It was a week to remember for our Canterbury Boys and Girls representative space with the Boys taking home the gold and the girls finishing as runners up at their respective NZ Interprovincial tournaments last week.
The results are particularly pleasing reflection of the long-term work Canterbury Golf has been undertaking with it’s Talent Development programme with all members of these teams being part of this programme, many of which for several years.
For the Boys, this was the first time we have lifted the trophy since 2017, breaking a run of “ever so close” previous tournament performances. Played in a slightly different format to previous years with the addition of extra teams, teams competed against opponents in their respective pools, playing a total of 6 matches plus a BYE. The boys started against one of those new opponents, coming up against a Tasman side on debut. The top of the south team proved quite a handful, but the team managed to pull through with a 4-2 win. Later that afternoon the team observed their scheduled BYE.
Onto the Wednesday morning where we came up against Harbour Golf, which in a dominant performance saw the team prevail 6-0. Onto the afternoon, we then faced Manawatau/Wanganui and although seemingly having the game under control for large periods, the boys came a bit unstuck in a couple of the closing matches to eventually finish with a 3-3 tie. Onto the 36-hole Thursday we went with the team looking to put that previous day’s afternoon hiccup behind them as they took on unbeaten Taranaki. Unfortunately, the game had a similar feeling of déjà vu with the match seemingly going in our favour before again some late turnarounds resulting in another 3-3 draw. Thankfully with several other upset results from other tournament contenders also occurring the boys knew that if they could get a decent result against defending champions Wellington in the afternoon, they could still be in it. The team duly delivered overcoming the men from the capital 4-2, keeping the hopes alive.
Following that result, the table saw 3 teams in Waikato, Canterbury, and Taranaki all tied on 8 match points, but with Taranaki holding a 0.5 lead on individual wins. With Canterbury taking on Waikato on Friday’s final day and Taranaki playing Harbour, we knew a big result was required to have any chance. Thankfully, the boys came out firing jumping out to an early lead across most matches. Likewise Taranaki also started strong, leading in all but 2 of their matches. As the final 9 played out the Canterbury boys rallied to win 5 of their matches, meanwhile Harbour Golf battled hard and managed to claim a win and half meaning Taranaki were left with 4.5 points from the game, meaning unbelievably both Canterbury and Taranaki finished with 10 match points and 25 individual points, as such the third table divider condition was required which went to game margins. Thankfully, Canterbury comfortably held the advantage in that with their 97 versus Taranaki’s 79, and as such were confirmed as tournament champions, concluding a tense final day! All Canterbury players performed admirably throughout, however the efforts of James Mordaunt on debut at this level for Canterbury stood out as we won all his games, and was awarded the Player of the Tournament accolade.
In the Girl’s tournament, Canterbury fielded a familiar team with several players having played the tournament previously, alongside two players on debut in Lannie Inoue and Alice Fry. The tournament was also played for the first time at the Springfield Golf Club in Rotorua, providing a new challenge for those that had played the tournament previously. The team enjoyed a strong start as they cruised to a 5-1 victory over Manawatau/Wanganui, which was followed by a closer match later that afternoon against Wellington eventually getting home 3.5-2.5. With the top 3 players in the order playing off the stick, but the bottom 3 players needing to play handicap match play, it was acknowledged it would be challenge throughout given the number of shots our bottom three players were likely to be giving in some matches.
Onto the Wednesday single round day, the team took on Harbour Golf, and in a strong display prevailed 4.5-1.5 to continue the early momentum. The team then appreciated the afternoon break and enjoyed some social downtime, as is the norm for this event. Back to the golf on Thursday with a double round day ahead they took on first up hosts Bay of Plenty. Pleasingly, the strong form continued as they convincingly won 5-1 with some strong performances throughout. Later that afternoon they played their final pool match against the team from Hawkes Bay. With the bottom 3 players giving up a significant number of shots, this match proved a challenge, but eventually they managed to get the win 3.5-2.5 and keep their perfect record intact, in doing so confirming their place in the final on Friday morning.
Onto the final they went, where they took on defending champions and classic rivals Auckland Golf. Carrying their 5 wins from 5 into the game, the team had good belief they could do the job, unfortunately they soon found themselves behind and fighting to get themselves back into the contest. Sadly, they weren’t able to claw back the deficient and fell to a final scoreline of 5-1, although that perhaps didn’t reflect the contest with three matches finishing on the 17th hole and a further on the 18th showing that this was a tight contest. Despite the final loss, this is the third consecutive NZ Girls Interprovincial final the team have reached in succession highlighting the strength and consistency of this wave of young female players in Canterbury. On another pleasing note, Canterbury player Vanessa Lim received the Player of the Tournament award going through unbeaten throughout playing in the number 2 position.
Overall, an extremely pleasing week for the province, with efforts from both teams they and the region can be proud of.
