Golf: Outsiders set early pace

Taranaki and Northland made the perfect start to the national women's interprovincial teams' matchplay tournament at Ngaruawahia yesterday.

Both had two wins on the opening day but the big guns from last year - Bay of Plenty-Thames Valley, Auckland, Waikato and North Harbour - all recorded wins in their sole appearances.

Bay of Plenty-Thames Valley, champions last year, and Auckland both dropped just a half game in section one, while on the other side of the draw, Waikato, runners-up last year, and third-placed North Harbour conceded one game apiece.

South Canterbury No 2 Olivia Crispin stopped Auckland from completing the first clean-sweep with a half against Younsun Kim, and Louise Stephens gained a half for Otago against Bay of Plenty No 2 Susan Lines.

Canterbury's Eunice Jin, 14, beat national strokeplay champion Sharon Ahn for her team's only success, and Waikato No 1 Sarah McDonald had her team's only loss.

Manawatu-Wanganui, buoyed by their win against Wellington, were unable to make it a double, losing to Waikato in the second round.

The other results were largely predictable, with Hawkes Bay-Poverty Bay and Canterbury both bouncing back from first-round losses to have wins in the afternoon.