The 26th Edition of the CNZ National GC Tournament was held at Mt Maunganui from 8-13 January.
12 pairs took part in the Doubles, split into two blocks and played over the opening Monday & Tuesday. With only the top two pairs from each block advancing, competition was especially tight.
In Block A, Logan McCorkindale (South Canterbury) and 2-time doubles champion Duncan Dixon (Canterbury), set down an early marker, winning 8 of their 10 games with an impressive 31 net hoops. John Christie (Thames Valley) and Nelson Morrow (Auckland) were equally dominant, finishing second in the block with 18 net hoops and advancing to the semi finals.
Paul Kaiser (Canterbury) and James Galpin (UK) won 9 games out of ten in Block B, losing their only game to doubles winner over the previous three years, Levi Franks (Canterbury), and Joel Steele (Hawkes Bay). However, Franks and Steele would fall short of a semi final spot, with James & Myles Duggan (Canterbury) winning 7 games to earn their place in the knockouts.
The remaining eight pairs in the Plate section were divided into two blocks, and played first to ten matches to decide the Plate finalists. Franks and Steele advanced to the final but would ultimately lose to Ricky Clement and Te Kiri King (South Taranaki) 7-6 in the Plate final. Clement and King showed great form throughout the two days, losing only 5 games out of their 14 played.
In the knockouts, the final was contested between Kaiser & Galpin and the Duggan brothers, after both pairs won their semi finals without dropping a game. Kaiser and Galpin won the first game 7-5, leaving James and Myles with an uphill battle. In the second game, Paul Kaiser and James Galpin would prove too strong, winning 7-5 again. Galpin became only the second international winner of the Doubles, after Ian Burridge in 2015.
The Singles took place from Wednesday to Saturday, competed by 28 players split across four blocks. The top four of each block advanced to the knockouts.
Logan McCorkindale dominated Block A, dropping only one game. He was joined by James Duggan, Paul Kaiser and Brian Williams (Auckland) in the knockouts. 9-time champion Duncan Dixon went even better in Block B, winning all 12 games. Joel Steele, Ricky Clement and Helen Reeves (Hawkes Bay) advanced along with him. In Block C, defending champion Levi Franks topped the group, followed by Doubles Plate winner Te Kiri King, Dennis Bulloch (Manawatu-Wanganui) and Graeme Fisher (Wellington). Finally, James Galpin took his doubles form into the singles, winning 12/13 games in Block D. Robbie Spooner (Wellington) and John Christie also advanced with ease. The final spot was a close one, as three players sat on two wins. Myles Duggan advanced though, with a superior 10 net hoops.
Eight players took part in the Singles Plate, which was an incredibly tight contest. Going into the final round of matches, Nicola Clement (South Taranaki), Ian Harrison (Bay of Plenty) and Jason Hodgett (Canterbury) were all on four wins and close on net hoops. However, Jason Hodgett was the only one to win his final match, beating Al Meyler 7-3 to secure the GC Open Plate.
In the knockouts, the four players who topped their blocks, continued to show good form until the quarter finals, in which Te Kiri King beat James Galpin and Duncan Dixon lost to Paul Kaiser. Both semi finals were hotly contested, going to a third match. Te Kiri advanced to the final, beating Levi Franks 7-4, 6-7, 7-2, where he would meet Logan McCorkindale, who beat Kaiser 6-7, 7-4, 7-5.
Meanwhile, Dennis Bulloch would go on to win the Bowl section, beating Myles Duggan 7-5, 7-2. Duncan Dixon won the Shield (competed by the players knocked out in the quarters) beating James Galpin 7-4, 7-5.
In the final, Te Kiri King got off to a flyer, winning the first two games in the best of five 7-5, 7-6. However, Logan McCorkindale continued his incredible run of form over the past few seasons to win his second GC Nationals title 7-1, 7-6, 7-3 in the final three games.
CNZ would like to thank the referee, manager, volunteers, players and supporters for making the week a success. Congratulations to all the winners!
