Master blasters

Tairāwhiti No.5 Jace Brown blasts out of a bunker on the ninth hole in the morning round of the Freyberg Masters men’s interprovincial on the Awapuni Links course yesterday. The clouds opened just as the first players were teeing off, including Brown, who said he was soaked after just three holes. A cold putter matched the southerly conditions and Brown lost his match against Manawatu Wanganui on the 17th as Tairāwhiti were beaten 4-1. Pictures by Paul Rickard

The gradient of Tairāwhiti’s uphill battle quickly sharpened on Day 1 of the Freyberg Masters national interprovincial here yesterday.

A historic day ended in a familiar story as the five-man home team — playing under the Tairāwhiti banner for the first time — lost to Manawatu Wanganui 4-1 on a wet morning and defending champions Wellington 4-1 in the afternoon.

While Tairāwhiti were predictably competitive — especially on their home Awapuni Links fairways — the two team defeats left them facing a climb they know only too well as the 15th and bottom-ranked province in the week-long over-40s matchplay tournament.

That aside, there were highlights to savour and certainly more to come.

Tairāwhiti No.2 Tony Akroyd produced a touch of the dramatic on the last hole to beat Man-Wang counterpart Anthony Chettleburgh 1-up.

Akroyd recalled having played Chettleburgh in previous Freyberg Masters — sharing the honours — but was unaware his opponent had won all eight of his matches at the 2008 Masters on the Awapuni course  in a player-of-the-tournament performance.

The Poverty Bay Open champion in 2007, Akroyd was 3-up during yesterday’s match but Chettleburgh clawed his way back only for Akroyd to make birdie on the par-5 18th hole for the win.

This week’s tournament is being played on a new layout of holes trialled at the recent Poverty Bay Open. For those teeing off No.1, the fifth hole has become the 18th and the 18th is now the ninth.

Tairāwhiti were among the early starters who copped heavy rain yesterday. No.5 Jace Brown said he was soaked after three holes and a cold putter matched the southerly conditions. He lost 2 and 1 to Lance Knowles.

No.4 Peter Stewart was 3-down with three to play against Ross Geary but took it to the 18th before going down.

A wayward No.3 David Solomann managed to push Geoff Beaumont to the 17th hole before losing.

No.1 Anaru Reedy lost 4 and 2 to Junior Tatana.

Solomann got things back on the straight and narrow in the afternoon tie.

“Solly” is a fine matchplayer and that came out as he beat Wellington’s Mark Whalen 4 and 3 to add to his list of triumphs since making his Masters debut on what is now his home course of Whitford Park in Auckland in 2017.

The Capital team, vying for a third consecutive Freyberg Masters crown, won  the other four matches.

Brown lost 4 and 3 to Matthew Pegg; Stewart 6 and 5 to Brad Rowland; Akroyd 3 and 2 to Elton Nicholson; and Reedy 3 and 2 to Jonathan Cane.

Bay of Plenty’s Craig Van Der Nagel, who lost the Poverty Bay Open final to teammate Mark Smith in September, had two big wins — 7 and 5 against Tasman and 5 and 4 against Waikato.

Smith won his morning match but lost to Waikato on the 18th in the afternoon.

Round 1 team results: Taranaki 3½ Hawke’s Bay 1½; Auckland 4 Aorangi 1; Bay of Plenty 3 Tasman 2; Manawatu Wanganui 4 Tairāwhiti 1, Southland 2½ Otago 2½; Waikato 3½ Northland 1½.

Round 2: Wellington 4 Taranaki 1; North Harbour 3 Southland 2; Hawke’s Bay 3 Canterbury 2; Manawatu Wanganui 3 Taranaki 2; Otago 2½ Aorangi 2½; Bay of Plenty 3 Waikato 2; Auckland 4 Northland 1.