Hukanui Brown is at No 1 for Pātutahi Blue for rounds 7 and 8 of the Tairāwhiti men's interclub being held on his home track. Photom / Paul Rickard
Two firecracker derbies are set to light up Pātutahi golf course as the Tairāwhiti interclub pennants series resumes on Saturday.
Host club Pātutahi is involved in one of those, while Poverty Bay’s two teams feature in the other.
The round 7 match-up between Poverty Bay and Poverty Bay (2) is mouth-watering.
Poverty Bay are sitting second on the table on 34 points after six rounds, while the No 2 team are third on 30.
PB have brought in the heavy artillery for the two rounds. Anaru Reedy enters the pennants fray for the first time in this series and is at No 1.
He faces Pete Anderson in one of two former Poverty Bay Open champion duels in the morning round.
The birdcage has been well and truly locked for Anderson in the series so far. He better find the key because if he goes birdie-free against Reedy, they will be lunching early.
At the other end of the team order, the clash between 2007 PB Open champ Tony Akroyd (PB) and 2019 Open winner Simon Jeune could be of Ali-Frazier epic proportion.
Waka Donnelly (PB), surprisingly winless in the two rounds he has played, may need to replicate the sort of form that won him seven PB Open crowns when he takes on the dangerous Craig Palmer, fresh off a victorious pennants debut.
You could not have scripted better the fourth battle – between No 3s Dan Collier (PB) and Peter Stewart – both of whom shifted to Poverty Bay this year after being Electrinet Park teammates for several years.
The feature match of round 8 pits Pātutahi Blue against Pātutahi Jedi.
Bragging rights are big in this one.
Blue, formerly Pātutahi (1) and the reigning champions, should be favourites. Jedi will be begging to differ.
As of Friday morning, the make-ups of both teams were not finalised.
Hukanui Brown and Marcus Gray were definitely at No 1 and 2 for Blue, with a question mark over which position last year’s Player of the Series Eddie Brown jnr would play.
Hamish Harris was confirmed at No 4 for Jedi, but the other three had two players bracketed in each.
Either Dwayne Russell or Neil Hansen will be at No 1 and whoever fills that role will probably need their A game against long-time reigning senior men’s club champion Hukanui Brown.
Blue are sitting fifth on the table on 29 and Jedi sixth on 24, so points are vital to advance into or stay in touch with the top four.
Series leaders Tolaga Bay (1), on 35 points, have been superb so far, but have two tough assignments on Saturday – Jedi in the morning and Poverty Bay in the afternoon.
Tolaga Bay’s Brad Reynolds goes in as one of three players with perfect four-from-four win records. However, he is the only one of those who could make it six from six.
His teammate Zane Boyle is not playing, while Hayden Keast (PB2) is only playing in round 8 in place of Jeune.
Fourth-placed Te Puia Hot Springs (30pts) are without Jason Devery, who plays regularly at Pātutahi. His absence could be felt as they have two potentially mountainous challenges in the Peter Bremner-spearheaded Waikohu and KHG Electrinet Park (1).
Park (1), with an in-form Matt Henwood at the helm, haven’t reached the desperation stage yet. But at 23 points and seven adrift of the top four, they are looking to bank big numbers on Saturday after rounds 5 and 6 scheduled for Te Puia Hot Springs last weekend were cancelled and all matches recorded as halves.
Round 2 of the Endeavour men’s interclub handicap pennants is at the Springs on Saturday, and no doubt tributes will be made to popular and respected kaumātua and Te Puia member Nehe Dewes, who died at Easter.
The postponed round 4 of the Tairāwhiti women’s pennants is at Waikohu on Saturday.
Tairāwhiti pennants teams for rounds 7 and 8
Pātutahi Blue: Hukanui Brown, Marcus Gray, Eddie Brown jnr, Shayde Skudder, Watene Brown.
KHG Electrinet Park (2): Selwyn Peneha, Anthony Pahina, John Collier jnr, Mike Bond, Reuben Maynard.
Tolaga Bay (1): Bruce Yates, Brad Reynolds, Tim Adamson, Richard Paora.
Pātutahi Jedi: Dwayne Russell, Lyall Anania, Jon Priestley, Hamish Harris, Neil Hansen.
Te Puia Hot Springs: Wade Wesche, Thomas Donovan, Makau Phipps, Ian Logan.
Waikohu: Peter Bremner, Terry Reeves, Mike Christophers, Richard Reeves, Ethine Reeves.
Poverty Bay: Anaru Reedy, Waka Donnelly, Dan Collier, Tony Akroyd.
Poverty Bay (2): Pete Anderson, Craig Palmer, Peter Stewart, Simon Jeune, Hayden Keast.
Tolaga Bay (2): Wiremu Aupouri, BJ Sidney, Will Yates, Rongo Pomana, Taine Lincoln.
KHG Electrinet Park (1): Matt Henwood, Ian Loffler, Craig Christophers, Bailey Matoe.
Pātutahi Black: Regan Hindmarsh, Reef Pohatu, Dean Pohatu, Reuben Mottart.
Tairāwhiti Development: Watene Brown, Kymani Tamatea, Mikaera Aurupa, Rua Ratima, Shannon Ratima, Jordyn Haley.