PLETTENBERG BAY, 13 May 2019 – KwaZulu-Natal and North West made a winning start at Plettenberg Bay Country Club on Monday, while Mpumalanga and Boland deadlocked on 2 points each in the battle for promotion on day one of the SA Country Districts.
A-SECTION
Looking to repeat their winning performance at San Lameer Country Club in 2017, KwaZulu-Natal laid down a marker with a rousing 9.5 – 2.5 victory over Free State, while the defending champions defeated Limpopo 8 – 4.
KwaZulu-Natal made an early statement, dominating the foursomes, and took a 3-1 lead into the afternoon session.
Heindrich Erasmus clawed a point back for Free State when he beat Thomas Lovett 4 & 2, but Corne van Deventer kept KwaZulu-Natal on a winning course with a 4 & 3 win. Sean Baker, Koenie Erasmus, Phillip Barnes, Jens Hillerman and Jason Gilliver continued the pounding and took their tally to 9 points.
Ryno Crous halved against Jacques Schutte to ensure a crushing victory and KwaZulu-Natal will look to continue their rampage when they face Limpopo in round two.
North West hoped to pick up where they left off in Potchefstroom last year, but the 2018 champions had some work to do after Limpopo squared the foursomes 2-all.
GolfRSA National Squad member Nash de Klerk – playing at number one – put Limpopo on notice when he knocked out Adam Milanzi 6 & 5. The Pecanwood junior’s effort was well supported by Gareth Petler, Jaco Anderson, IPT stalwart Johan Krugel and Ray Janse van Rensburg, who kept North West in the the driver’s seat.
The defending champions will go up against last year’s B-Section winners Northern Cape on Tuesday, while Free State has a bye.
B-SECTION
Mpumalanga signalled their intent to get back in the A-Section with a blistering start in Plettenberg Bay, while Boland scored a decisive 8 – 4 victory against Eastern Province.
Taking a 3-1 lead into the foursomes, Anton Steenkamp set the tone for Mpumalanga when he mowed down Denzel Erasmus 5 & 4.
Jan Combrink at number eight defeated Gerhard Visagie 4 & 2 and Chris Zietsman, Mark Ferreira, Ian Jacobs and Devon Strydom continued the march.
Drikus Joubert at number one halved his match against Oswin Schlenkrich, guaranteeing a 9.5 – 2.5 start for Mpumalanga in the promotion battle.
Boland had the early edge after winning three games in the morning session, but Eastern Province put up a fight in the singles.
Boland number eight Clement de Bruin downed Manie Daniels 6 & 4, but Gregory Manuel hit back for Boland and defeated Jaco Pieters 5 & 3. Malan Potgieter shrunk the deficit to 1 point when he knocked out Ryk van Schoor 4 & 3, but number one Daniel Cronje put Boland back on course with a 3 & 1 win against Rhalf Manuel.
W.P. Botha and Cedric Rooi added 2 more points to Boland’s tally and Anton Pieters and Coenraad Swanepoel scored another crucial point with halves in the final two games.
The host union had a first round bye and will face Mpumalanga on day two, while Border and Boland go head-to-head and Eastern Province enjoys their rest day.
A-SECTION ROUND 1 RESULTS
KwaZulu-Natal 9.5 vs Free State 2.5
North West 8 vs Limpopo 4
Northern Cape Round 1 Bye
A-SECTION – LOG ROUND 1
(Pos-Union-Played-Won-Drawn-Lost-Points-Matches won)
1 Kwazulu-Natal (1, 1, 0, 0, 2, 9.5)
2 North West (1, 1, 0, 0, 2, 8)
3 Limpopo (1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 4)
4 Free State (1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 2.5)
B-SECTION ROUND 1 RESULTS
Mpumalanga 9.5 vs Border 2.5
Boland 8 vs Eastern Province 4
Southern Cape Round 1 Bye
B-SECTION LOG – ROUND 1
(Pos-Union-Played-Won-Drawn-Lost-Points-Matches won)
1 Mpumalanga (1, 1, 0, 0, 2, 9.5)
2 Boland (1, 1, 0, 0, 2, 8)
3 Eastern Province (1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 4)
4 Border (1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 2.5)
PHOTO – KwaZulu-Natal made a blistering start in the A-Section battle for glory at the 2019 SA Country Districts at Plettenberg Bay Country Club; credit GolfRSA.
