THE KIRK-WINDEYER CUP.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20320, 31 January 1928, Page 8

THE KIRK-WINDEYER CUP.

The Kirk-Windeyer Cup contest which, was decided in Wellington yesterday was the second of its kind. The trophy is offered to the winners of an annual competition at golf open to teams representative of the States of Australia and the Dominion of New Zealand. It seems only yesterday that the New Zealand team returned from Australia after successful participation in the first contest. Seven months, however, have elapsed since the Victorian team, after defeating the Queensland and New South Wales combinations, opposed the New Zealand team on the Australian Golf Club’s course at Kensington. Under the conditions of the competition, States desirous of wresting the trophy from the holder are required to issue challenges. Apparently, through some misunderstanding, onlv one challenge was received from Australia this year. This was, indeed, very disappointing, as the eliminating matches were considered a feature of the last contest. The New South Wales golf authorities would seem, however, to have been the only body which received official notification of the date of the fixture. Whether the blame lies on, this, or on the other side ,of the Tasman is open to question. In international golf the dates of important matches and championships are fixed at least six months in advance to give ample time for preparation and consideration. No such notice can have been given in this instance. The late Mr R. C. Kirk, one of the joint donors of the trophy, who was present at the function in Sydney last year when the cup was handed over to the winners, said that in the competition that had been inaugurated he had realised one of the later ambitions of his life—that something in the nature of a .Walker Cup match might be arranged to bring together the cream of the golfers of the tw r o countries. It was hoped that dates might be so arranged that the KixkWindeyer Cup contest might bo played immediately before the big championship meetings in Australia and New Zealand. If, in future, the meeting in the Dominion were delayed until the date of the Now Zealand championships, there is evex-y reason to believe that several Australian States would be represented and that the players would stay on for the championships. Last year the New Zealand players took part in the New South Wales championship and it was thought then that the next New Zealand championship would have the Kirk-Windeyer visitors as competitors. It would have been fortunate had this been possible if for no other motive than that of fostering the spirit of comradeship and friendly rivalxy between the golfers of Australia and New Zealand. A comparison between the New South Wales team, which was engaged at Miramar links yesterday, and that of the 1927 Australian Kirk-Windeyer team would be out ot place here. It is sufficient to say that though this year’s team was a strong one it was not as formidable as its predecessor. Moreover, the preliminary tournament afforded no ground for any supposition that the visitors would carry the trophy back with them to Australia. The unexpected, however, happens sometimes at golf as at cricket, and the victory which the New South Wales team achieved yesterday—a narrow-victoi-y, since, each side having won three matches the contest had to be decided on a reckoning of the holes won —will not be begrudged : t by the New Zealand golfing community.