CANADIANS SHOCK RAMPANT GB AND I BY WINNING FOURSOMES

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com The Fat Lady is not singing yet at Fairhaven Golf Club, but Great Britain and Ireland's victory march in the Astor Trophy is in danger of being derailed by Canada.
The Canadians, still seeking their first win this week, stunned the Great Britain and Ireland followers by winning both the morning foursomes on the final day at the Lancashire venue
In the other match, South Africa and Australia shared the foursomes 1-1.
GB and I, after beating New Zealand on Saturday, went into the match against Canada, needing a minimum of a draw to retain the Astor Trophy but at 0-2 in arrears with five singles to play, skipper Tegwen Matthews’ squad needed to dig deep to turn it around.
Nicole Vandermade and Jessica Wallace gave the Canadians a flying start by beating Pamela Pretswell and Holly Clyburn by 2 and 1.
Then Anne Catherine Tanguay and Rebecca Lee Bentham beat Kelsey MacDonald and Amy Boulden with a birdie at the last.
Vandermade and Wallace had the better of the outward half against Pretswell and Clyburn. The Canadians were two up after three holes, lost the fourth, but got it back to a two-hole lead by winning the fifth. Pretswell and Clyburn won their second hole of the morning at the ninth to turn for home one down.
The GB and I pair squared it with a par 3 at the short 10th but lost the 11th to a birdie 4 from the Canadians. After halved holes at 12 and 13, Pretswell and Clyburn squared the match by winning the 14th and 15th with par figures.
A birdie 4 by Vandermade and Wallace put the Canadians on up at the long 16th
Another birdie, a 2 at the short 17th, by Vandermade and Wallace won the hole and the match by 2 and 1.
Kelsey MacDonald and Amy Boulden won the second and third, with a birdie, to go two up in the early stages. Anne Catherine Tanguay and Rebecca Lee Bentham squared matters by winning the short fifth with a birdie 2 and the seventh with a par 4.
GB and I won the eighth with a par but their lead lasted only one hole, the Canadians squaring it at the ninth with a birdie 3.
After five halved holes, Tanguay and Lee Bentham went ahead wit a birdie 4 at the 15th. The long 16th was halved in par 5s. MacDonald and Boulden got a birdie 2 at the short 17th to square the match.
The Canadians won the 18th and the match with a pitch and putt birdie 4, their opponents being just off the back of the green in three shots and pitching their fourth to about 5ft short of the flag.
Bertine Strauss and Iliska Verwey gave South Africa a 1-0 lead by beating Breanne Elliott and Cathleen Santoso 3 and 2.
But Ashley Ona and Emma de Groot of Australia levelled it at 1-1 with 2 and 1 win over Kim Williams and Henriette Frylinck.
Strauss and Verwey, both high in the world amateur rankings, showed their class by winning te first, third and fourth for a three-hole lead. But Williams and Frylinck hit back with successes at the sixth and seventh to be only one down at the turn.
The South Africans won the short 10th but lost the long fifth to a birdie betore going three up with wins at the 12th and 13th.
Elliott and Santoos won the 14th to cut their deficit to two holes but a birdie 4 by te South Africans at the 16th gave them a 3 and 2 win.
Ona and De Groot were two up after three by winning the second and third with birdies. Williams and Frylinck got their foot in the door by winning the sixth and then the eighth to be all square. Ona and De Groot won the ninth to be one up at the turn.
That became a two-hole lead for the South Africans with a success at the 11th but Williams and Frylink birdied tt 12th to keep their hopes alive at one down. However, Ona and De Groot were able to win the 15th with a birdie to go two up with three to play and halves at the 16th and 17th gave the Aussiesca 2 and 1 win.