Donation the key to keeping Taranaki in black

It's a fair assumption that with a first-ever All Blacks test in New Plymouth, the Taranaki Rugby Football Union would have posted a healthy surplus for the 2008 financial year.

Wrong, the $16,731 surplus was well down on the $119,190 surplus for 2007.

But there's one thing most don't realise. While the New Zealand Rugby Union picked up the travel, accommodation and food costs for the teams, it pocketed the gate takings, leaving the Taranaki union to make its money from the hospitality outlets and a percentage of the gate.

There was also a major reduction in funding from the TSB Community Trust donations - and that funding will always vary. The word is the TSB Community Trust donation was down from $500,000 in 2007 to $100,000 last year.

And that's a frightening thought. Without such grants, both years would have been deficits, with the 2007 figure looking decidedly sick.

With the battle on for the sponsorship dollar and the tightening of the financial markets, it's going to be harder and harder for the union to post a surplus.

That the union has managed a surplus in 12 of the 13 years of professional rugby, while other unions have had to have financial bailouts, is credit to Taranaki.

* YOU have to feel for Taranaki Dynamos coach Trent Adam.

It was always going to be a tough season in the National Basketball League. Tough when you lose your captain, Link Abrams, in week one. But to lose quality players Damon Rampton and now possibly Aaron Bailey-Nowell is gut-wrenching.

That's three of his starting five and, while it's all very well saying it gives the bench players a chance to step up, in reality it's a step too far.

* BEST viewing of the weekend?

No, it wasn't the last 10 minutes of the Hurricanes-Western Force Super 14 rugby match with the Canes storming back to snatch victory after the final hooter. Nor was it the Warriors, even though they lost.

It was, in fact, the US Masters. What a final day. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson paired together and producing some stunning golf - Mickelson with six birdies in the space of seven holes to shoot 30 for the front nine.

Then just as their challenge faded, the battle for the green jacket hotted up. First Kenny Perry self-destructed, blowing a two-shot lead with bogeys on the final two holes to set up a three-way playoff with fellow American Chad Campbell and Argentine Angel Cabrera.

Campbell dropped out at the first playoff hole, with Perry blowing his chance on the next to hand Cabrera his first green jacket.

* IT'S almost obscene.

Danny Lee hasn't even played in his first tournament as a professional golfer, yet he's set to bank a career- defining cheque.

The Korean-born New Zealand golfer has lined up a pro golf deal with sports management giant IMG reputedly worth $US10m ($NZ17.55m).

I'm picking the 18-year-old won't be worried about giving up starts as an amateur in this year's British and US Open championships. And it's a reasonable bet his first pro victory will come in his first year on the circuit.

- © Fairfax NZ News