Gisborne Boys' High student Rolls is a rising talent. His whitewash-saving half with long-time Poverty Bay-East Coast representative Akroyd featured moments of brilliance and composure when the pressure mounted.
Akroyd would have lifted an eyebrow after he put his tee shot on the par-3 ninth to a foot of the hole only for Rolls to sink his second from the front edge of the green for a matching birdie.
Rolls went ahead on the third hole (their 16th after starting on the sixth), an Akroyd par on the fourth squared it and they matched pars on the last to share the spoils.
Park are searching for their first Oligoi crown since the year 2000 and looked the goods.
They won both morning foursomes matches — Anaru Reedy and Rod Moore beating Pete Stewart and Anthony Pahina 5 and 4; Akroyd and Jace Brown defeating Rolls and Tuki Sweeney 3 and 2.
Reedy won the opening four holes against Stewart in the afternoon singles matchplay, then weathered a comeback from the man known as “Legend” for a 4 and 3 victory.
Moore beat Pahina 2 and 1 and Brown — who shifted from Patutahi to Park this year — accounted for Sweeney 3 and 2 .
Praise was lavished on PB's Nick Richardson after his two-from-two Oligoi debut.
“Nick played beautifully all day,” said teammate Glenn Morley, who also enjoyed a successful opener.
The pair combined to beat Patutahi's Eddie Brown jr and Dwayne Russell 5 and 3 in the foursomes.
Richardson then brushed aside Russell 5 and 4 in the afternoon and Morley, after going 4-up early against Brown jr, fended off a late charge to win 2 and 1.
Richardson was modest in victory.
“Not many mistakes,” he said of his showing. “I was a pretty happy man.”
PB No.1 Simon Jeune sent a warning to his opponents at this weekend's East Coast Open at the Springs.
He and Pete Anderson were comfortable 4 and 3 foursomes victors over Hukanui Brown and Chris Beattie, and 2016 EC Open champion Jeune won his singles match against Brown, also 4 and 3.
Beattie saved it from being 12-zip. He had victory in sight only for Anderson to birdie the 18th for a half.
The Springs were without reigning East Coast Open champ Andrew Higham at the top of their order against Tolaga Bay but had a worthy replacement in William Brown.
True to his word that he would one day play for Te Puia, Awapuni Links greenkeeper Brown — a multiple Oligoi title winner with Poverty Bay — made it a perfect start in his new colours.
Brown and Jason Devery blasted Dion Milner and Taine Lincoln 6 and 5 in the foursomes and Brown was 3-under the card in a 2 and 1 singles win against Lincoln, who kept him honest with multiple par saves.
Brown's afternoon performance included two eagles. He sank a 12-foot putt after hitting the par-5 seventh for two, and a 5-footer after driving the par-4 13th.
Devery, who has played only three 18-hole rounds this year, notched the scalp of Milner in his belt, 4 and 3.
Bruce Yates' hot putter and Neil Hansen's short game combined brillinatly for Tolaga Bay as they beat Thomas Donovan and Mahia ring-in Wade Wesche 1-up in the foursomes.
Donovan drove the par-4 18th against Hansen to seal a 2-up singles win while Yates and Wesche halved in a tit-for-tat clash.
With Higham to come back into the fold, Te Puia will only get stronger although if they were to go on to win it, they would be the only team in pennants history to be wearing shirts with OILGOI instead of OLIGOI under the Te Puia insignia. Oops.
