Southerden said last night while the results suggested one-sided beatings the matches were nail-biting affairs.
Top seed Jaimie McIvor (Maraenui GC), No 2 Tessa McDonald (Poverty Bay GC) and Southerden went down to the last hole against Otago in the morning.
"Jaimie was a couple down with a couple to go and, I think, it was the same with Tessa," said the 28-year-old nurse at the Hawke's Bay Hospital in Hastings, revealing she was three down herself at one stage.
"We all had to come back."
McIvor and McDonald halved with Danielle Bailey and Annabelle Evans, respectively, Southerden pipped Susan Greig 1 up, captain Janie Field (Napier GC) beat Abbey Crawford 3 and 2 and Sara Deam (Napier GC) overwhelmed Sumin Kang 6 and 4.
Southerden said the course was "beautiful" and it was a "super hot" day.
"It's just gorgeous. The course is immaculate."
The greens are slick but undulated so reading the lie was imperative.
"If it was cooler it'd be nice because there isn't a hell of a lot of shade around so everyone's out buying extra packs of sunblock and stuff like that."
In the match against Waikato, she beat Zeta Syme 3 and 2 while Deam halved with former HBPB veteran Jill Morgan.
McIvor lost 6 and 5 to Hitomi Tamura, McDonald slipped 2 down to Fai Tongdethsri and Field finished 2 and 1 down to Zoann Huang.
The victors, rebuilding after losing some senior players, are undefeated going into today's rounds.
Southerden said they had beaten Waikato last year. In their losses yesterday there was little in it, considering HBPB players were one up at stages of the country's premier teams matchplay tourney.
"We were ticking along as we went along but down the home stretch a couple of us weren't able to convert it [to wins]," she said, emphasising Waikato were really good opponents but more results could have gone either way.
"Jill is super experienced and she's played with us before so it was great to catch up with her again," she said but there was a mix of youth with one player, Tamura, an exchange student from Japan.
Southerden said her fornight-old driver didn't feature much in the morning but was humming in the afternoon.
"I finally feel like I'm getting into the groove with it so, hopefully, it'll keep improving in the week."
HBPB were looking forward to their sleep-in this morning to recuperate from the energy-sapping humidity before facing unfamiliar Tasman who "won't be a given" despite losing both games.
HBPB are sitting below Waikato in division two while undefeated hosts Northland sit above North Harbour.
Hawke's Bay men begin their campaign against Poverty Bay/East Coast and Otago at the Mangawhai GC today.
DAY 1 RESULTS
The Hawke's Bay/Poverty Bay women's games after two rounds at Sherwood Park Golf Club, Whangarei, yesterday (in playing order):
■ HBPB 4 bt Otago 1 (Jaimie McIvor halved with Danielle Bailey, Tessa McDonald halved with Annabel Evans, Lauree Southerden bt Susan Greig 1 up, Janie Field bt Abigail Crawford 3 and 2, Sara Deam bt Sumin Kang 6 and 4).
■ HBPB 1.5 lost to Waikato 3.5 (McIvor lost 6 and 5 to Hitomi Tamura, McDonald lost 2 down to Fai Tongdethsri, Southerden bt Zeta Syme 3 and 2, Field lost 2 and 1 to Zoann Huang, Deam halved with Jill Morgan.
HBPB games today:Rds 3 and 4:
AM: Bye.
PM: v Tasman.
Tomorrow:Rds 5 and 6:
AM: v Canterbury.
PM: v Bay of Plenty.
