Jug stays at PB

PENNANTS CHAMPIONS: Poverty Bay (1) only just made the top-four playoffs of the 2019 Oligoi Jug men’s interclub pennants. On Sunday, they made it title No.20 with a 6-2 matchplay defeat of Tolaga Bay at the Gisborne Park course. The winning team members are (from left): Pete Anderson, Peter Kerekere, holding the Sportsman Trophy for player of the series, Simon Jeune, with one hand on the Oligoi Jug, and Anaru Reedy. Others to play for Poverty Bay over the series were William Brown, who was unavailable for the final, and David Situ, whose singles victory in Round 2 at Patutahi proved vital in the team’s run to the semifinals. Picture supplied

Peter Kerekere is not sure if he will be back next year to try to add to his outstanding Oligoi Jug men’s interclub pennants record.

Kerekere spearheaded the Poverty Bay (1) team to a 20th pennants victory at Gisborne Park on Sunday.

The four-man side of Kerekere, Pete Anderson, Simon Jeune and Anaru Reedy defeated Tolaga Bay 6-2 in the 36-hole matchplay final to retain the trophy.

The win came after PB (1) scraped into the top four by just one point, then powered their way through two elimination semifinals.

It was a 10th Oligoi Jug triumph for Kerekere, who also won the Sportsman Trophy for his record of eight wins and one loss over the series.

There is a question mark over whether he will be back for another shot in 2020.

Kerekere quit his job as a postman in January and is in the process of becoming licensed to drive a truck.

A career change and family commitments are likely to see his time for golf reduced in 2020 — a big loss for Poverty Bay at club and potentially representative level.

Sunday underlined that.

Kerekere outclassed Bruce Yates 8 and 7, avenging his loss to the same opponent in Round 3 at Tolaga Bay.

He was 3-up after 18 holes and 3-under for the 11 holes they played in the afternoon.

Yates struggled off the tee but an impressive short game kept him in it before Kerekere eased the accelerator down in the afternoon.

Anaru Reedy, called in to replace the unavailable William Brown, was equally dominant against Taine Lincoln.

Reedy had his driving dialled in on a course that demands accuracy off the tee.

The couple of fairways he missed on his way to a 29th-hole win drew the shocked response of “$#%&, Ru missed a fairway”.

Simon Jeune exacted revenge for his loss to Tere Lincoln at Tolaga Bay with a 5 and 4 win. A pair of matching chip-ins on the 16th for birdie was a 19th-hole talking point.

“Plenty of room in the hole,” Jeune said after sinking his chip with Lincoln’s ball still in the cup.

Dion Milner, the hero of the one and only time Tolaga Bay have won the Oligoi (2002), provided their only points.

Milner, aka Coastie, showed the form of his representative and King of the Coast winning days in a 6 and 5 defeat of Anderson — perhaps a signal to Poverty Bay-East Coast masters squad selectors.

The other positional playoffs — over 18 holes — were both decided by extra holes.

Patutahi and Te Puia Springs finished regulation play 4-4 in their Pounamu Trophy playoff for third.

Te Puia No.1 Andrew Higham defeated Patutahi counterpart Hukanaui Brown 5 and 4 while Patutahi No.4 Tony Akroyd beat Tuki Sweeney 4 and 3.

The other two matches — Jace Brown (Pat) v Regan Hindmarsh and Eddie Brown Jr (Pat) v Jason Devery — were halved.

It meant a one-on-one sudden-death playoff and Jace Brown responded brilliantly with a birdie on the first hole to beat Hindmarsh.

Peter “Legend” Stewart lived up to his nickname with an extra-hole win against Rod Moore to give Poverty Bay (2) the fifth-placed honours over Gisborne Park.

For PB (2), Stewart beat Rob Taylor 4 and 3 and Peter Clayton came from 3-down after eight holes to defeat Brad Reynolds 2-up.

For Park, Zane Boyle outgunned Glenn Morley 5 and 4 and Rod Moore downed Alister Jennings 3 and 2.

Stewart made par to Moore’s bogey to win the first extra hole.

There was high praise for the immaculate presentation of the Park course, with players rating the slick greens the best in the district — a reflection of the work put in by greenkeeper Pete Tamatea, course superintendent Ray Grace and volunteers.