Golf: Tait hits No 1 in his first sporting love

By BOB PEARCE

Former New Zealand cricketer Alex Tait has made his mark in another sport by being named No 1 for the Northland team to compete in the interprovincial golf championships at New Plymouth next month.

The 29-year-old appeared in five one-day internationals for New Zealand and played at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur.

Previously, he was a nationally ranked junior squash player and a member of the Institute of Squash.

Tait's first sport was golf, which he began as an 11-year-old in Mangakino. But he had to largely give the game away when he played about five full years of cricket for Northern Districts and in the off-season in Europe.

A year ago he was on a handicap of between three and four. But after cricket finished in February he concentrated on golf and is now on plus two.

When he was named Northland No 1 after the Garrard Shield tournament in Paeroa at the weekend, Tait was realistic about his chances.

"I'll come up against some of the best golfers in the country and it will be hard," he said. "All I can do is to concentrate on my own game and play the best I can."

Tait had one win at Paeroa, beating George Kinghorn, of Bay of Plenty. But he was well beaten by Matthew Holten, of Waikato, and Logan Holzer, of Auckland.

Holzer, with a perfect record, led Auckland to three wins and victory in the Garrard from Bay of Plenty (two wins), Waikato (one win) and Northland (no wins). But Northland had their revenge, taking the Ralph Cup for juniors outright for the first time since 1986.

All four provinces named their teams for the Tower interprovincial. Tait's team-mates will be Shaun O'Shea, Jeremy Hay, Michael Perrin and Ian Power.

Auckland's newcomer is Andrew Lawson at No 5 behind Holzer, Franz Schwanner, Clarke Osborne and Geoff Sisson.

Bay of Plenty, without Sam Hunt and Bradley Iles because of exams, named Kent Skellern, Nicholas Davey, Andrew McNair, George Kinghorn and 13-year-old Jae An.

Waikato will have New Zealand representative Brad Shilton at the top of their order, followed by Matthew Holten, Glenn Millin, Mark Purser and Evan Woolf.