"We struggled," were the opening remarks from team manager Allen Forrest after a 4-1 defeat to Aorangi in Dunedin yesterday.
The Stortford Auto Sales Hawke's Bay senior men's representative team, Forrest said soon after, were likely to finish second last if not dead last, when the dust settles at the Otago Golf Club, also known as Balmacewen, tomorrow following the play-offs to determine the rankings of the country's top matchplay teams in the annual Toro Interprovincial tourney.
Forrest should known because, in his last year at the helm of the Bay team as manager, it will be his 18th consecutive interprovincials as manager and/or selector.
The 65-year-old from Central Hawke's Bay said despite their bottom dwellers' status, the predominantly young Bay outfit should blossom into a competitive team in another two to three years.
"We have as much talent, if not more, in Hawke's Bay right now than we've ever had in the past 20 years that I've been involved with rep golf," Forrest said.