Otago were too strong for Southland at Balclutha GC .Blue and Gold reigned supreme at Balclutha Golf Club recently .

The day got off to the worst possible start for the visiting Southland teams, with only the Masters pairing of Doug Carmichael and Bryan Cantley scrambling a win across all the morning foursomes fixtures. 

Despite several foursome matches going to the final holes, the depth in Otago golf set the scene for the remainder of the games played in windy and, at times, wet conditions in Balclutha.  

The Women's Salisbury Cup was always heading back to Otago after a dominant display in the morning. Robyn Pullar and Ariana Beck came closest for the Southerners, taking the teenage duo of Sumin Kang and Yoonae Jeong to the final hole, eventually losing two down. Helen Baird and Sam Walker charged late against the experienced pairing of Tracey Storer and Bec Calder before eventually succumbing on the 17th hole. 
The afternoon individual matchplay result was closer than the scoreline reflected. Helen Baird and rookie Hannah Struthers picked up wins for Southland alongside a hard-fought half from Teena McColl. Olivia Frost pushed Jeong to the final hole, eventually losing one down before Ariana Beck went close against another teenage prodigy, Sophia Park, who showed she had experience beyond her years in only her second representative fixture of this format. The final score flattering Otago, 9.5 - 2.5, another year of development from the Southland ladies could see these margins closing further. 

The Men's event is always a tight-fought battle between the two sides. Otago had one hand on the Challenge Shield before lunch with a five-match head start on the scoreboard. All foursomes matches went to at least the 17th hole on the undulating course, preempting a tough afternoon of individual matches. 
Leading out Southlands hopes was Liaim Hewitt, accounting for Otago's number one Will McLauchlan on the last hole before Tyler McLean doubled the points for the Maroons with a dominant 4/3 win against Phil Bungard. Otago then struck back with wins to Hamish Ireland and Callum Judkins before Tegan Proudfoot (Southland) bagged another narrow 2/1 victory against Conor Jamison. 
The tie sat in the balance when Jacob Bellamy managed to sneak a win against Southland's Matt Crawford on the last hole before his Otago teammates tidied up the tail end, showcasing the depth in the district comfortably accounting for their visiting opponents. 

The Paul Adams Trophy was a much closer match than the final score suggested. Following Carmichael and Cantley's win against the top pairing of Michael Smith and Chris Snow, narrow losses from Brad Harper and Ngarimu Paraki and Joel Opaco and Alan Baird could have swayed the balance in Southland's favour at lunch. 
Carmichael and veteran Ewan Clark posted wins after the break before Chris Snow avenged his early morning loss, taking out Brad Harper 4/3. Brett Kenelly and Andrew Hobbs then had the hosts in the box seat with wins on the 17th hole. The victory sealed when Otago's Kevin Clark beat Alan Baird 5/3. Joel Opaco and Jason Unahi had the chance to add some respectability to the scoreline before both eventually going down to their opponents on the last hole. 

Southland fielded a six-person strong side in this year's Alan Page Memorial clash with neighbours Otago. The age group development event is an excellent opportunity for emerging players in both districts to test their skills at the entry-level to representative golf. 
The challenging layout at Balclutha GC provided a stern test for these young golfers, placing a premium on accuracy off the tee.
Will Carson came closest for a Southland win against Conner Howes, unfortunately going down 2/1. George Prendergast also showed glimpses of his best golf against Kai Koni before losing 3/2.