A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
Long-time Poverty Bay-East Coast and now Tairāwhiti men’s golf team manager Dave Keown has enjoyed plenty of highlights over the years.
Last Friday at the national interprovincial tournament on the Paraparaumu Beach course was near the top of that list.
“I’m so proud of those boys,” Keown said, referring in particular to the two teenage debutants in the six-man Tairāwhiti squad — 14-year-old Marcus Gray and 18-year-old Zach Rolls.
Facing off against the highest-quality amateurs in the country, Gray and Rolls, both left-handers, emerged better players and with plenty of opposition respect in their first taste at this level.
Tairāwhiti’s final points round clash against Northland underlined the pairs development over the week.
Rolls, playing at No.3, and Gray, at No.4, were both beaten 1-down after pushing their opponents all the way.
“It’s one of the my proudest moments (as manager) — watching these young fullahs just fight and fight,” Keown said. “They got better and better as the week went.”
They took their learnings from over the week and applied them to what was Tairāwhiti’s last chance of a team win and to avoid 15th place and the wooden spoon.
It was not to be.
Northland won 4-1 — the scoreline not a reflection of the difference between the teams as three of their wins were on the 18th.
It left Tairāwhiti on no contest points and 5½ match points and at the bottom of their eight-province section.
Aorangi, playing in the other seven-team section, also had no team points but seven match points.
That consigned Tairāwhiti to last of the 15 provinces overall.
Rolls, Gray and No.1 William Brown dug deep late in the piece against Northland after looking like their matches were going to end earlier.
“Marcus lost the first two holes (against Jamie Thomas) . . . and was 2-down with three to play. He made a fantastic birdie on the 16th, halved the 17th and lost 1-down.
“Zach was also a couple down (against Sheldon Kearns) and just kept fighting and fighting before losing 1-down.
“Willie was 3-down with four to go (versus Stewart McCaw) and lost on the 18th. He had a chance of an eagle (to half the match) but it slid past the hole.”
Keown said for Rolls, Brown and fellow debutant Dan Collier, the week was mostly about gaining experience at this level.
The unavailability of a couple of players had presented the chance to blood Rolls and Gray through rotating them with Shayde Skudder in the playing order.
“The week was about creating opportunities for the future,” Keown said. “It has just been fantastic for them. The learnings have been huge.”
Brown, in his 15th national interprovincial, ended the week with a record of 2½ wins from his six matches at the top of the order.
Hukanui Brown, predominantly at No.3, won three matches, including a 3 and 2 defeat of Northland’s Michael Brodie at No.2 ,to cap a strong week by the big man from Patutahi.
Keown said while these two provided the only points, the others were competitive, tried their best and represented Tairāwhiti with pride.
Over the week, Tairāwhiti lost 3-2 to Manawatū Wanganui, 4-1 to Taranaki, 4½-½ to Bay of Plenty, 5-0 to Tasman, 4-1 to Otago and 4-1 to Northland.
Auckland defeated Bay of Plenty 3½-1½ in the final after trailing 4½-½ with six holes to go.
Auckland No.1 Joshua Bai (five wins, three halves) was named Player of the Tournament while BoP No.2 Shaun Campbell had seven wins and a half from his eight matches.
Manawatū Wanganui won the women’s national interprovincial title for the first time in 63 years.
They beat North Harbour 3-2 in the Division 1 final on the Paraparaumu Beach course.
Waikato defeated Northland 4-1 in the Division 2 final.
Man Wang No.1 Tara Raj, who lost her only match if the week in the final, was Player of the Tournament.
Gisborne’s Tessa McDonald had three wins for Hawke’s Bay-Poverty Bay, who were elminated by Waikato in the Div 2 semifinals.