Russley Confirms Top Place In Club Golf

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31084, 13 June 1966, Page 14

Russley Confirms Top Place In Club Golf

The powerful Russley team confirmed its superiority °' er the other senior golf sides when it crushed Christchurch A, 6-2, in the final round of the Woodward Cup inter-club competition at Kaiapoi yesterday.

As befitting a side containing four of the six current Freyberg Rose Bowl players, Russley went through the 1966 competition unbeaten.

It scored 43} match points from a possible 56. Russley’s closest match was against Kaiapoi in the second round, but even then it had the comfortable winning margin of 5} —2}. Avondale, whose only loss was to Russley, finished runner-tip for the second successive year through a solid team effort, while Kaiapoi’s meritorious last-round win against Templeton brought it into third place. Final points, with games won in parenthesis, were:— Russley 7 (43}), Avondale 6 (33), Kaiapoi 3} (26}), Templeton 3 (28), Christchurch A 3 (28), Waitikiri 3 (26), Harewood 1} (22}) Christchurch B 1 (16}). Greens Perfect

Kaiapoi was in fine order for the final round of games, and the texture of the greens brought joy to the hearts of the vistlng golfers. The defeat of the Rose Bowl player J. R. Broadhurst, by W. I. Tucker (Christchurch A) was the only upset to mar Russley’s victory march. Tucker won the match on the seventeenth, having holed three putts of between 20ft and 25ft and another three of about 12ft during the round.

M R. Blank was only two over against E. H. M. Richards, who played top for Russley, but found his opponent’s steadiness to great an obstacle. Richards was consistently accurate off the tee, without sacrificing his length. Richards, his fellow Rose Bowl players, J. F. Logie and R. K. Atkinson, and the Russley captain, A. K. Hynd, all won six of their seven Woodward Cup matches this season.

Avondale encountered stout resistance from Christchurch B and did not win as easily as had been expected. R. B. Townsend, D. J. Gaudin and T. Hanton gave convincing performances n the top three positions for Avondale and the imperturable W Cant won his sixth match of the series handsomely. Popular Victory Kaiapoi’s win against Templeton was a popular one. achieved

through the solid efforts of the tail, G. Coombe, at No. 5. Inspired his fellow players with a splendid eagle at the 453 yd seventeenth hole. H. J. Cosset played calmly and well to beat the promising A. J. Allison, and I. B. Cromb halved with J. Morgan after a game of fluctuating fortunes. One of the chief points of Interest was whether the Canterbury captain and top player, R. E. Clements (Templeton), would beat B. L. Clegg (Kaiapoi) and attain a clean sweep of matches for the series. Clements achieved the feat by winning the seventeenth and then holing a testing putt on the last green for a half and the match. Harewood continued its fall from grace by losing to Waitikiri. D. R. Hope beat 1. D. Dobson in an absorbing battle between the No. 1 players, and an excellent young prospect. R. W. Anderson, had a good win at No. 8 for Harewood.

But Waitikiri called the tune for most of the match and it was the experience of J. P. Devine, M. J. McNally and J. W. Jackson that guided the side to victory. Results:

Russley 6, Christchurch A 2 E. H. M. Richards beat M. R. Blank, 2 up; J. R. Broadhurst lost to W. I. Tucker, 2 and 1; R. K. Atkinson beat A. W. Robinson. 3 and 2: J. F. Logie beat B

T. Qudrke. 3 and 2: A. K. Hynd beat B. W. Cleland. 2 and 1; p. Cleland halved with J. L. Hartley: F. Bradley halved with B. J. 'O’Donovan: W. D Armstrong beat I. J. CampbeJ., 3 and 2.

Avondale 5. Christchurch B 2 R. B. Townsend beat R. B Grey. 5 and 3: D. J. Gaudin beat J. F. Oakley. 2 and 1: T. Hanton beat J. D. Bull, 6 and 4: C. H. Johnson lost to H. W. Reve.s. 1 down; W. Cant beat D. Cummack 5 and 3: P. E. Neal lost to A.’R. Watson, 2 and 1: LA. Jordan halved with D. F. Williamson; T. R. Jackson halved with T. P. Laffey.

Kaiapoi 4), Templeton 2} B. L. Clegg lost to R. E. Clements, 1 down; M. W. Stan.ey lost to L. Elder, 3 and 1: I. «■ Cromb halved with J. Morgan; H. J. Cosset beat A. J. Allison, 3 and 2; G. Coombe beat A. Woodfield, 1 up; G. Mclntosh lost to N. H. Mabey. 3 and 2; W. Angus beat L. P. Boyd. 1 up; D. McAllister beat I. McKlllop, 4 and 3.

Waitikiri 5, Harewood 2 I. D. Dobson lost to D. R. Hope, 1 down; J. P. Devine beat J A. Orr, 3 and 2; C. V. Stokes lost to R. S. Peate. 2 and 1: R. Farrant beat D. Beggs, 2 and 1; M. J. McNally beat M. Kerr, 3 and 2: J. W. Jackson beat G. Hood 6 and 5: R. Hobbs beat R. Jones, 5 and 4: J. Mclntyre lost to R. W. Anderson. 3 and 2.