Sloan team off to a losing start

Our Sloan team got off to a disappointing start, being well beaten by Motueka at Murchison on Sunday.

So often our nemesis in the past, Motueka got the better of us again in winning 7.5 to 1.5.

Only our veteran No 6 Lewis Wilson managed a win, while No 2 Peter Green mounted a good fightback for a half.

Lewis started poorly but shrugged it off to narrowly lead at the halfway mark before hanging tough over the final stretch to grind out a 1-up win.

Our other junior, Garth Jameson, had his moments but couldn’t convert after being 1-down at the turn to slip to a 3/1 loss.

Jonathan Tuheke came up against an opponent who made a fast start by winning the first four holes in one under par. He clawed back some of the deficit but not enough to succumb 3/2.

No 3 Geoff Halkett couldn’t replicate his good club form of the previous day. Three down after nine, his match finished early with a painful 5/4 defeat.

Peter Green thinned a bunker shot out of bounds on his first hole and despite bouncing back with a birdie at the next found himself two down going into the back nine. Back to back birdies got him back level, but he went behind again with two to play. A birdie two tied it up again and he just missed another birdie on his final hole to settle for a share of the points.

No 1 James Campion was one-up at the turn but a lost ball on his 16th hole and a wrong club selection on the next cost him dearly when he missed a birdie for a half to stumble to a 1-down loss. Both James and Peter shot 75 off the stick.

In other matches, defending champs Golden Downs trounced Greenacres 8.5 to 0.5, Totaradale opened strongly with a 7.5 – 1.5 victory over Tasman, while Takaka comfortably saw off Nelson 7-2.

The next round is at Waahi Taakaro on February 25.