something in common at the conclusion of the 2008 Southern NSW Fourball Championships held over the weekend. Cheshire combined with John Blackman to win their third Fourball title in the four-year history of the event, while Finkle was partnered by Temora’s Julie Boland for her third victory in the women’s division.

A BLISTERING opening round set up victory for two-time winners Graeme Cheshire and John Blackman in the 2008 Southern NSW

Fourball Championships held on the weekend.

Tackling the tricky Bidgee Banks course at Gundagai on Saturday, Cheshire and Blackman fired a

brilliant nine-under 61 in the fourball stroke event to give them a four-shot buffer over former Coota and now Canberra golfers Joel Hart and Chris Dawe.

And while they were unable to repeat the remarkable form from the previous day, Cheshire and Blackman ensured they would take the title for the third time in the tournament’s

four-year history when they overcame a bogey start at Coota on Sunday to post a four-under 67 for a two round total of 128.

Among the holes that suffered a birdie barrage from the eventual champions at Gundagai on Saturday were the par five first, third, fifth, eighth, ninth, 11th, 15th, 16th and 17th.

The best of these was perhaps Blackman’s three on the 15th, the toughest hole on the course, when he fired a 9-iron to four feet past the pin, sinking the slippery putt, while Cheshire proved his love-affair with his former home course by recording eight birdies himself.

While their lead was just four, most pundits were of the belief Cheshire and Blackman couldn’t be caught on Sunday, however they suffered an immediate scare when Blackman rifled his drive on the first out

of bounds and Cheshire missed an almost gimme par putt from a foot and a half.

After a string of four pars, the pair peeled off birdies on the fifth, sixth and seventh to make the turn in 33 and, unbeknown to them their rivals for the crown were faltering.

A booming drive and wedge to the green on 10 set up a birdie for Blackman, while he produced the shot of the weekend on the par-5 13th, rifling a 1-iron pin high from where he’d two-putt for birdie.

The pair couldn’t manage another birdie over the final five holes,

however their four-under 67 proved to be enough as they took the 2008 title by eight shots from Daryl O’Keefe and David Harris.

O’Keefe and Harris were declared A grade nett champions with a two-round total of 117, while Dawe and Hart hung on to finish as 36-hole scratch runners-up and Lee Brown and Victor Smith from Canberra the 36-hole nett runners-up.