Otago victory pulls Canterbury through

Press, 8 November 1986, Page 88

Otago victory pulls Canterbury through

From

BOB SCHUMACHER

in Palmerston North

Otago did not qualify for the semi-finals at the Government Life interprovincial tournament at Hokowhitu yesterday, but it certainly influenced which two golf teams from its section did get through to the top floor. Otago did Canterbury a great disservice by drawing with it in the sixth round, and with Tasman inflicting the first loss on Manawatu-Wanganui in the same round, all three teams were in line for the two qualifying places from section two.

Starting the final section round, Canterbury had four points and a half, Manawatu-Wanganui and Tasman both four. The winner of the afternoon test between Canterbury and Manawatu-Wan-ganui would automatically reach the semi-finals, the loser would have to rely on Otago beating Tasman, an unlikely proposition as Tasman had beaten its southern rival, 7-1, in the South Island tournament last month.

After losing, 3-2 to Manawatu-Wanganui —

its first loss to that team since 1979 — Canterbury had to sweat out the match behind it. Otago won two of the first three games, but Stuart Thompson (Tasman) holed a long birdie putt on the last to win, 1 up, and square the contest at two-all. All attention switched to the lasfygame, and Canterbury

players have probably never been so enthusiastic over an Otago win when Greg Paterson beat Tasman’s middle man, Lyell Marfell, at the seventeenth.

So Canterbury, albeit through the back door, qualified to meet the winner of section one, Waikato, in today’s semifinals. That match will be a repeat of last year’s final, won by Waikato, 3-2. Both teams have two new faces in their line-ups. The other semi-final will be between Auckland, the runner-up to Waikato in its zone, and the home side, Manawatu-Wanganui, which has won the tournanment on the two previous occasions it has been played at Hokowhitu. It was a day of suspense for supporters of several teams striving for semifinal places. Canterbury, however, should not have kept its followers on tenderhooks for so long. It was expected to beat Oago and therefore be assured of a position in the top four regardless of the outcome of its confrontation with ManawatuWanganui.

With the score at twoall, Canterbury looked to its No. 1, Mark Street, to supply the vital win. He was 2 up with two to play against Brett Atkinson, originally the Otago resrve but who was thrust into the top position with the late withdrawal of the former international, Kim McDonald. At 17, Street three-putted from the back of the greeip to lose

the hole; at 18, Atkinson confidently slotted a 6m birdie putt, which made Street’s 2.5 m birdie putt look 10 times as long. His putt was not too authoritative and wobbled to a stop centimetres from the desired destination. It was not the best of days for Street, who missed too many vital putts to trouble Neil Gaskin in the afternoon, but it was even less successful for Murray Brown and Kerry Lake, both of whom suffered double defeats. Canterbury was held together by its captain, John Williamson, and its No. 3, John Crawford-Smith. Both have won five of their six games and have been unwavering in their concentration and unflustered when in arrears early in their matches. Against Paterson, of Otago, Crawford-Smith had twos at the par-3 seventh and eighth holes and had his fourth birdie, another good putt, at the seventeenth to win at that hole.

In the afternoon, he was subjected to some deadly putting by Barry Shannon, holed his bunker shot at seven for a half, but was 2 down at the turn. A really magnificent 8m birdie putt across a fast-breaking green gave him extra impetus and Shannon’s confidence noticeably drained. Shannon then lost 11, 13, 14 and 16. Williamson’s morning win against Phil Conlon (Otago) was inspired by successive birdies, the results of a long putt and

an accurate chip, at six and seven. He was twounder par at the finish and put together another studied and sound round in the afternoon to repulse Paul Dench (Manawatu-Wanganui). After only drawing with Otago when a win seemed inevitable, Canterbury’s morning anguish was increased on learning of Tasman’s astounding come-back against Manawatu-Wanganui. A few holes from the finish, the home team was heading towards a 4-1 win, or at least a 3-2 triumph. Thompson, 7 up after seven on the previously unbeaten Dench, was Tasman’s only sure winner. Stephen Street led the amazing Tasman recovery by winning the last two holes to halve with Graham Ansley, then Marfell took the seventeenth and maintained a 1 up advantage on Shannon. Gary Girvin’s charge was halted by Brice Mawhinney who chipped in from 50m for an' eagle at the last, but the Tasman No. 1, Elliot Boult completed the dramatic revival by winning the last two holes against Gaskin to square their game and give Tasman the necessary half point for victory. Mawhinney, the Manawatu-Wanganui No. 4, is the only player with the possible six wins, but Allan Smith (Waikato), with five wins and a half, and Peter Cassidy (Otago), with three wins and three halves, are also uneaten.