Valiant effort but no reward for Tairāwhiti golfers on day 2 of Freyberg Masters

Jace Brown has taken on the daunting assignment of playing No 1 for Tairāwhiti at the Freyberg Masters interprovincial golf tournament on Auckland's Omaha Beach course. His team put up admirable fights in their losses to Taranaki and Wellington on Tuesday. Photo / Paul Rickard

Tairāwhiti fell just short of a giant-killing act on day 2 of the Freyberg Masters interprovincial golf tournament in Auckland on Tuesday.

The 15th and bottom-seeded province, which began the over-40s matchplay competition in victorious style, lost its round 3 and 4 ties on the Omaha Beach course.

Tairāwhiti were beaten 3½-1½ by Taranaki, then gave heavyweights Wellington a Guy Fawkes fireworks fright before going down 4-1.

The team defeats dropped them from third after day 1 to ninth on the table topped by Wellington.

As it stood after round 4, Tairāwhiti had already surpassed last year’s team points tally with another four rounds to go.

They were up against Bay of Plenty on Wednesday morning - the only round of the day.

The Taranaki clash was in the balance to the latter holes.

Tairāwhiti No 2 Anaru Reedy made it three victories on the trot in beating Caleb Andreoli while No 5 Richard Apanui halved with Phil Hooper.

No 1 Jace Brown lost 4 and 3 to Andrew Searle, as did No 3 David Solomann to Brian Martelletti.

No 4 Waka Donnelly fell 2 and 1 to Matthew Stachurski.

Tauranga-based, East Coast-born Apanui anchored their valiant efforts against Wellington with a 4 and 3 win over Michael Clegg.

Brown was beaten 7 and 5 by Jonathan Cane and Donnelly lost 3 and 2 to Matthew Pegg.

It was knife-cutting tension in the other two games, both of which went to the 18th, but not in Tairāwhiti’s favour.

Reedy’s win streak ended 1-down to Elton Nicholson and Solomann also lost 1-down to JJ Love.