A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
Deevon Gray has only played three official rounds of golf this year.
That mattered little as he ousted defending senior champion Tony Akroyd on the 18th in the men's club championship quarterfinals at the weekend.
“It was a good match, close the whole way,” said Akroyd, who played a part in Gray's success.
“He pulled his tee shot off the sixth and I gave him a tip. After the match he reckons ‘bro, I started doing it and I came right'.
“I thought, ‘yeah, he bombed every drive from the eighth onwards'.”
Gray faces Daniel Collier in the semifinals and Akroyd believes he could “take Dan too if he plays like that”.
Top seed Anaru Reedy eased into the semifinals with a 13th-hole dismissal of Zane Boyle. His last-four opponent is Pete Stewart.
Zach Rolls followed up the best golf of his young career at the Poverty Bay course on Saturday by eliminating the Park's intermediate top qualifier on Sunday.
Rolls, after dropping just three shots in a 16th hole first-round intermediate division win over Brent Colbert in Poverty Bay's champs, defeated Anthony Pahina 3 and 2.
His semifinal opponent is Matt Henwood, who is looking to add the intermediate honour to the junior title he won last year. Henwood knocked out 2021 intermediate champ Shannon Toa in his quarterfinal.
The other semi is James Witika against John Collier Jr.
Junior top seed Ian Loffler stayed alive while Blue Toa booked a spot in the endeavour final.
■ The women's club championship finalists have been sorted.
Karen Hay remained on track for a 20th senior title. Kino White is her last hurdle.
Five-time champion Jean Foot is up against Tracy Ford in the intermediate final.
Reigning champion Kath Papuni and Carolyn Carpendale will go head to head for the third consecutive year in the junior final.
SUNDAY — Men's stableford: M Christophers 41, S Pahina 37.
Twos: J Witika, P Stewart, R Moore.
Men's club championship quarterfinals, senior division: Anaru Reedy def Zane Boyle, Deevon Gray def Tony Akroyd.
Intermediate: Zach Rolls def Anthony Pahina, Matt Henwood def Shannon Toa, James Witika def Te Ariki Pomana, John Collier Jr def Sefo Fonoti.
Junior: Ian Loffler def Steve Phillips, Damian Pilitati def Darrel Gregory, Glyn Williams def Tony Leggett, Chris Fox def Paul Wellard.
SATURDAY — Men's stableford: P Wellard 35.
A collective 11 senior women's club championship titles will become 12 on finals day next Wednesday.
Jan Utting and Anne Witters won yesterday's semifinals to set up a 36-hole matchplay decider.
Both players have been there, done that — Witters has eight senior crowns to her name, the most recent of those 2011; Utting has three.
Utting's semifinal against Marg Colebourne went to the 18th hole after Colebourne trailed 3-down with three holes to play while Witters beat Gay Young on the 16th.
Margot “Miggles” Shanks needed an extra hole to beat Monique Francois in the intermediate semis. Her final opponent is Pip Dymock, who knocked out Birgitt Whyte.
Vicki Fraser plays Sue Kemp in the junior final and Chic Mackie and Sue Ellwood will decide the 9-holers' champion.
Pen Wanklyn had her best yellow-tees round at Poverty Bay in winning the stableford yesterday. She shot 97-29-68, for 42 points, to head off Odette Thompson by one point.
■ A match befitting a final was the highlight of the first round of matchplay in the Liquorland men's club championships at the weekend.
Peter Anderson and Peter Kerekere were both under the card when they shook hands on the 18th.
Anderson was the victor courtesy of a shot that brought their duel to an appropriate climax — a sand wedge from 80 metres out to 3-foot of a pin for birdie.
The pair had nine birdies over the round — six of those to two-time senior champ Kerekere, including three in a row from the eighth to the 10th hole.
He led 2-up after a birdie on the 14th but lost the 15th and 16th with bogeys.
Anderson, who missed only two greens in regulation over the 18 holes, is vying for a first senior title.
It doesn't get any easier for him as he faces top seed and defending chamipion William Brown in round 2.
Brown dismissed Pat Butler 6 and 4 while other first-round winners were Simon Jeune, Thomas Donovan, Mark Jefferson, Dean Twigley, Nick Whyte and Stefan Andreassen.
Rios Moleta produced the upset of the intermediate men's division.
Just a week after battling the shanks on his way to grabbing the 16th and bottom qualifying spot, Moleta ejected No.1 seed Darryn White on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.
White conceded after problems on the 19th (par-5 first), while Moleta put his third shot to about 10-feet of the hole.
Zach Rolls, who won the intermediate title in 2020, played what he described as his “best-ever golf” to beat 1994 senior champion Brent Colbert 3 and 2.
Wednesday — Women's stableford: P Wanklyn 42, O Thompson 41.
9-holers' stableford: N Johnson 18, L Plowman 17.
Monday — Mutt & Jeff women's net (on par-3s and 5s): V Fraser 30, F Allen 32.
Twos: M Shanks.
SUNDAY — Men's stableford, division 1: A Hayward 40, A White 38, J Situ 38.
Division 2: K Daniels 38, N Jones 35, C Simpson 34, P Rickard 34, D Robertson 34.
Twos: D Robertson, C Taewa.
Approach: D Robertson.
SATURDAY — Men's club championship, round 1 matchplay, senior division: William Brown def Pat Butler 6 and 4, Pete Anderson def Peter Kerekere 1-up, Thomas Donovan def Hayden Keast 1-up, Mark Jefferson def Alex Kirkpatrick by default, Dean Twigley def Peter Clayton 6 and 5, Simon Jeune def Glenn Morley 5 and 4, Nick Whyte def Tene Goldsmith 5 and 4, Stefan Andreassen def Andy Abrahams 4 and 3.
Intermediate: Rios Moleta def Darryn White, Cliff Poole def Stephen Francks, James Situ def Stu Harbottle, John van Helden def Carl Carmody (by default), Zach Rolls def Brent Colbert, Colin Simpson def Bruce Talbot, Peter Hakiwai def Toby Williams.
Junior: Steve Berezowski def Pete Goodwin, Jak Rowe def Bill Simpson, Dave Mettrick def Mark Stewart, Ray Farmer def Murray Smith.
Byes: Ray Morgan, Peter Humphreys, Kim Travers, Duncan Bush.
Twos: D White.
Approach: S. Francks.
Thursday (Aug 18) — Men's stableford, division 1: V Richardson 38, S Harbottle 37, A White 36, A Abrahams 35, A Kirkpatrick 35.
Division 2: P Humphreys 39, Reid Fletcher 38, P Graham 36, C Christie 36, M Gemmell 36.
Twos: V Richardson, W Brown, W Mortleman.
Approach: C Poole.
The women's club championship finals are on WEDNESDAY, Aug 31. The draw is — Senior (36 holes): J Utting v A Witters.
Intermediate (36 holes): P Dymock v M Shanks.
Junior (27 holes): V Fraser v S Kemp.
9-holers: C Mackie v S Ellwood.
Eddie Brown Jr is “back to his best”.
Those were the words of Dwayne Russell after he fell to Brown in the quarterfinals of the senior men's club championships at the weekend.
Brown Jr won 3 and 2 to remain on course for a potential final against younger brother Hukanui.
His semifinal opponent Reef Pohatu will have something to say about that. The teenager rattled off three consecutive birdies from the 10th hole as he extinguished Terry Reeves' hopes also on the 16th.
Hukanui Brown awaits the winner of the quarterfinal between Regan Hindmarsh and Jace Brown.
Both No.1 seeds advanced in the intermediate and junior quarters. Tom Hindmarsh (intermediate) beat Adam Brodie while Reuben Mottart (junior) defeated Tony Sharp.
SUNDAY — Men's club championship quarterfinals, senior division: Reef Pohatu def Terry Reeves, Eddie Brown Jr def Dwayne Russell.
Intermediate: Tom Hindmarsh def Adam Brodie, Hamish Harris def Pat Molloy, Tom Brodie def Pat Hokianga, Ashley Hindmarsh def Sam Marsh.
Junior: Reuben Mottart def Tony Sharp, David Fieldhouse def Jamie Brodie, Charlie Taylor def Peter Summersby, Mason Smith def Selwyn Skudder.
Men's net, senior division: E Brown Jr 69, C Beattie 70, G Brown 71, H Harris 71.
Junior division: L Jamieson 67, T Brodie 70, T Sharp 71, C Taylor 71.
Women's stableford: J Winiata 75.
Twos: R Pohatu, C Beattie,
Jackpot: C Beattie 2, T Green, J Brown, T Green, L Jamieson, J Priestley.
FRIDAY — Meat pack 9-hole stableford, senior division: C Beattie 19, S Pohatu 18, R Pardoe 17, T Brodie 17.
Junior division: P Summersby 20, M Owen 17, T Sharp 17, J Tietjen 17.
The club's 50th anniversary celebration scheduled for Saturday, September 17, has been postponed.
It is to be held in March 2023 at a date yet to be confirmed.
“We'll be taking this time to plan something really special for all the past and present members, celebrating this amazing milestone in our community,” a post on the Tahunga Golf Club & Community Hub Facebook page said.
“We will still be having the club's open closing on September 17, so it would still be great to see everyone there for that.”
Te Puia Springs
JAMES Forrester and Mark Higham remain in the hunt for Makarika Cup men's matchplay glory.
Forrester beat Daryl Goldsmith while Higham knocked over Raana Walker.
Henry Rasmussen won the men's stableford with 80-12-68, for 40 points.
Doreen Goldsmith won the women's bisque bogey with 102-37-65, 8-up on the card, with Hazel Miratana second on countback at 6-up.
Miratana and Georgina Roberts do battle in the women's intermediate club championship final this Sunday.
SUNDAY — Women's bisque bogey: D Goldsmith 102-37-65, 8-up; H Miratana 88-21-67, 6-up; M Puke 101-34-67, 6-up.
Two: H Miratana.
Men's stableford: H Rasmussen 80-18-62, 40; I Logan 80-15-65, 37; N Dewes 84-18-66, 36.
Percy Milner won't be winning a fourth consecutive intermediate men's club championship on Sunday.
Milner will instead take on the gargantuan challenge of beating William Brown for the senior title.
For the first time since 2015, a senior final will be held.
Milner, who plays off an 8-handicap, faces an off-the-stick 36-hole match against Brown, whose 0.2 handicap index equates to +4 at Waikohu.
Brown won the 2015 final 10 and 9 over Daniel Marsh.
Te Rata Ritchie meets Uma Chambers in the intermediate final; Kahu Tamanui and Spud Te Rito will do battle in the junior final; and Richard Reeves and Sonny Ritchie square off in the endeavour final.
SUNDAY — Men's stableford: T Ritchie 38, S Ritchie 37, S Te Rito 33, P Milner 32, L Green 32.
Women's stableford: A Tamanui-Nunn 39, V Grace 33, M Tuapawa 32.
COMING UP: SUNDAY, club championship finals, 9am tee-off, senior, intermediate and junior finals over 36 holes, endeavour over 18 holes.