GOLF

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 190, 10 May 1938, Page 19

GOLF

Heavy Courses Keep Scoring Down COMING MATCHES (By Niblick.) Wellington playei'.s are liudiiig it more difficult to score well on the heavier courses than it is in the summer months, when there is plenty of run on the ball. Although conditions' were ideal for play on Saturday afternoon, scoring was not good, aud it is evident that players have not yet worked into form. In the big lieid of I(.K> who took part in the qualifying round for the Mel. 11. Crombie Remembrance Cup on the Miramar links on Saturday, only two players, J. 11. Drake and A. E. Donoghue, broke SO. Drake did a steady round of 7<>, and Donoghue registered 79. This is the more surprising as the links were in good order aud the afternoon was ealm and mild. Notable absentees from the list, of qualifiers were M. R. Moore and 11. A. Black, No. 1 aud No. 2 players foe the club's .senior team. Perhaps this pair preferred to get in some solid practice to consolidate their games for the important: matches ahead.

Disappointing scoring was also recorded on the Hutt links on Saturday in the qualifying round for the Duglies Memorial competition, W. G. Horne, the club champion and Wellington provincial champion, was an exception, as he did a meritorious round of 73. which was excellent scoring under the heavy conditions. AV. K, Cook covered the,course m 7G, but these were the only players lo break 80.

Although T. Ewen failed to qualify on Sat urday for the Hutt club's' Hughes Memorial competition, he went out ou Sunday and played a superb out. journey of 32, his figures reading: 343444343. He then did a 3 at the tenth, but struck trouble at the short eleventh, jvhich cost him 5. This broke a charmed spell, as thereafter he strayed from grace and, after a series of tribulations, took 43 for the home journey, ending up by losing a ball at the eighteenth. .

Squadron Cup Mutch. The first Squadron Cup match of the season will be played on Saturday, when Wellington and Miramar will try conclusions, the A teams meeting at Ilerotaunga and the B teams at Miramar. It will be interesting to see whether the 'Wellington A team cun vanquish Miramar as they did Hutt on April 30. Wellington have an advantage in that their three top players, A. D. S. Duncan, J. B. Parker, and E. W. Thurgood, have struck form early this season. Tn the match against Hutt, Dunean beat W. G. Horne by 1 up, Parker bent I. A. Ewen by the same margin, and Thurgood squared his game with G. P. Roberts. Wellington has some able young players this year, such as J. B. Graham, D. H. Graham, and J. K. Elliott, and. with experienced campaigners like P. AV. Blundell, R. E. Tolhurst, J. AV. AVard, and S. G. Longnet to make up the side, they will confront Miramar with a formidable task. The Miramar Team.

The-Miramar club, for Saturday’s match, has promoted Max Moore to the important position of No. 1, and in so doing has acted wisely. Moore ie a good match player, and did well at the North Island championships at Palmerston North at Easter. He will meet; A. D. S. Duncan. Those two experienced players J. Parker (AA’ellington) and A. Black (Miramar) should havo a close contest in No. 2 position. Both have phlegmatic temperaments and never get rattled. AV. Flanagan, promoted to No. 3 position for Miramar, is another good match jilayer and he should have an interesting match with the long-hitting Englishman E. W. Thurgood. With players like J. H. Drake, G. S. Rees, K. Jeffrey, D. S. Halley, H.. Aplin, J. Petley, J. S. Hiddleston, AA r . A. Robertson and B. H. Beale to make up the team, Miramar will offer strong resistance to the Heretaunga team. It is pleasing to see Petlev back iu the firing line after an absence of two seasons from inter-club play. A. E. Donegltue, of course, would have been in the A team for Miramar on Saturday but business prevents him from getting away early enough to get out to Heretaunga in time, and he will occupy No. 1 position for the B team at Miramar.

Watt Cup Engagement. Manor Park and Waiwetu will meet in a Watt Cup match on the Waiwetu links on Saturday. After Waiwetu’s overwhelming defeat by Paekakariki by eight games to two, with two games halved, on the Paekakariki links on April 30, it would appear as if Manor Park should have a comfortable victor}' on Saturday. Matter.?, however, do not always work out thi.? way. Although Waiwetu were beaten by such a wide margin by Paekakariki it has to be remembered that R. G. Holland, J. J. Cheevers, C. Walker and L. L. Mitchell, of the Waiwetu team, were beaten in that match hy the narrow margin of 1 down. Frank Kercher, No. 1 for Paekakariki, turned on a brilliant round of 70 to beat Holland. The Paekakariki man was 3 up with 4 to go, but Holland played <so well that he was beaten hy only 1 down. Holland did a brilliant round of 72. Tlie Waiwetu men will be playing on their own course on Saturday, and local knowledge is always an advantage. J. L. Black, the Manor Park No. 1, will have to putt at bis best to down Holland on Saturday. Still, with players in the side of the calibre of F. AV. Page. J. Ogilvie, the nrotliers Butler. AV. Marchant. L. Whetton. E. .1. Moriarty, A. Radford. It). C. Swinpon and .1. Hennessey, Manor Park lias a solid team this .season and Waiwetu will require all the local knowledge they possess to repel the Invasion on Saturday. A Banish Cup match will also be played between AVaiwetu and Manor Park on the AVaiwetu links on Saturday. This contest is confined to teams of players with handicaps of 10 or over, and serves a useful purpose in giving the middle handicap men experience iu inter-club play.

Hutt Women’s Open Tourney. The Hutt ladies’ club's open championship and handicap tournament: will open to-day. when the qualifying rounds will be played. Last year the championship was won by Miss J. Betts. Nelson, and her presence lent additional interest to the tournament. No visitors from a distance will be among the competitors today, but there will be contingents from Miramar and AVellington. Among these will be Mrs. Foreman, Mrs. Pearce, Mrs. Russell and Miss IT. Griffen (Miramar), and Miss .1. Brodie, Mrs. Welton Hogg. Miss M. AVlieeler and Miss S. Collins (Wellington). It will be difficult for visitors to gain the honours, ns Hutt will have worthy representatives in Mrs. Slater, Mrs. Latham, Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. Crombie.