KZN & Gauteng set for titanic clash in East London
The stage is set for an epic battle between log leaders KwaZulu-Natal and Central Gauteng at the 2015 South African Mid-Amateur Inter-Provincial Championship in Buffalo City on Thursday.
After overwhelming victories against North West and Ekurhuleni, KwaZulu-Natal came up against a very determined Gauteng North in the third round at East London Golf Club, but managed to eke out 6.5 – 5.5 victory, thanks to the determined effort form the top order.
KwaZulu-Natal made a solid start with two victories and a half point from Bradley Davison and Llyal McNeill in the Foursomes, but Gauteng North used the benign conditions to their advantage to mount a spirited comeback in the Singles.
Bennie van Loggerenberg, Kelso Hannay, Gerhard Scheepers and Craig Collins reeled in four points for the Daisies.
McNeil turned the tide for KwaZulu-Natal when he defeated Martin Kraft 5 & 4.
Davison won 4 & 3 and David Brown triumphed 2 & 1 to put KwaZulu-Natal within striking distance and Dale Burraston secured the narrow victory for the two-time champions when he downed Jauqo Jacobs 2-up.
“It was a really tight fight until that last putt of Dale’s dropped,” said KZN manager Neil Champion.
“Dale was 3-down with five to play. I hoped he would win a hole or two for a 6-all draw, but he just went on a tear and then boxed that crucial last putt against Jauqo.
“We had two windy days when we played North West and Ekurhuleni, but when we arrived this morning and there was not even a breeze, we knew it would be a tough day at the office.
“Gauteng North are always gritty competitors and they took full advantage of the conditions, but my guys left nothing out there. The spirit between the teams was fantastic, and I must congratulate Gauteng North on a really fine effort.”
Central Gauteng came under attack from North West in the Foursomes to trail 1.5 – 2.5, but the eight-man side met the opposition head-on in the Singles to roar to a 9.5 – 2.5 victory.
Number one Ryan Dreyer set the tone for Central when he downed Timothy Rautenbach 5 & 3.
Stephen Johnston, Wendell Bossenger, Sean Quigley, David Muller, Kevin Sharp, Steve Williams and Neil Homann followed suit to score a clean sweep in the Singles.
KwaZulu-Natal will carry a slender one games point lead over Central Gauteng into the battle on Thursday.
“There is a lot at stake for both teams tomorrow, because it could decide the outcome of this year’s championship,” Champion said.
“I won’t be surprised if most, if not all the matches go down the last couple of holes, so we are gearing up for a huge battle.”
Meanwhile Western Province dealt Ekurhuleni’s title defence a stunning blow.
The defending champions took an early 2.5 – 1.5 lead in the Foursomes, but Province steamrolled them in the Singles, winning seven games to celebrate an 8.5 – 3.5 triumph.
Elton James and Greg Sheard both won 6 & 5 to put Province on attack and Ludwig Schreuder, Riaan Lewis, Cameron Johnston, Gerlou Roux and Stefan Blommaert sealed the deal for the two-time champions.
The B-Section matches resume on Thursday after a third round rest day.
THIRD ROUND RESULTS
Gauteng North 5.5 vs KwaZulu-Natal 6.5
Ekurhuleni 3.5 vs Western Province 8.5
Central Gauteng 9.5 vs North West 2.5
A-SECTION LOG
(Pos-Union-Played-Won-Drawn-Lost-Points-Matches won)
1 KwaZulu-Natal (3, 3, 0, 0, 6, 26.0)
2 Central Gauteng (3, 3, 0, 0, 6, 25.0)
3 Western Province (3, 2, 0, 1, 4, 21.0)
4 Ekurhuleni (3, 1, 0, 2, 2, 12.0)
5 Gauteng North (3, 0, 0, 3, 0, 14.5)
6 North West (3, 0, 0, 3, 0, 9.5)
Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of the South African Golf Association.