NATIONAL NEWS - The battle for promotion at the 56th South African Inter- Provincial will come down to a scrimmage between log leaders KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Province and North West on Friday.

Unbeaten KwaZulu-Natal top the standings with 10 points after going unbeaten this week, while Eastern Province moved into second on eight points in Wednesday’s third round. While both teams enjoyed a fourth round bye, a feisty North West team thumped Limpopo 9 – 3 at the Fish River Sun Country Club to join the scuffle at the top.

North West will challenge Free State, while KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Province face off in the final round.

North West and Limpopo halved the foursomes, but North West took command of the singles after Zabastian de Jager whipped Franco Putter 4 & 3.

Aubrey Beckley followed suit, beating Cameron Nesmith 4 & 3, and the beating continued with Riaan Swart, who defeated Peter Masehela 3 & 2, and Theunie Bezuidenhout, who downed Ricardo Loock 3 & 2.

Barend Gerber briefly hit back for Limpopo and ended Albert Britz’s winning run in this year’s championship with a 3 & 2 win, but the writing was on the wall and Christo Peens, Slade Pickering and Danie van Niekerk wrapped up their games for the last three points.

Border lost 4 – 8 to Mpumalanga, but the side whipped Free State 8 – 4 to the delight of the home crowds. Free State got their revenge, though, when they downed Mpumalanga 8 – 4.

Border halved the foursomes with Mpumalanga, but led Free State 3 – 1.

The local favourites lost the first three matches in the singles, but Lwazi Gqira stemmed the bleeding when he defeated Andrè van Zyl 2 & 1, and Steven Pope, Sean Coetzee, Ben Jonas and Niel du Preez reeled in the rest of their points.

Gqira and du Preez scored double victories when they also beat their Mpumalanga peers, but the rest of the matches went the way of Mpumalanga, with Ru-Jean Lessingh, Stephen Morrison, Kevin Smith, Andre van Heerden, Quintin Wilsnach and Peetie van der Merwe coming up trumps.

Meanwhile Free State opened up a 3 – 1 lead in their foursomes against Mpumalanga.

Therion Nel kept Free State on attack with a 4 & 3 win and Heinrich Erasmus and Juran Dreyer both won 3 & 2 to keep the ball rolling.

Lessingh beat Ivan van der Merwe 2 & 1 and Quintin Wilsnach beat Richard Maree 3 & 2 to claw two points back for Mpumalanga, but halves from Attie van Wyk and Wilco Nienaber and a win from Andrè van Zyl claimed the victory for Free State.


B-SECTION RESULTS – ROUND 4

Mpumalanga 4 vs Free State 8

Foursomes:

Lessingh / Morrison lost to van der Merwe / Erasmus 4 & 2;

Van Heerden (Jnr) / Smith beat Dreyer / van Wyk 1Up;

Wilsnach / van der Merwe lost to Maree / van Zyl 3 & 2;

Strydom / van Dyk lost to Nel / Nienaber 2Down;

Singles:

Ru-Jean Lessingh beat Ivan van der Merwe 2 & 1;

Stephen Morrison lost to Heinrich Erasmus 3 & 2;

Kevin Smith halved with Attie van Wyk;

Andre van Heerden (Jnr) lost to Juran Dreyer 3 & 2;

Quintin Wilsnach beat Richard Maree 3 & 2;

Peetie van der Merwe halved with Wilco Nienaber;

Hannes van Dyk lost to Therion Nel 4 & 3;

Devon Strydom lost to Andrè van Zyl 1Down;


Free State 4.0 vs Border 8.0

Foursomes:

Van der Merwe / Erasmus lost to Ngantweni / du Toit 3 & 2;

Dreyer / van Wyk lost to Pope / Coetzee 3 & 2;

Maree / van Zyl lost to du Preez / Gqira 1Down;

Nel / Nienaber beat Joubert / Jonas 4 & 3;

Singles:

Ivan van der Merwe lost to Steven Pope 1Down;

Heinrich Erasmus beat Andre du Toit 7 & 6;

Attie van Wyk beat Fellow Ngantweni 2 & 1;

Juran Dreyer beat Nico Joubert 3 & 2;

Richard Maree lost to Sean Coetzee 2 & 1;

Wilco Nienaber lost to Ben Jonas 1Down;

Therion Nel lost to Niel du Preez 2Down;

Andrè van Zyl lost to Lwazi Gqira 2 & 1;


Mpumalanga 8 vs Border 4

Foursomes:

Lessingh / Morrison lost to Ngantweni / du Toit 4 & 2;

Van Heerden (Jnr) / Smith halved with Pope / Coetzee;

Wilsnach / van der Merwe halved with du Preez / Gqira;

Strydom / van Dyk beat Joubert / Jonas 3 & 2;

Singles:

Ru-Jean Lessingh beat Steven Pope 2 & 1;

Stephen Morrison beat Andre du Toit 7 & 5;

Kevin Smith beat Fellow Ngantweni 3 & 2;

Andre van Heerden (Jnr) beat Nico Joubert 1Up;

Quintin Wilsnach beat Sean Coetzee 1Up;

Peetie van der Merwe beat Ben Jonas 2Up;

Hannes van Dyk lost to Niel du Preez 3 & 2;

Devon Strydom lost to Lwazi Gqira 1Down;


North West 9 vs Limpopo 3

Foursomes:

Peens / Britz beat van der Walt / Gerber 3 & 2;

Swart / Bezuidenhout lost to Pepler / Putter 4 & 3;

De Jager / Pickering beat Loock / Masehela 1Up;

Beckley / van Niekerk lost to Nesmith / Wiggill 3 & 2;

Singles:

Albert Britz lost to Barend Gerber 3 & 2;

Christo Peens beat Jay van der Walt 1Up;

Riaan Swart beat Peter Masehela 3 & 2;

Theunie Bezuidenhout beat Ricardo Loock 3 & 2;

Zabastian de Jager beat Franco Putter 4 & 3;

Slade Pickering beat David Wiggill 2Up;

Danie van Niekerk beat Gerhard Pepler 2 & 1;

Aubrey Beckley beat Cameron Nesmith 4 & 3;


B-SECTION LOG

(Pos-Union-Played-Won-Drawn-Lost-Points-Matches won)

1 KwaZulu-Natal (5, 5, 0, 0, 10, 46.5)

2 Eastern Province (5, 4, 0, 1, 8, 39.5)

3 North West (5, 4, 0, 1, 8, 38)

4 Border (6, 2, 0, 4, 4, 33)

5 Free State (5, 2, 0, 3, 4, 27.5)

6 Mpumalanga (5, 1, 0, 4, 2, 20)