Eketahuna strong in trophy match

Mahunga's two interclub teams met different fates in their matches on Saturday. But on Sunday, the Marquis Shield team had one of their best days at Eketahuna and the women also performed well in their Tilson Salver match at Masterton.
On Saturday, the division 11 team were at home to Miramar, and the end result was a convincing 14 points to one, with two matches being halved the only consolation for the visitors. That scoreline saw the Mahunga side stay top of the table, but the margin over the second team stayed the same. With the side away at Wainui, and the second-placed team playing at home, the margin could be squeezed after next Saturday's round.
The division 7 team were away at Shandon and had a 4 to 10 result. That scoreline saw the team remain at the top of the table, but just by half a point from two others. But with the Mahunga team playing at Mornington next Saturday, their position at the top is likely to end. The only consolation is that the teams who share second are playing each other, though they should fall only as far as third place.
Sunday's Marquis Shield match at Eketahuna had Mahunga playing Carterton, and it looked a close match, results at the mid-point showing a slight edge to Carterton. But the last nine holes saw a major turnaround. All four junior division players won their singles and they also won both fourball matches.
The intermediates shared the honours with Carterton in the singles and fourball matches, but the icing on the cake was the clean sweep in the senior division. The final result of 10-2 in the singles and 5-1 in the fourball saw Mahunga take all four points. The other first-round winners, Eketahuna and Martinborough, met and shared the points. Mahunga are alone at the top of the table.
In the divisional trophies, Mahunga lie fourth in the Workman Cup for the seniors, second equal in the intermediate division (a half point behind the leaders) and top the table in the juniors.
Mahunga faced Riversdale in the Tilson Salver and won by four matches to two.
The junior pennants team also played on Sunday, their opposition coming from the Martinborough team, and they had a comfortable win. That kept them at the top of the table in the Wairarapa zone.
Saturday's club competition was a medal round and, again, some good scores were posted. The best of them was the 64 nett scored by Nikaya Graham in the second group. Graham went just one better than Janet Shaw in second place, with a gap back to Maurice O'Reilly, Graeme Bound and Bill Ousey on 71.
The first group saw Mark Logan at the head of the field with a 65 nett, which was again just one better than Noeline Stevenson, while Kurt Karaitiana was third on 69.
The Makes Cents nearest the pin went to Geoff Peck and the Mitre 10 on the third to Paul Croft. The McAuley's Transport on the sixth hole was won by Mike White. Phillip Granich took the Pak'n Save Masterton on the eighth, Mike White the Alister Bruce Affordable Sheds on the 10th and Kurt Karaitiana the Dinah and Deb Keats Professionals Real Estate on the 17th. The All Teed Up on the fourth fell to Noeline Stevenson.
Holes in two were scored by Janet Shaw, Paul Croft, Kurt Karaitiana and Stevenson.
With the men and women involved in interclub competitions elsewhere, it was a smallish field that played in the club's Stableford competition. The best scores on the day were the 38-point totals returned by Colin McAuley and Greg Granich, while Granich and Laurence Butler scored holes in two.
Tuesday's veterans competition was washed out by the weather.
This coming weekend sees the men's interclub teams in action on Saturday, both playing away.
Saturday sees the women playing a round of their Combined Committee Trophy and the Francis Stableford, while on Sunday they will play the first round of the Malmo Par competition.
The club competitions will be a Stableford round on Saturday and a par round on Sunday.