A couple of trophies have proved elusive for Maraenui golfer Russell Mitchell during recent seasons.
One is the Greenwood Cup, one of Golf Hawke's Bay's most prestigious men's interclub trophies, and the other is for the most successful No1 in the Greenwood Cup. With Maraenui winning their first three rounds in the seven round competition at Waipukurau during the weekend and Mitchell winning all three of his matches he staked an early claim for the 2014 double.
"That top No 1 trophy is one I've been aiming for for a while and I'm starting to play a bit better now," said Mitchell, who has played in at least six Greenwood Cup events and been Maraenui's No1 for the last four.
Maraenui haven't tasted Greenwood Cup glory since 2002 but Mitchell has every right to be confident about the team's chances this year.
"We've got a really good team. It's similar to recent seasons but everyone has got that little bit better and we've all got a bit more experience."