Park on Oligoi title mission

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Electrinet Park will launch an attack from two fronts in a bid to end a 10-year title drought when the 2021 Oligoi Jug men's interclub pennants tees off tomorrow.

Park have two teams entered in this year's series, which starts at Te Puia Springs — an ideal warm-up for the East Coast men's open the following weekend.

Coincidentally, Park 1 and 2 will meet tomorrow in the first of three rounds to decide which four of the six teams contest the May 8 semifinals.

Defending champions Poverty Bay face Patutahi tomorrow while the Springs take on State Highway 35 neighbours Tolaga Bay.

Park 1 are spearheaded by the district's lowest-handicapped player, Anaru Reedy, whose last pennants experience was as a member of the 2018 winning Poverty Bay team.

Park's ranks have also been bolstered by the return of former Patutahi squad member Tony Akroyd, who could be seen as their good luck charm.

Park last won the Oligoi in 2011 — Park's 75th anniversary year — with Akroyd at No.1.

That ended a drought dating back to 2000 when Akroyd won a sudden-death playoff aganst Poverty Bay's Dean Twigley to decide the final.

Reedy and Akroyd will be joined by Rod Moore and Jace Brown, another Patutahi to Park convert.

Peter Stewart, fresh from notching his second hole-in-one, heads a Park 2 side featuring teenager Zach Rolls, Anthony Pahina and pennants co-organiser Tuki Sweeney.

Poverty Bay's chances of a 21st pennants crown have suffered a couple of blows, with the unavailability of 10-time Oligoi winner Peter Kerekere and William Brown shifting allegiance to the Springs.

Pete Anderson and Simon Jeune are back for the city club and have enlisted the services of Glenn Morley and Nick Richardson, with Mark Jefferson waiting in the wings.

They face a tricky first-up challenge in Patutahi, who while without Hukanui Brown due to work commitments, still have a solid core of five players in Dwayne Russell, Chris Beattie, Regan Horsfall, pennants co-organiser Eddie Brown jr and Reef Pohatu.

The Springs will be without stalwart Andrew Higham tomorrow but welcome to the fold Poverty Bay Open champion William Brown, who will lead Thomas Donovan, Jason Devery and Mahia's Wade Wesche against Tolaga Bay.

Team Uawa could be ones to watch this year as they look to claim only their second Oligoi title — their first and only 19 years ago when Dion Milner won a sudden-death playoff in the final.

Milner is back, alongside Taine Lincoln, Bruce Yates and Neil Hansen.

Tomorrow is also the first round of the Endeavour men's handicap interclub pennants being hosted by Waikohu.