Sticky but solid start for Southerns
It was the perfect start to the new league season.
GOLFERS Mitch Hampson and Mikhail van Brakel, both of Umdoni Park Golf Club, played a key role near the top of the order in Southern KwaZulu-Natal’s opening league win for the year at Southbroom Golf Club last Sunday.
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Visitors were newly promoted Kloof Country Club ‘A’, looking to upset the hosts.
The match was won 9,5-2,5 on an overcast yet extremely sticky, humid and hot day.
Mitch and Mikhail played together at number two in the foursomes and chalked up a hard-fought win, 2/1 against Justin Gibb and Kloof captain Richard Firbank.
In the afternoon singles they played at numbers three and four respectively, both recording wins.
Mitch had a short afternoon, routing his opponent Brad Jones 5/4 while Mikhail finished up on the 17th, clinching a 2/1 victory over Justin.
Skzn is currently playing in the A section, with the goal very much being to gain promotion back into the premier league.
The Cubitt twins, Jack and Luke, also from Umdoni Park, were due to play but had to withdraw to practice their dance moves ahead of the matric dance.
No doubt they would rather have been on the golf course.
Jason Gilliver, who has been part of the team for the past few years, is upcountry preparing for the first stage of the Sunshine Tour Q School.
On the day, the Margate CC duo of Elvis Khawula and George Bothma opened the scoring with a solid win, 2-up against Sean Kirby and Travis Welsh.
Graham Fabricius (Port Shepstone CC) and David Rush (Southbroom GC) threw away a handy two hole lead after 12 holes to lose 1-down against Geoff Chandler and Gary Welsh.
Gavin Sole and Van Zyl Greyling, both Southbroom GC, won 5/3 against Thinus Steyn and Brad Jones to see the hosts take a commanding 3-1 lead in the afternoon singles.
The singles was pretty much one-way traffic, despite George losing 3/1 to Kloof’s rising star Travis Welsh, who was three under on the back nine when the match ended.
Elvis won easily 5/4 while David finished with two birdies to win 2-up.
Graham halved with Richard in a game that ebbed and flowed.
Van Zyl won 2/1 as did Gavin against Gary Welsh (Travis’s father).
The next league game was due to be played on March 15 but has been postponed till June 28. It will be at Durban Country Club.
Before that, though, there is the annual KZN Interzone Country Districts tournament to be played at Dundee CC from March 27 to 29, with a practice round on the Thursday before the tournament starts.
Southern KZN will look to defend their title at a venue where they won in 2010.
The KZN country districts team will be chosen after this, with Mitch and the Cubitt twins in with a great chance of making this team.
The next league game is away against Bluff National Park on April 5, then at home to Mount Edgecombe CC ‘A’ on May 31, away to Durban CC ‘A’ on June 28, before a probable semi-final and final.
The key, though, of course, is consistency in selection and availability of players.
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