In this section of the Christchurch Golf Club website we will add some of the interesting history of the club's trophies.
The War Memorial Cup was presented by the President of the club William Wood in 1919. Wood, the father of BB Wood, was born in 1858 and attended Christ’s College. After leaving school he spent two years in a London office before returning to work for his father in the flour mill firm of Wood, Shand and Co. When the firm was dissolved, he took over one section of the business, which he greatly developed under the name of W. Wood and Co. This business embraced chiefly the exportation of frozen meat and salted pelts.
For many years William was a member of the committee of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, and was president for two years from 1900 to 1902. He was also a member of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association and chairman of directors of Ashby, Bergh and Co.
In 1904 Wood built “Hadleigh”, a large English manor house which now has an historic listing and is run as a boutique bed and breakfast. He died at his residence in Springfield Road on 18 October 1921.
BB Wood Memorial
The BB Wood Memorial Trophy played as a team’s event commemorates Bernard Bedingfield Wood.
Wood came from a very prominent Christchurch family. His grandfather was William Derisley Wood who arrived on the Randolph in December 1850. William became well known for setting up the flour milling industry in Addington which was to remain in his families control until 1970 when it was bought by the Wattie Group.
Bernard Wood was born on February 25 1886 to Mary and William Wood, the eldest and only son of three children. His father William had attended Christ’s College and Mary was a member of a prominent Roman Catholic family, the Loughnans. When Mary had reached marriageable age she informed the Bishop in Wellington that there was no Catholic gentleman in her own social position that she could honourably contract marriage with and she sought his permission to marry William. William and Mary’s marriage in 1885 had a corollary that William would not interfere with his wife’s religion and that any children would be baptized in the Roman Catholic church and educated strictly according to that doctrine. However Mary died in September 1890 and the latter part was not followed through as Bernard attended Christ’s College from1896 to 1904. He had an outstanding sporting career at the school being a member of the 1st XI from 1901 to1904. On leaving school he joined the United cricket club but with the introduction of district cricket in 1905 he became a member of the St Albans cricket club. Over a period of 14 years he played in 33senior grade matches scoring 1,645 runs at an average of 35. Wood made three centuries and in the 1909/10 season he scored the club’s first double century with 201 against Riccarton.
He made his first class cricket debut for Canterbury on 1 January1908 against Wellington at the Basin Reserve. Opening the batting he scored a century and batted just under three hours hitting 15 fours. He was the second Canterbury player to make a century on debut and only six other players have performed that feat. The Star paper of 24 December 1908 said “he is a brilliant and consistent bat and a magnificent field, his energy being something to marvel at”.
However he was to have very few games after this period preferring to concentrate on his golf. In his last match on his recall to the Canterbury team in 1919 he scored 95 against Auckland. This innings played a major part in Canterbury winning the match by 192 runs and retaining the Plunket Shield. His first class cricket career covered 11 years and in all he played ten matches scoring 423 runs in nineteen innings at an average of 22.
But clearly golf was his major sporting interest. Wood won the club championship on four occasions, in 1908, 1909, 1913, 1915 and the Canterbury championships in 1910, 1911, 1912 and 1921. At the national level Wood was runner up in the NZ Amateur Golf championship of 1909 before he won it in 1912 at Wellington. He also won it the following year when it was played in Otago.
In March 1909 he set a club record at the Christchurch Golf Club with a round of 74. When the Rawhiti Golf club had its opening in April 1912 he played the first round with the Christchurch golf club’s professional JA Clements.
Wood, who had joined the Christchurch golf club in 1904, was made a life member in 1939 and his golf achievements are remembered by the Memorial Trophy which was presented to the club by his family in 1975.
Bernard Bedingfield Wood died at his home in Stratford St on July 8 1974 aged 88 leaving a wife Grace and two children Anthony and Bernadine.
Dominion Cup
The Dominion Cup, played as a four ball par, was presented by Sir Arthur Telford Donnelly in 1928. Donnelly was born to Michael and Jane Donnelly on June 6 1890 and attended Christchurch BHS from 1903 to 1906. He graduated in law in 1911 and joined his father in his practice until 1916 when he left with the Otago regiment and served in France. He rejoined the practice of Raymond, Stringer, Hamilton and Donnelly in 1918 and two years later he was made a Crown Solicitor at the very young age of 31. Donnelly had a great love of sport, particularly cricket, racing and golf but although never reaching the highest levels he played senior cricket for the West Christchurch cricket club from 1908 to 1922. His 95 innings brought him 1,542 runs with one century at 17.5 average.
However he achieved much in administration and was a member of the New Zealand Cricket Council from 1913 to 1937 and Chairman from 1928 to 1937. He was manager of the New Zealand cricket team when it toured England in 1931. Donnelly was a big man with a broad outlook and was a very popular figure. As a member of the International Cricket Council he had a major influence which enabled New Zealand teams to tour England in 1927 and 1931.
In 1939 he was created CMG and was later knighted in 1949. He was a director of many companies such as the Bank of NZ, New Zealand Breweries and Beath and Co. As a solicitor Donnelly was involved in many high profile court cases and earned a reputation for his skill in making a balanced judgment on complex cases. He never married and died following an operation on February 1 1954.
Donnelly Salver
The Donnelly Salver, played as a pairs aggregate stableford, was presented to the club by his sister Jane in 1955 in honour of his memory.