Team half ends PBEC’s Toro losing streak

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

THE wind and a tree conspired to deny Poverty Bay-East Coast a first team win in three years on day 3 of the Toro national men’s interprovincial at Invercargill yesterday.

PBEC drew 2½ -all with hosts Southland — a result that ended a run of 19 team defeats dating back to 2012 in the annual five-man teams’ matchplay tournament.

The host province were expected to make it three team wins for the week. Home advantage, form and a winless opposition ranked 15th out of the 15 provinces supported that.

But they perhaps underestimated the determination of a closeknit PBEC side, several of who have vast national interprovincial experience and a strong unity as friends and long-time teammates.

Mother Nature played the starring role on the Otatara course. Sweltering Wednesday heat of up to 30 degrees was replaced by torrential rain, which brought out the squeegees and almost saw play called off.

PBEC No.2 William Brown — one of the team’s two victors — said it was “horrible”.

“Real bad. It rained for three-quarters of the round then started fining up. There were squeegees going on most greens, it was almost unplayable.”

Brown went into the tie on the back of four consecutive defeats. A player too good not to have posted some sort of positive result, he responded with a 2-up win over Scott Hellier.

“I just played my man and played to the conditions,” said the 21-year-old, competing in his seventh consecutive national interprovincial.

The other win was contributed by No.3 Peter Kerekere, whose 2 and 1 defeat of Jeremy Hall was his third win on the trot and gave him a record of three wins, a half and just the one defeat so far.

“He’s having a hell of a tournament,” said Brown. “He told me he missed just one fairway.”

With No.1 Nathaniel Cassidy losing 4 and 3 to New Zealand international Vaughan McCall and No.4 Tony Akroyd fighting back from 4-down before losing 2 and 1 to Tegan Proudfoot, the battle of the No.5s was the decider.

PBEC’s Andrew Higham was 1-up on Sam Brinsdon playing the 18th only to watch what he thought was a well-driven ball get caught by the wind and drift into trees. It was found stuck up one of them, Higham dropped out for a penalty shot and lost the hole.

The team half point saw PBEC jump ahead of Aorangi into seventh in their eight-province group. These two sides have a bye this morning then meet in the final round of group play in the afternoon.

A team half would be good enough to avoid the wooden spoon position but there was only one result in their minds, according to Brown.

“We’re gunning for a win.”