Golf: Australia dominates day one of Trans-Tasman Cup

Ben Campbell. Photo / Dave Lintott.

Australia built on a commanding morning performance to lead New Zealand 16 1/2 to 7 1/2 after day one of the Trans-Tasman Cup at the Peninsula Country Golf Club in Melbourne yesterday.

The competition involves women's, men's, boys and girls contests and only the Kiwi men's fours are in good stead.

New Zealanders Ben Campbell, Mathew Perry, Vaughan McCall and Blair Riordan all won their foursomes matches to give them the lead in the Sloan Morpeth Trophy 4 1/2 to 1 1/2 at day's end.

Campbell and Perry set the tone in the morning with a 2up win over Ryan McCarthy and Nathan Holman.

World No 11 Jake Higginbottom and Cameron Smith were then humbled by Blair Riordan and Vaughan McCall as the Kiwis won 2 and 1 to maintain the momentum.

Perry and Campbell won their singles matches (both 1up), Riordan finished all square with Higginbottom and McCall lost 1 down to McCarthy.

But the Kiwi men's result was the exception to the rest.

The Australian women's team leads the Tasman Cup 5-1 after a dominant performance.

New Zealand's Chantelle Cassidy earned their only point.

Australia's Ashlee Dewhurst and Adriana Brent beat Emily Perry and Cassidy 1up in the morning in the foursomes and Grace Lennon and Breanna Elliott dealt Sarah Bradley and Julianne Alvarez a comprehensive 4 and 3 defeat.

All of the Australian women went onto win comfortably in their singles matches in the afternoon apart from Grace Lennon who was defeated by 2 and 1 by Cassidy.

The Australian boys' team has one hand on the Clare Higson Trophy, holding a 5-1 lead with Kiwi Tyler Hodge earning their only point in his win over Victorian Lucas Herbert.

Herbert and Ruben Sondjaja got the Aussie Boys on the front foot with a 1up win over Sam An and Hodge in the morning.

Oliver Goss and Anthony Murdaca backed that up with a 4 and 2 win over Compton Pikari and Ryan Chisnall.

Hodge provided the sole bright spot for the Kiwis in the afternoon when he won 1up over Herbert.

The other three Kiwis went down and Australia look likely to retain their trophy.

It was a similar story in the Junior Tasman Cup with the Australian Girls dictating terms.

In the girls' foursomes, Australians Jaimee Dougan and Lauren Mason were comfortable winners over Wen Yung Keh and Laura Hoskin by 5 and 3.

Su Oh and Hannah Green added to the jovial Aussie mood with a 6 and 5 win over Catherine Bell and Fai Tongdesthri.

Catherine Bell provided the only Kiwi win of day one for the girls with a 2 and 1 win over Su Hyun Oh in the singles.

New Zealand has never won the Trans-Tasman Cup and after a dominant day one from Australia it would take a special effort for the Kiwis to change that in 2012.

There would be some consolation if the New Zealand men can at least claim the Sloan Morpeth Trophy from their Australian opposition.

Scores:

Australia 16 1/2 leads New Zealand 7 1/2

Men: (Sloan Morpeth Trophy)

New Zealand 41/2 leads Australia 1 1/2

Women: (Tasman Cup)
Australia 5 leads New Zealand 1.

Boys: (Clare Higson Trophy)

Australia 5 leads New Zealand 1.

Girls: (Junior Tasman Cup)

Australia 5 leads New Zealand 1