Trophy week a blast for girls

A huge week of golf may have exhausted the girls' junior team but they all had a massive experience as they contested the Brenda Ormsby Trophy in Rotorua.

Northland were one of eight teams at the junior girls' interprovincial tournament last week at the Arikikapakapa Golf Course along with Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Hawke's Bay/Poverty Bay, North Harbour, Taranaki and Waikato.

The Northland team comprised captain Racheal Williams, Jodi MacAlister, Soktaera and Soktaerodh Sean, Shanice Croft-Kemp and Taimana Ngakuru. With Soktaerodh Sean and Ngakuru along, it was a relatively young team but that was balanced by Williams and MacAlister's experience.

The format saw two pools of four teams, with each team playing three pool games.

On Tuesday the girls played hosts BOP and last year's winners Taranaki. Northland halved the first match but struggled against Taranaki, winning only one match and halving another.

Wednesday dawned fine but chilly and extremely windy. The final pool game was against Hawke's Bay/Poverty Bay.

With both teams level after three rounds a countback ensued for third and fourth, with Northland just getting the edge 7-6.5.

On crossover day, Thursday, which fortunately dawned clear and sunny but once again very chilly and windy, they played North Harbour, who were in fourth place in Pool B. Northland lost in a tight struggle with one win, two losses and three halved matches.

Friday meant a wooden spoon match against Waikato but Northland were in no mood for last place and blitzed their opponents 6-0.

There was one standout. Soktaera Sean, who played at No3 all week on a handicap of 14, had to play off the stick. She matched girls who were on handicaps from 4 to 8. On Friday her opponent was on an 11.

Auckland narrowly beat BOP, with Canterbury and Taranaki third and fourth respectively, with North Harbour fifth.