Wairarapa clinched a 5-5 draw with Wellington in the junior representative golf match played at the Mahunga course in Masterton last Sunday, and retained the Wellington-Wairarapa Junior Salver in the process.
The annual match, first won by Wairarapa in 1976, is played alternately on Wellington and Wairarapa courses and last year, at Trentham, Wairarapa had run out convincing winners.
This year's contest, however, was much closer, going right to the wire on a well-presented and challenging Mahunga course.
The end result rested on the final match and it could not have produced a more exciting finish with Wellington's Carl Tupangaia (Manor Park) coming up with an excellent birdie on the last hole to edge out his Wairarapa opponent, Troy Shaw (Masterton).
Earlier Wellington No.1 Tom Brockelsby (Karori) had scored a relatively comfortable win over Phil Tuoro (Masterton) whose normally consistent game tended to desert him at vital times.
Brockelsby and Ben Slaven were standout players for Wellington, both returning sub-par rounds to score their wins, while Tony Russo (Featherston) Owen Lloyd (Featherston), Jaiden Mills (Martinborough) and Brayden Maizey (Carterton) all tasted success for Wairarapa.
Sheridan Rangihuna (Featherston) and Jason van Zanten (Martinborough) halved their games.
Perhaps the most notable victory for Wairarapa came from Maizey who prevailed over Luke Leesburg (Shandon) on the par three 17th. Having overshot the green, Mazey pitched his second a good 20 feet past the pin while Leesburg was on the green in one with a comfortable looking two putts for a probable win.
Instead the Wellingtonian left his first putt five feet short , thereby giving Mazey the difficult task of holing his long putt to at least square the hole.
Seemingly unfazed by the pressure Mazey rapped his ball into the cup without hesitation and now it was Leesburg who was under the microscope to save par. His ball lipped out of the hole and the 13-year-old Mazey took the match 2 and 1.
RESULTS, WAIRARAPA NAMES FIRST
: Phillip Tuoro lost to Tom Brockelsby 6 and 5, Troy Shaw lost to Carl Tupangaia 1 down, Jason van Zanten and Ben Slaven all square, Tony Russo beat Chris van Drimmelen, Sheridan Rangihuna and Mathew Spraggs all square, Brayden Maizey beat Luke Leesburg 2 and 1, Owen Lloyd beat Cruize Wawatai 3 and 2, Matthew Biel lost to Cameron Whyte 3 and 2, Toby Tuoro lost to Jordan Robb 5 and 3, Jaiden Mills beat Chris Gilman 1 up.
In other matches played between some of Wairarapa's most promising junior talent results were: Jessica Butler beat Samantha Brown , Walter Barber beat Tommy Lloyd Aaron van Zanten beat Adam Ross and George Deans beat Sean Pederless.
