Whitewash doubles to Gisborne Park (1) and Poverty Bay in Tairāwhiti golf pennants

Tony Akroyd has won every major men's open title on offer in Tairāwhiti over the years and is continuing that success in the 2026 interclub pennants. He has played for Poverty Bay in four of the rounds so far and won all four matches at No 4, including two victories last Saturday as "The Linksmen" moved to the top of the table. Photo / Paul Rickard

Here they come.

Reigning Tairāwhiti men’s interclub pennants champions Pātutahi Blue flexed their muscles with bodybuilder vein-popping intensity in a day of whitewashes last weekend.

The Eddie Brown Jnr-led Tahi Blue converted their home fairways advantage to a pair of 8-0 victories in rounds 7 and 8 of the matchplay series.

They weren’t alone in the dominance department.

The Poverty Bay “Linksmen” had a couple of 8-zip disposals of their own, including previous leaders Tolaga Bay (1), to jettison to the top of the overall points standings.

KHG Electrinet Park (1), Pātutahi Jedi and Poverty Bay (2) also inflicted donut defeats on their round 8 opponents.

By day’s end, Poverty Bay were sitting pretty on 50 points, with Tahi Blue second on 45.

Te Puia Hot Springs, who added 10 points to their tally, were third on 40 and Tolaga Bay (1) dropped to fourth on 39, one point ahead of PB (2).

A 12-point haul lifted Park (1) to fifth on 35 as the pressure gauge advanced towards the red zone in the race for the top four with three points rounds to go.

Tahi warmed up for their round 8 derby against clubmates Pātutahi Jedi with a victory over KHG Electrinet Park (2) that was harder-earned than the 8-0 scoreline suggested.

Teen machine Marcus Gray beat Anthony Pahina 1-up while Brown Jnr also went all 18 in defeating John Collier Jnr.

The Blue team’s No 1, Hukanui Brown, saw off Selwyn Peneha 5 and 4 and Shayde Skudder sank Mike Bond 3 and 2 before Skudder headed down the road to Ngatapa’s Paddy Park to lead YMP to a 66-5 drubbing of the host club in Poverty Bay Premier club rugby.

Jedi bowed to Blue’s superiority in a predominantly one-sided Round 8 duel. Hukanui Brown edged Neil Hansen 1-up, but Blue were relatively comfortable in the other three matches - Gray overcoming Dwayne Russell 3 and 2, Brown Jnr easing past Lyall Anania 6 and 5, and Watene Brown (Eddie’s son) charging to a 5 and 4 win over Hamish Harris.

A Poverty Bay team dripping with class sent a loud and clear message of title intent as only one of their eight matches reached the 17th hole.

That was Waka Donnelly’s 3 and 1 defeat of Poverty Bay (2)’s Craig Palmer in an Awapuni Links derby that reenacted the climactic scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller The Birds.

Donnelly threw six birdies at Palmer and also had six in his 4 and 3 win over Tolaga Bay (1)’s Brad Reynolds, who beat him (playing for Tolaga Bay 2) in the opening day of the pennants.

Poverty Bay No 1 Anaru Reedy, in his first pennants outing of the series, was unstoppable. His 5 and 4 cruise past Pete Anderson (Poverty Bay 2) included four birdies in a row, and another 14-hole triumph, over Bruce Yates, followed.

Poverty Bay No 2 Daniel Collier emphatically won the battle of the Recreational Services workmates, finishing 4-under the card in a 7 and 6 trouncing of Peter Stewart (Poverty Bay 2).

Poverty Bay No 4 Tony Akroyd, a multiple senior club champion at Pātutahi back in the day, added to his heavy scalp belt with two wins, including a perhaps surprisingly easy 5 and 3 defeat of the accomplished Simon Jeune (Poverty Bay 2).

Brothers Craig and Mike Christophers won’t forget Te Puia’s Ōpōtiki import Makau Phipps. Mike (Waikohu) was 2-up on Phipps, who responded with four birdies in a row and went on to win 6 and 4. Phipps then beat Craig (Park 1) 2 and 1 in the afternoon.

Among the others to impress on the day were Pātutahi Black captain Regan Hindmarsh and No 3 Reef Pohatu, and Park (1) No 1 Matt Henwood and No 4 Bailey Matoe.

Special mention was given to Park (2)’s Reuben Maynard, who had a round 8 win - his first in his pennants debut season.

Mikaera Aurupa chalked up a good win for Tairāwhiti Development.

Rounds 9 and 10 are at Waikohu on May 9.

RESULTS, Round 7

Pātutahi Blue 8 KHG Electrinet Park (2) 0 (Pātutahi names first): Hukanui Brown def Selwyn Peneha 5 and 4; Marcus Gray def Anthony Pahina 1-up; Eddie Brown Jnr def John Collier Jnr 1-up; Shayde Skudder def Mike Bond 3 and 2.

Tolaga Bay (1) 4 Pātutahi Jedi 4: Bruce Yates def Dwayne Russell 5 and 4; Brad Reynolds lost to Lyall Anania 3 and 2; Tim Adamson def Jon Priestley 1-up; Richard Paora lost to Hamish Harris 5 and 3.

Te Puia Hot Springs 6 Waikohu 2: Wade Wesche def Peter Bremner 1-up; Thomas Donovan lost to Terry Reeves 2 and 1; Makau Phipps def Mike Christophers 6 and 4; Ian Logan def Richard Reeves 5 and 4.

Poverty Bay 8 Poverty Bay (2) 0: Anaru Reedy def Pete Anderson 5 and 4; Waka Donnelly def Craig Palmer 3 and 1; Dan Collier def Peter Stewart 7 and 6; Tony Akroyd def Simon Jeune 5 and 3.

KHG Electrinet Park (1) 8 Tolaga Bay (2) 0: Matt Henwood def Wiremu Aupouri 4 and 3; Craig Christophers def Will Yates 4 and 3; Ian Loffler def BJ Sidney 3 and 2, Bailey Matoe def Rongo Pomana 3 and 2.

Pātutahi Black 6 Tairāwhiti Development 2: Regan Hindmarsh def Watene Brown 7 and 6; Reef Pohatu def Kymani Tamatea 1-up; Dean Pohatu lost to Mikaera Aurupa 2 and 1; Reuben Mottart def Rua Ratima 3 and 2.

Round 8

Pātutahi Blue 8 Pātutahi Jedi 0: Hukanui Brown def Neil Hansen 1-up; Marcus Gray def Dwayne Russell 3 and 2; Eddie Brown Jnr def Lyall Anania 6 and 5; Watene Brown def Hamish Harris 5 and 4.

Waikohu 5 KHG Electrinet Park (2) 3: Peter Bremner def Selwyn Peneha 6 and 4; Terry Reeves and Anthony Pahina halved; Ethine Reeves lost to Reuben Maynard 2 and 1; Mike Christophers def Mike Bond 2 and 1.

Poverty Bay (2) 8 Tairāwhiti Development 0: Pete Anderson def Kymani Tamatea 4 and 3; Craig Palmer def Mikaera Aurupa 3 and 2; Peter Stewart def Shannon Ratima 4 and 3; Hayden Keast def Leighton Aupouri 8 and 7.

Pātutahi Black 7 Tolaga Bay (2) 1: Regan Hindmarsh def Wiremu Aupouri 5 and 4; Reef Pohatu def Taine Lincoln 3 and 2; Dean Pohatu def Will Yates 3 and 2; Reuben Mottart and Rongo Pomana halved.

Poverty Bay 8 Tolaga Bay (1) 0: Anaru Reedy def Bruce Yates 5 and 4; Waka Donnelly def Brad Reynolds 4 and 3; Dan Collier def Tim Adamson 5 and 3; Tony Akroyd def Richard Paora 6 and 5.

Te Puia Hot Springs 4 KHG Electrinet Park (1) 4: Wade Wesche lost to Matt Henwood 6 and 5; Thomas Donovan def Ian Logan 4 and 3; Makau Phipps def Craig Christophers 2 and 1; Ian Logan lost to Bailey Matoe 2-up.

Overall points: Poverty Bay 50; Pātutahi Blue 45; Te Puia Hot Springs 40; Tolaga Bay (1) 39, Poverty Bay (2) 38; KHG Electrinet Park (1) 35; Pātutahi Black 29; Pātutahi Jedi 28; Waikohu 24; Tolaga Bay (2) 23; KHG Electrinet Park (2) 18; Tairāwhiti Development 15.