In the zone for Southern Kzn golfers

Southern KwaZulu-Natal returned to the happy hunting ground of Eshowe Hills Country Club to win the annual KZN Country Districts Interzone tournament in dominant fashion.

The team won both strokeplay sessions on the Friday, and all four matchplay games on the weekend.

The strokeplay rounds are crucial to setting up a lead and led by Jason Gilliver and Gavin Sole, who finished first and second, they did this in style.

Gilliver won the individual championship for the third time in the space of four years on scores of 71 and 69, with the Big Fish four shots behind.

Gilliver almost aced the par three 16th, his ball finishing plugged almost in the hole. He is yet to have the perfect fluke, but it can only be a matter of time.

In the matchplay, Southern Kzn beat Ilembe 6-2 and East Griqualand 6,5-1,5 on the Saturday morning.

They then almost came unstuck against Zululand in the afternoon, with a number of games going down the last hole.

In the end, they got the win, 4,5-3,5.

That would prove enough to clinch the massive shield that is the Interzone trophy.

The following day they routed Northern Kzn, 8-0, to secure a full house of points.

The team comprised Jason Gilliver, Jack Cubitt and Mitchel Hampson (all Umdoni Park), Jean-Marc Bouic (Selborne Park), Kai Hielckert (Port Shepstone CC) and veterans Gavin Sole, Gary Purtell and David Rush (all Southbroom).

New captain Bouic led the side with his usual calm consistency. He’s now looking at the league season, with an eye on gaining promotion to the Premier division for next year.

Hielckert, on 16 years old, was named Most Valuable Player, due to winning all his matchplay games, bouncing back after a less than spectacular start in the strokeplay.

Gilliver, Sole, Cubitt and Hampson were chosen for the Country Districts team to play in the South African Country Districts tournament in East London from May 10 to 14.

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