lost as Russley managed three wins through Paul Hoffman,

George Turner and Bob Bradley, respectively. Those three Waitikiri players went out even more determined against Harewood in the afternoon and atoned for their morning defeats, Elley having a big win, Paterson holding off the capable Paul Shearer, and the youthful Sherwood recovering from 1 down at the turn to chip in for a birdie and a win at the seventeenth. against Ray Finlay. Waitikiri was always in command; 5-3 ahead at the turn, 6-2 in front after 15 holes and the match finished at that score with Kerry Lake and Peter Maclachlan salvaging something for Harewood. Christchurch has not had a very good competition and even its 7-1 win in the morning against North Canterbury was flattering. Five Christchurch players won at the last green, 1 up, and three of them, Rick Vincent, Joe Whitaker, and Wayne Tucker, all birdied their finishing hole to go ahead. In the afternoon, though Christchurch seemed doomed when John Parlane, unbeaten in his first six matches this season and in nine last season, succumbed to the talents of Russley’s lan Sturrock. There was still a chance

for Christchurch at threeall, with the other two games all square near the finish, but Wayne Tucker lost the last hole to a good putt by the Russley No. 6, Mike Small, and the Canterbury captain and Christchurch No. 2, John Williamson, was unable to save a half for his team. He lost the seventeenth to Peter MacDonald and stayed 1 down at the last. The most notable individual results in the morning were the wins by Bruce Lavender (Avondale) and Russell Start (North Canterbury). They beat two of Canterbury’s Government Life team, Brent Paterson and John Sanders, respectively. Lavender opened with two birdies against Paterson and never relinquished the advantage to the Canterbury No. 1 while Start, unbeaten in his seven matches, convincingly disposed of Sanders. Points, with individual games won shown in parentheses, are:— Waitikiri 7 (41), Coringa iVz (29%), Templeton 4% (29%), Christchurch 4 (33%), Russley 4 (31), Waimairi Beach 4 (29%), North Canterbury 3% (25), Harewood 2 (24), Central Canterbury 1% (19%), Avondale 0 (17%).

Detailed results, page 28.