Alastair Sidford’s chance to gain higher honours

Press, 15 February 1989, Page 76

Alastair Sidford’s chance to gain higher honours

By

BOB SCHUMACHER

Alastair Sidford’s outstanding performances this season have gained the Harewood junior Canterbury senior selection for the first time in the eight-man team to play Tasman at Nelson this week-end. Of significance is Sidford’s selection at No. 2. A prominent showing in the 54-hole stroke event at the week-end could well thrust hhim into the Canterbury five-man team for

the prestigious Southland invitational at Otatara on March 11 and 12. Sidford, dropped last year from the national development squad because of his poor form, has hit back positively this season, finishing equal runner-up at the national junior tournament last month, equal sixth in the Templetori 1 open, runner-up in the individual aggregate at the South Island championship and second in

the Canterbury stroke championship last Sunday, losing in a play-off. The non-availability of four of Canterbury’s six top-ranked amateurs from last year has given several other juniors the chance to progress up the provincial standings. Brent Paterson, John Williamson, Mark Street and Rick Vincent were the four established Canterbury players not available, while Karl Mariu was another loss.

Canterbury’s “junior golfer of the year” in 1988, Tony Ch-istie, was not eligible foi different reasons. The_ Waitikiri junior was not considered for the Tasm'in fixture nor will he be selected for the Southland invitational because of a misdemeanour off the - -nrse ~ at the South. Island inter a ! proviricial junior tournament at i Greymouth earlier this month. The penalty on Christie was recommended by the

Canterbury association’s disciplinary committee and ratified by the management committee at its meeting on Monday evening.

The Canterbury team to .play Tasman is: John Sanders (Christchurch, captain), Sidford, Lyndon Cron (Waitikiri), Stephen Street (Harewood), lan Carruthers (Coringa),

Steven Greenall (Waimairi Beach), Ken Collett (Christchurch), Alister McCall (Templeton). Non-travelling reserve: Jason Sincock (North Canterbury)..

• The management committee has also decided to take a stronger stance on slow play after players were on the course for almost five hours for a round in last week-end’s Canterbury stroke championship. The association’s publicity officer, Terry Downey, said yesterday that it was time to stop talking about slow play after an event and do something beforehand. A policy will be adopted and adhered to before the next main provincial event, the Canterbury match-play championship, next month. • Canterbury’s New Zealand councillor, Doug Cresswell, has been reelected to that position on the national body.