Canterbury’s Premier interclub season reaches its climax this Sunday, 1 November, when the Lamb & Hayward 2026 Interclub Finals Day heads to Clearwater Golf Club. Five trophies will be decided on the day: the Woodward Cup, Pollock Cup, Blank Cup, Simon Cup and Thompson MacDonald Trophy.
The Woodward and Blank Cup semi-finals tee off at 8:00am, and the winners return in the afternoon to contest the finals. The Simon Cup, Thompson MacDonald Trophy and Pollock Cup finals are also played in the afternoon. One theme stands out across the programme: Christchurch Golf Club features in four of the five competitions, and they meet Russley three times during the day.
Woodward Cup
Christchurch finished on top of the round robin with seven wins from nine and 45.5 match points. They open the morning against fourth-placed Russley, who lost just twice all season and will fancy their chances of an upset.
The other semi-final could be the tighter of the two. Templeton (seven wins, 14 points) take on Clearwater (six wins, 13 points), who finished just a point behind in third. Clearwater also scored more match points than Templeton across the season, and they will have home advantage. The winners meet in the afternoon final from 1:30pm, with the top men’s trophy on the line.
Blank Cup
Christchurch were the standout side of the Blank Cup regular season and the only team in any grade to finish with a perfect record: nine wins from nine and 53 match points. Fourth-placed Russley face the task of ending that run in the morning semi-final.
In the other semi, second-placed Coringa (seven wins, one tie) meet Harewood. Harewood finished level on points with Russley but took third place on match points. The Blank Cup final follows at 1:30pm.
Pollock Cup
The top women’s grade comes down to a showdown between the regular season’s top two sides. Defending champions Russley went through the round robin unbeaten, with six wins and two ties, and finished four points clear on 14. They come into the final looking to retain the title. Christchurch were the most consistent side behind them, with four wins and 27.5 match points. The six-player final tees off at 1:00pm, and Christchurch will be looking to deny Russley back-to-back titles and a perfect season.
Simon Cup
The Simon Cup semi-finals were played on 18 October and both produced upsets. Fourth-qualified Clearwater beat top seeds Avondale in the closest match of the play-offs. The teams finished level at 4–4, and Clearwater won the play-off hole to book their place in the final. Third-placed Rangiora beat second-placed Weedons 6–2.
That sets up a Clearwater v Rangiora final from 1:00pm. Clearwater will have home advantage as they go for the title.
Thompson MacDonald Trophy
Amberley have been the story of the Thompson MacDonald season. In their first year in the competition, they topped Section 1 with five wins from six. They then beat Greendale 4–2 in the quarter-finals and Waimairi Beach 4.5–1.5 in the semi-finals.
Christchurch have taken a strong route to the final from third place in Section 2. They beat Avondale 4–2 in the quarter-finals, then beat Section 2 leaders Coringa 4.5–1.5, a side who had gone through the round robin unbeaten. The final is first off in the afternoon at 12:30pm.
Finals Day at a glance
Morning (from 8:00am): Woodward Cup and Blank Cup semi-finals.
Afternoon: the Thompson MacDonald Trophy final (12:30pm), the Pollock Cup and Simon Cup finals (1:00pm), and the Woodward Cup and Blank Cup finals (1:30pm).
Canterbury Golf thanks Clearwater Golf Club for hosting Finals Day. We also acknowledge our principal partner, Lamb & Hayward, and thank them for their ongoing support of Finals Day and all of our interclub competitions throughout the season. Good luck to all teams competing.
Live Scoring of the day can also be followed – HERE.
