Sloan team falls to Totaradale
- 17 April 2024
- Peter Watson
Our Sloan team came up short against competition frontrunners Totaradale at Takaka on Sunday (April 14).
We battled hard but Totaradale always had their noses in front to win 7-2 in pleasant conditions.
Our second loss in four rounds means we remain well adrift of the leaders.
No 6 Andrew Craig - who was making his first start of the season - got us off to a great start with a 3/1 win, but his fellow junior Lewis Wilson went down 4/3 against an opponent who chipped and putted extremely well.
Our intermediates Garth Jameson and Geoff Halkett both found the going tough. Garth wasn’t consistent enough – mixing the good with the erratic - against a rival whose short game was on song and he succumbed 3/1.
Geoff started poorly and was three down after three, however he fought back to be all square with five holes to go and was level playing the last. But a double bogey after bunker trouble saw him slip to a 1-down defeat.
No 2 Pete Green had a round he would rather forget against an opponent with a four-shot advantage. After scrambling just to halve holes, he made too many mistakes mainly on the greens to mount a comeback in losing 3/2.
James Campion continued his fine form at No 1 and was even with the card when the match ended in a comprehensive 4/3 victory. He took an early lead and never surrendered the advantage, being five up at one stage, with his consistency off the tee setting him up for some great iron shots.
It doesn’t get any easier in the next round at Totaradale on May 19 when we play second-placed Golden Downs.
In other matches, Golden Downs got the better of Motueka 7-2 in a battle of the heavyweights, Nelson thumped Tasman 8-1 and Murchison had a day to remember in dealing to Greenacres 8-1.
So after four rounds, Totaradale lead on 30 points followed by Golden Downs (28) and Motueka (24). In a crowded middle, Takaka, who had the bye, remain in fourth on 12.5. Next are Nelson (12), Murchison (11.5) and Waahi Taakaro and Greenacres (10.5), with Tasman languishing last on 4.5.