Victoria have won the annual Cudmore Cheney Challenge against their South Australian counterparts at Mt Gambier Golf Club. Displaying the wealth of talent that is available across the border, the Victorian junior girl&aposs side recorded an emphatic 7.5 matches to 1.5 in the three day event which featured single stableford, foursomes and individual matchplay rounds. The Victorian&aposs dominance on the scoreboard however belied the overall closeness of the contest, with South Australian team manager and Golf SA board member Jenny Butcher taking many positives from her sides performance both on and off the field. “This is by far the best team I have taken away in terms of the girl&aposs behaviour and commitment to the game,” said Butcher. “I&aposm delighted with how the girl&aposs performed overall in the Challenge matches which continues to play a vitally important role in giving our juniors invaluable competition experience away from home.” Amongst the many positives for the South Australians were solid performance by Acacia Curtis (Wirrabara), Kristelle Blum (The Grange) and Caitlin Lakin (South Lakes) who recorded respectable 33, 32 and 32 points respectively in Monday&aposs single stableford round. In Tuesday&aposs foursomes Curtis and Blum combined for a dominant 5&3 victory, while in Wednesday&aposs matchplay round Laikin squared her match while Cassidy Eveniadis (The Grange) was unlucky to eventually lose her match 1-down. The Border Challenge Matches for Junior Girls were first played in 1967 at Naracoorte Golf Club following a challenge from Mrs Mary Cudmore of South Australia to Miss Burta Cheney MBE of Victoria. Both ladies, outstanding golfers in their own right, were nurturing a wealth of junior talent in their respective states. The Border Matches have proved a wonderful training ground for promising young golfers for over 30 years, with many team representatives going on to win numerous State and National titles. For all results, click here for the Challenge event page.
Author: