Fat lady warming up for Oligoi champs

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The defending champions are hanging from the edge of a cliff by chewed fingernails after the latest rounds of the Oligoi Jug men’s interclub series.

Losses to Te Puia Springs and Electrinet Park (1) in rounds 5 and 6 on Saturday have Poverty Bay on the cusp of failure to make the semifinals of the 2022 series.

The Bay, having dominated the pennants for much of the 21st century, go into the seventh and final round of round-robin play this weekend needing a huge win and a lot of help from other teams.

They are sitting fifth on the points table on 17 points, four behind fourth-placed Tolaga Bay and seven adrift of third-placed Patutahi (2).

Top-of-the-table Electrinet Park (30pts) and Te Puia Springs (27) are out of their reach.

The maximum points available are eight and if that wasn’t already a Grand Canyon-sized gap to bridge, Poverty Bay meet the Springs in Round 7 and without the services of Glenn Morley, last year’s player of the series.

Te Puia’s team comprise three players who are also members of Poverty Bay, including Andrew Higham and Bay greenkeeper William Brown — multiple winners of the Poverty Bay Open and senior club championship at the Bay — so home advantage is null.

Park (1) head into the round with the pressure-free comfort of having already sealed a semifinal berth.

Not that captain and No.1 Anaru Reedy would want any easing off the accelerator pedal.

He and teammate Peter Stewart have provided a steel-reinforced concrete base to the Park’s success.

Both have five wins from five matches so far, adding two contrasting victories apiece to Saturday’s double success.

Park started the day with an 8-0 drubbing of Patutahi (1), then put away Poverty Bay 6-2.

Reedy showed why he is the reigning East Coast Open champion on the Springs course, dispatching Dwayne Russell (Pat 1) 5 and 4, and Simon Jeune (PB) 4 and 3.

A 10-foot par putt on the 18th gave Stewart a hard-earned win against Patutahi’s Jon Priestley 1-up. He then “hung in” against Nick Richardson (PB) to win the battle of unbeaten No.4s 2 and 1.

No.3 Tony Akroyd also had two wins for Park (1).

The Springs picked up 14 points from beating Park (2) 6-2 and Patutahi (1) 8-0 — the Tahi boys’ second whitewash of a day on which their semifinal hopes were dashed.

Springs No.3 Thomas Donovan maintained his 100 percent 2022 record in beating Matt Henwood (Park 2) 3 and 1 and Jace Brown (Pat 1) 3 and 2.

No.1 William Brown and Andrew Higham also had two wins.

Zach Rolls’s 3 and 2 victory over Wade Wesche saved Park (2) from a donut.

Tolaga Bay beat Poverty Bay 5-3 in the morning, with Bruce Yates (Tolaga Bay) and Jeune sharing the honours, Dion Milner sprinting past Glenn Morley on the home stretch to win 1-up and captain Taine Lincoln beating Hayden Keast 3 and 2.

Richardson thumped Tere Lincoln 5 and 4 for his fourth win on the trot before Stewart ended the run.

Pat Hokianga marked his promotion to the Patutahi (2) side with a half with Anthony Pahina in their 7-1 afternoon win against Park (2).

Patutahi (2) had the bye in Round 5 and Tolaga Bay the bye in Round 6.