SIDELINES

Press, 16 July 1986, Page 40

SIDELINES

THE FINISHING holes at Avondale are among the hardest on the course, but the Christchurch golfer, Wayne Tucker, might not concur after his match against Maurice Kremer (Avondale) in the annual match between the two clubs for the Shirdale Cup last Sunday. Tucker, 2 down with three to play, avoided all the out-of-bounds areas along the right, and went 3,3, 3 to take all holes and win the match, 1 up. He chipped in for a birdie at 16, won 17 with another birdie, and paired the long, difficult par-3 finishing hole. Christchurch, however, was beaten for the first time in the eight years of competition.

MARIST-WESTERN SUBURBS has faded after a promising start to its Canterbury rugby league season. But the club’s present XIII has achieved a distinction which eluded all of its predecessors since the present competition format was adopted in 1967. The 15-14 and 15-10 victories, over Papanui this season gave Marist-Western a premiership “double" over its neighbour for the first time. In 1969 MaristWestern beat Papanui twice in subsidiary events, but only in 1963 — when it won all four matches between the clubs that season — has Marist-Western been dominant. Overall, Papanui is well ahead since their rivalry started in 1952 — Papanui has won 75 games, Marist-Western 23, and three have been drawn.

THE CANTERBURY Hockey Association will be hoping the new artifical surface at Porritt Park, which should be down by the end of the year, will enable it to get more international matches. It is nine years since a test match was played in Christchurch. That was in 1977 between Australia and New Zealand. The lack of an artificial surface has meant that Christchurch had no chance of securing any of the three nation series of games to be played between New Zealand, Australia and Argentina early next month.