WOMEN'S GOLF - Northland score first win

New Zealand representative Caroline Bon and her Northland team mates Phoebe Perrin and Jo Wech all scored morale boosting wins as the Northland women's golf team banked their first win at the provincial tournament in Nelson yesterday.
Northland rebounded from two disappointing defeats on day one to rumble Wellington 3-2 yesterday, Northland No.1 Bon leading the charge with a convincing 3 and 2 win over Lucy Davis.
The victory means Northland, with a bye yesterday afternoon, are now on the points boards and within sight of a top four semifinal berth if they can continue their winning form for the rest of the round robin play this week.
It is proving to be a tight competition though as Auckland emerged as title contenders yesterday by banking two victories and a startlingly young North Harbour team, average age 15, also in the hunt.
Yesterday Auckland moved a step nearer a place in the semifinals of the Toro sponsored tournament with a convincing win over Aorangi-South Canterbury in round four at the Nelson Golf Club.
Auckland's 3 -1 win left it the only unbeaten side in the highly competitive section one as defending champion, Bay of Plenty, suffered its first loss in the morning, 3-2 against the young North Harbour which has three newcomers in its line-up.
North Harbour, with 11-year-old debutante Lydia Ko still unbeaten, banked its third win at Canterbury's expense in the fourth round and Bay of Plenty bounced back from its earlier loss to account for Wellington, 3 -1 , with unbeaten No.1 Zoe Brake winning at the 17th and Susan Lines and Krystle Kearns beating the Sina sisters, Pesi and Heu, both 5 and 4.
A crunch clash in the section will be between Auckland and Bay of Plenty this afternoon while North Harbour still has to play the dangerous Aorangi-South Canterbury.
Waikato and Hawkes Bay-Poverty Bay both continued their winning ways, but the combined team had to come from behind on the back nine to stop Taranaki causing an upset. Both home-team Tasman and Manawatu-Wanganui, which suffered its first loss in round three, were desperate to win their afternoon clash, but in the end they had to share the points.
The highlight of the day though was Harbour's third round against Bay of Plenty with Ko and 12-year-old Hanee Song, keeping cool heads to win the last hole and take their team to an upset 3-2 win.
Northland results yesterday.-
Northland 3 Wellington 2: Caroline Bon bt Lucy Davis 3 and 2, Phoebe Perrin bt Megan Leech 3 and 2, Sunny Namkoong lost to Heu Sina 5 and 3, Aroha Tito lost to Pesi Sina 2 and 1, Jo Wech bt Alanah Braybrook 5 and 3.