With the rains and cold of day one behind them, the players of the North and South started day two’s singles matches in overcast, but dry, conditions.
With captain Tom Hendershot’s South team taking a two point lead into Sunday’s singles play, captain Tom Leitch’s Northern squad looked to get back in it early on the strength of their senior men. In the end, the North’s early push was not enough to counteract strong play from the South’s amateur men as the South would claim the Estabrooks Cup for the first time since 2009.
In the first paring of the day, Greg Blake of Fredericton got the North side off to a good start besting Bob Gray of Maplewood one up. The North would draw even by the end of match two as Gary Melanson of Aroostook Valley made short work of Pine Needles’ Louis Boudreau six and four. The North would not be even for long as Herring Cove’s Kevin Farmer handled Aroostook’s Herrick Hansen three and two, to put the South back up by one, 10 and 9, in the race for the 2012 Estabrooks Cup. The final Senior men’s match of the day would come down to the wire and saw Sonny Phillips, of Fredericton, win 17 and 18 to put away John Brown of the Riverside Country Club and put the North back on even terms with the South at 10 points a side.
In the ladies’ division, the first pairing of the day saw Mary Walton-Rossignol of the Fredericton Golf Club fight back from four down at the turn to take six of the next nine holes to best Sandy Comeau of Country Meadows and put the North back on top 11 points to 10. The second ladies’ pairing of the day saw Maureen O’Donnell of Fredericton come from two down at the turn to square her match with Rockwood Park’s Pam Cossey. The South’s lone victory in the ladies’ division would come from Leanne Richardson of Country Meadows, who would draw the South even by finishing off Fredericton’s Penny Dickeson three and two, squaring the Estabrooks Cup at 11.5 points a side. The final ladies’ pairing would see a back and forth match finish two up for the North, as Woodstock’s Margo McLeod would win 17 and 18 to defeat Riverside’s Allison Chisholm and put the North back up one at 12.5 to 11.5.
Although the North’s senior men and ladies did their job, the South would respond quickly in the amateur men’s division, as Westfield’s Tom Cameron would bring the South back to even with a two up victory over Calvin Blacquier of Kingswood. The next two Amateur matches would see the teams exchange points, and keep things knotted up, 13.5 to 13.5, as Aroostook’s Dave Bolster and Herring Cove’s Gordon Kay would dispatch Kraig Haddad of Country Meadows and Phil Soicher of Fredericton five and four respectively.
The back half of the amateur matches took a decidedly Southern turn as Moncton’s Colin Manning defeated Ted Moffat, of Fredericton, two and one, and Shawn Branch of Country Meadows handled Kingswood’s Greg Mazerolle three and two to give the South a two point lead, 15.5 to 13.5, and put them within one point of reclaiming the Estabrooks Cup.
In the battle of youth versus experience, Kingswood’s Josh Landine would win the 18th hole to draw all square with Greg Jones of Country Meadows and keep the North’s hopes of retaining the cup alive.
Although Landine would give the North a stay of execution the final blow would come moments later as Hampton’s Michel Landry would defeat Kingswood’s Kyle Hampsey, who’s final half point retain the cup for the North in 2011, two and one on the 17th hole and clinch the 2012 Estabrooks Cup for Captain Tom Hendershot and his Southern teammates.
The final match of the day, although academic, saw Mathieu Gingras of the Moncton Golf and Country Club and Shane McCullum of the Fredericton golf club battle to a draw in a match that saw Gingras fight back from two down on two separate occasions.
When the dust finally settled it was the South claiming their seventh Estabrooks Cup in the 15-year history of the event, with a final score of 17.5 points to 14.5 points, and their first since 2009.
