Logan McCorkindale has won the New Zealand Golf Croquet Championship. Photo supplied.Mid Canterbury has a new national champion walking in it’s midst and in a continuation of a meteoric rise for the district in a minority sport, it was the sport golf croquet where we’ve produced once again.

Logan McCorkindale, who is a member of the Waireka Croquet Club here in Ashburton, returned home from the New Zealand Golf Croquet Championships last week in Auckland a winner – adding his name to a long list of players to have achieved the feat over the past 20 years.

And he had to do it the hard way too.

In a stand-out field of 22 players, it was McCorkindale who emerged at the top of the pile after 13 intense games over the course of the championship.

And in a fitting result, considering this district’s standing in the sport he had to beat another local to claim the title – Edmund Fordyce.

Play started with 10 best of the three matches during the qualifying stages with the 22 players split up into two sections.

McCorkindale snuck through with eight wins from his 10 matches, while Fordyce and Chris Spittal, also from Mid Canterbury, worked through to the next stage in the other section with seven wins each.

Spittal took down North Island champion, Hamish McIntosh in one quarter-final 7-4, 7-2 while Fordyce, who was the defending champion, took three sets to win his quarter-final.

McCorkindale had to fight hard for his spot in the semi-final, winning 7-5, 6-7, 7-4.

In the semi-finals, Fordyce grabbed his spot in the final with a 7-6, 7-5 victory while McCorkindale was victorious over Spittal, winning 7-3, 7-4.

The final between the two club-mates was a best of five games match-up and all five of the matches were needed to get a result.

Fordyce won the first 7-3, but McCorkindale came back to take the next two 7-4, 7-4 to be on the verge of his maiden nationals crown.

However, as he did when he won the World Under 21 crown early this year, Fordyce fought back in the fourth to win 7-6 and force a fifth and deciding game.

McCorkindale prevailed 7-5 in that one however, winning the match 3-2.

© The Ashburton Guardian - 19 December 2019