Northern in the zone

LINING UP: Northern Zone’s Rochelle Taewa studies the line of her putt on the 11th green in the women’s interzone at the Poverty Bay course. Pictures by Paul Rickard

The Northern team’s stranglehold on the Hawke’s Bay-Poverty Bay interzone women’s golf trophy continued in Gisborne this week.

The host Northern side made it seven titles straight against their Southern and Central rivals on the Poverty Bay Golf Club fairways.

Northern comfortably topped the 27-hole stableford format, finishing with a 16-woman team total of 858 points.

Southern were second on 820 and Central third on 809.

Patutahi’s Jan Ewart was the star of the Northern effort. Ewart, off a 34-handicap, posted the best score out of all three zones — 64 points.

Poverty Bay’s June MacKinnon was a point behind her and shot the 18-hole round of the day in the morning — 90-26-64, for 46 points.

Elaine Westwood (61pts, Mahia), Anne Witters (60, Poverty Bay), Karen Crosby (60, PB), Rochelle Taewa (59, PB), Denise Johnston (57, Pat), Vicki Fraser (55, PB), Wiki Morrissey (54, Gisborne Park) and Jan Utting (54, PB) all played to or under their handicaps.

Southern’s best individual score came from 12-handicapper Margaret Stephenson (Dannevirke), whose 61 points included 79 off the stick for her 18 holes.

Central’s best were Margaret Selby (Maraenui) and Brenda Thomas (Maraenui), both on 59 points.

It was the 57th running of the interzone and Northern, which covers courses from Wairoa to the East Coast, have won it 31 times including the past seven years.

Waipukurau member Jeannie Peacock was beaming from ear to ear after achieving her first hole-in-one in 56 years of golf. She aced the 118-metre sixth hole.

A special presentation was made to Poverty Bay pair Marg Colebourne and Vicki Fraser for topping Hawke’s Bay-Poverty Bay in the annual nationwide Nancy McCormick women’s foursomes.

Their total was ninth in New Zealand.

Full results in tomorrow’s Gisborne Herald