Whilst the ticker-tape parade and the Hawkes Bay Today detailed the “Blackwash” – aka the entire Magpie team undefeated in singles and doubles, the reality behind the scenes was that the win was achieved by the slenderest of margins.
In a crucial doubles game against their fierce rivals the Falcons on day one, Magpie Tim Burgess appeared to have seen where his opponent Dave Woodard’s tee shot had landed off a tree on the par four 16th. When Woodley failed to find his ball, he was penalised a shot and the Falcons had to concede the hole and the match.
Satellite imagery subsequently showed that Woodley’s ball was on the edge of the fairway but plugged and out of sight. When forensics examined the ball they noticed that it had been plugged by a male shoe with a distinct tread – that of a Hush Puppie – the preferred soft cushioned sole of the Magpies ®.
Had the ball been found, the scores would have been tied going into the final holes. If the Falcons had then won, and had Hunt and Ross not suffered the greatest ever thrashing by Bonning and Hucks, the overall team scores would have been tied 11-11.
Not such a Blackwash after all?
The truth was out there.
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