Otago had mixed fortunes on the first day of the women's interprovincial tournament which began in fine conditions on the St Clair course yesterday.
Otago beat Aorangi by an impressive 4 to 1 margin in the morning but went down 3-2 to Hawkes Bay in the afternoon.
The results left Otago in second place in division one with one point and six games. The favoured Auckland and Waikato teams have each had a bye.
Otago No 5 Susan Greig led the way in the morning round beating Aorangi's Heather Oldfield by a resounding 10 and 8 margin.
However, at No 4 Nicole Nathan evened the score, beating Arrowtown's Dale Dagg with two holes to spare.
The remaining three matches went the distance with No 2 Jo Hicks-Beach and No 3 Liz McRae edging ahead, to give Otago the win with three matches in.
Otago No 1 Laura Hoskin was one down with two holes to play but won the 17th when Aorangi's Catherine Bell made a bogey 5.
Hoskin hit a long drive up the final fairway and had the inside running after the second shots, although both players were well past the pin.
Bell looked set to make a par 4 but Hoskin put the icing on the cake for Otago sinking a 4m downhill putt from the back apron for a birdie 3, to win the match.
In the afternoon match against Hawkes Bay, Hicks-Beach and Greig posted good wins but it was 2-2 when McRae and Dagg went down.
Hoskin trailed Bay No 1 Kate Chadwick for most of the round and was one down playing the ninth and final hole.
Chadwick hit a colossal drive and nailed her second pin-high on to the putting surface, giving her an eagle putt and Hoskin had little chance of snatching the half.
After she lagged her putt near the cup, Hoskin conceded the match, leaving Otago a game short of a win.
Otago will meet Taranaki this morning, before having its bye in the afternoon's fourth round.
There were no upsets on the first day, although Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Wellington were all pushed to the brink, winning by 3 to 2 margins.
Auckland and North Harbour had first-round byes but both came out firing in the afternoon round.
Auckland downed Aorangi by 4.5 to 0.5, Ashburton's Catherine Bell grabbing a half with 15-year-old Auckland No 1 Wenyung Keh.
North Harbour also showed no mercy, beating Tasman by a convincing 4 to 1 margin.
Today's draw
Morning: Waikato v Aorangi, Auckland v Canterbury, Otago v Taranaki, Bay of Plenty v Tasman, North Harbour v Manawatu-Wanganui, Northland v Southland.
Afternoon: Tasman v Wellington, Manawatu-Wanganui v Bay of Plenty, Southland v North Harbour, Aorangi v Hawkes Bay, Canterbury v Waikato, Taranaki v Auckland.
