North Harbour gained two 5-0 wins at the national women's interprovincial teams golf championship in Palmerston North yesterday.
The defending champions are trying to become the first team to win three successive national titles since Bay of Plenty-Thames Valley achieved the feat from 1981-1983.
On the evidence, it will take a commandingperformance to deny them. Harbour have strung together three 5-0 wins, with Tasman, Otago and South Canterbury all failing to take a game off the titleholders.
North Harbour and Bay of Plenty-Thames Valley - also unbeaten after three games - look the likely two qualifiers from section one for the semifinals on Saturday.
It is a different story, however, in section two, the more competitive part of the draw.
Auckland have won three from three, but Waikato-King Country are also unbeaten, the 2000 and 2001 champions having drawn 2 1/2-2 1/2 with Northland in a tense finish to yesterday's third round, then having a bye in round four.
Auckland and previously unbeaten Northland clashed yesterday, with Auckland prevailing 3-2, despite their top pair, Natasha Krishna and Jessica Park, falling to talented teenagers Mi Ri Joo and Haeji Kang respectively.
The Auckland tail wagged strongly, with No 5 Boram Lee playing a lovely approach to the 18th green to shut out Younsun Kim, and Da Som Lee stopping Caroline Bon. Auckland's Jane Lee won the decisive middle match. She was 2 down to Samantha Dangen, but was square at the turn and won at the 17th.
After a first-round loss to Northland, Canterbury scored wins yesterday, 3 1/2 to 1 1/2 against Manawatu-Wanganui and 3-2 over Hawkes Bay-Poverty Bay.
Canterbury survived a tense finish against Hawkes Bay-Poverty Bay, No 5 Rachel Thow holing a teasing par putt at the last for a 1 up win over Kathy Olsen and Carol Bates sinking a 12-footer on the last to stay 1 up on Janie Field. Grace Jeong secured their win over Linda Akers.
In section one, Southland beat Tasman 3-2 then Otago 3 1/2 to 1 1/2.
