COMMENTS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 23, 12 November 1943, Page 8

COMMENTS

CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS The two finalists for the Senior Club Championship were evenly matched and finished the first round all square. At the resumption of the afternoon, round the position went neither one way nor -the other till,, the oth where Cradwick won three holes in a row to make him I up. Carter reduced this lead to o up at the short 1 Ith, and the match ended at the loth where par figures gave Cradwick the hole and the championship for 10i:>. Outstanding features of the game were Carter's great length oil the tee. Cradwick's accurate pitching

lo tlie green to make up his leeway in the drives. Carter was senior champion in 1J) 12. This is his, third final for this honour: Plays a very attractive style, of golf and hits a very long ball off the tee anil through the fairway. Plays oil' the. !) mark. Could lie very much lower with more play than we are able to put in at these critical times. Cradwick, our new -champion, is one of the best and most consistent golfers in Ihe club. This is his first club championship, and like his opponent, has participated in three, finals. He has won -tlu: open championship of Whakatane and also the Mokorua Club open championship, lie lias had many good rounds to his credit on our course, and lias been handicapped as low as o. He has been one of our mainstays in .inter-club matches, and lias, participated in exhibition matches with some of our outstanding professionals who have visited our links.

He went overseas in 1011. ami Avas iinalided home. Plays off the <S mark, but has every possibility of reducing during the forthcoming tournament. He. is our 'great hope' to try and wrest the "open CA'ent" from Rotorua. Plays an excellent game and uses all the clubs in his bag during a round. Intermediate

This event was contested between the Timber Mill Kings of Edgeeuiube and ITepango —a regular battle of giants—the Kauri and the Totara. The huge double ended, cross cut saw went to and fro and finished at the end of the first round in Syinc's favour by one pull. Alter the sap had risen lo feed the outer extremities the sawing contest started again. Syme. suffered palpitation to drop a stroke on the tee but the stoutness of the Kauri stood him in gooil stead for as the game progressed,. he steadily stored up 4 pulls in his favour to clinch the contest three quarters of the way through. Thus ended the saga of the forest,, the giant totara overshadowed by an X.O.S. giant kauri in a drama where lesser -denizens stood by and watched. Syme plays oil' the 1 '.I mark now. This is his third season of golf. Has been junior champion 1012 and also runner-up for the Reynold's Cup. This year he has annexed the Founders Cup besides the Intermediate Championship. At our Labour weekend tournament, he won the NgatiAwa Handicap Cup against a strong opponent in Jones (0) of Rotorua besides a Bogey event. Syme is an improv ing player and should be able to reduce to single figures in handicap nexl season. Tony Smith, the '"inimitable" of Murdered. Him with my Niblick" fame has had quite a good record of golf also. He held the Intermediate Championship in 10-11 and a host of other minor events in the dim past. But his chief asset to the club is his cheerful drollery-—a A'cry happy trail during these troublous limes. This season his wrist work has not worked very well, and after an in and out season, managed to click to reach the finals, a very excellent performance. He Avas however. overshadowed by his other -colleague in business for the Avinning laurels.

Juniors Frank Cockcrell was a finalist for the championship in 1012 and lost it to Syme. However, success has crowned him this year. lie was' also a finalist in the Junior Section for the Reynold's Cup which he lost to 1\ Campbell. He has also been in the money in several sweeps held in connection with various competitions. Frank has a style all his own and the. marvel is that he connects. Now that he has won the Junior,, he should follow his predecessor and annex the intermediate next year. Stone is a golfer who is full of surprises. He plods along the fairway and, is always, up amongst the. Avinners at the end. He contested this final and though,, lost to his younger opponent, if a few of his years were shorn off —would have turned the tables on him. At the Labour Aveek-cnd tournament. he plaj-cd himself'into the semi-finals of the Xgati-AAva Handicap and there again—but for his years and stamina, Avould haA r e been a finalist. In Mr Stone, _Ave have a golfer and a thorough sportsman—who held, a few surprises up his sleeve I'or many opponents who took him too cheaply. He would be one of the many who would look fonv-ard to the opening of the golf season next year.