LEAD STORY - GOLF: Was nixing Gillespie the right move?

ANENDRA SINGH | 9th March 2010

The non-selection of Nick Gillespie appears to be the straw that broke the camel's back, as it were.

The failure of former selectors Allen Forrest, Judith Gimblett and David Howie to accommodate the national representative amateur golfer to the Stortford Auto Sales-sponsored Hawke's Bay senior men's team to compete at the the annual Interprovincials tournament, in Palmerston North in December, is at the crux of the issue.

The matter has been tabled at Golf Hawke's Bay's committee meeting and questions asked whether the selectors got it right after the Bay men finished in sixth place, missing out on the play-offs at a saturated Manawatu Golf Club.

The Bay have not won the Interprovincials since 1969 in Wellington. They have won it previously in 1961 (Napier) and 1963 (Wellington).

While the general consensus was the team would have benefited from Gillespie's input, the selectors faced an ethical dilemma of having to drop a player from the six-member team already named.

The players who had been already picked were, understandably, divided on the idea of including Gillespie, considering he had indicated consistently he wasn't available for Interprovincials selection.

Gillespie, who was beginning to question his motivation to play golf, had gone to the United States on a big OE with his girlfriend, Willa Oliver.

Having made up his mind on returning from the US to knuckle down to golf in November, he tweaked a few things just before Christmas and soon began to find the rhythm and zest for the game once more.

The 21-year-old Hastings Golf Club member is now based in Wellington where Oliver is studying at Victoria University.

Daniel Pearce, Pieter Zwart, Leighton James, Supravee Phatam and Stu Duff were the five players who competed at the Interprovincials. Landon Waitoa was the reserve.

``Everyone loved the idea of Nick playing because they felt there was no one better than him,'' a source told SportToday yesterday.

``But when it came down to who would step down for him to play, no one did,'' the source said of the son of former New Zealand cricketer Stuart Gillespie, of Wanganui, who moved to play here in 2006 and has won back his berth in the elite academy squad for 2010 when it was named this month.

On Friday, Hastings professional Brian Doyle revealed he was not reapplying to coach the Bay amateur team because he felt too few people were making too many decisions to the detriment of the game.

The New Zealand high performance coach's outburst came after a raft of long-term volunteers in key positions have either resigned or chosen not to reapply or seek re-election. He emphasised he was not trying to be vindicative in criticising Connor.

Doyle, who expressed his disappointment at not having won the Interprovincials while at the helm for more than a decade, attributed all the dissatisfaction and apathy in the code to Golf HB CEO Ron Connor, who last week opted to respond after reading Doyle's remarks.

However, yesterday Connor said he did not wish to respond to Doyle's comments, which claimed Connor's methods were questionable and he did not have the players' interests at heart.

Nevertheless, Golf HB president and board chairman Richard Sanko said Doyle's comments would be discussed at a committee meeting tomorrow night.

``If the committee feels it's necessary then we'll respond but it'll probably as a letter to the editor.''

The Bay men played at the SBS Invitational at the weekend, finishing in 11th place at a tourney they have not won under Doyle, who claimed it was an event that he traditionally didn't go to because his contract had been for the latter half of the year for the more important events.

With manager Forrest at the helm in Invercargill, the Bay team had to contend with just four of the five players after Merlin Schloemer pulled up injured.

``He tweaked his shoulder after he teed off at the first hole and then when he chipped on to the green his shoulder popped out.''

The team didn't have a coach but Sanko said a travelling coach was unlikely except for the Interprovincials.

When asked if that would be the same for the women's Interprovincials as well, he said: ``These are some of the things we'll be discussing on Wednesday night too so I can't comment on them just yet.''

Allen Smith, of Napier Golf Club, and John Swinburne, of Ongaonga Golf Club, are the new selectors.

Soon after the issue of Gillespie's availability arose at the Napier club late last year during the Order of Merit dinner in October, Howie had resigned the following week. Gimblett lost her place following an election early this year while Forrest did not seek re-election as a selector but retained his position as manager of the Bay senior men's team.

Bay junior selector/co-ordinator Chris Walker, of Waipukurau, and women's selector, Kaylene Clarkson, have also not reapplied to carry on performing in their voluntary positions.

When contacted, Bay team captain and former national cricketer Stuart Duff said: ``All I want to say is that Brian Doyle and the previous selectors did a great job.''