BEAMING BRIGHT: No 3 Sara Deam after HBPB finished third in their division at the Interprovincials yesterday. PHOTO/Sue Sowerby
They didn't make the final four but Hawke's Bay Poverty Bay did remarkably well to finish third behind powerhouses Auckland and Canterbury in the "division of death" yesterday.
"In our division we had three big names to play against and so we lost to Auckland and Canterbury but we beat Waikato, which was another big thing," said a delighted HBPB No3 seed Sara Deam after they predictably crushed both Otago and Aorangi on the final day of pool play at the Toro New Zealand Women's Interprovincials in New Plymouth.
"We're quite happy to finish third in our division because we finished ninth [overall] last year," said Deam, who yesterday overwhelmed Otago's Annabel Evans 4 and 3 at the Westown Golf Club where round six was postponed from Thursday afternoon following torrential rain.
The 25-year-old Eastern Institute of Technology sport and recreational degree/diploma in business studies student lost one down to Jessica Shearer yesterday afternoon against Aorangi.
Rookie top HBPB seed Angela Jones eventually got on the winner's card with a don't-argue 5 and 3 against Otago's Abigael Crawford and a 3 and 1 over Aorangi's Ginny Bolderston.
No 2 seed Tessa McDonald met her match in Jo Hicks-Beach, going down 2 and 1, but the resilient amateur from Gisborne bounced back with a 2 and 1 over Sharon Bradford in the arvo.
Veteran No 4 Janie Field whipped Otago's Rachel Lissaman 6 and 4 and the reloaded to blow away Aorangi's Kathryn Baker 6 and 5.
Seasoned campaigner Jaimie McIvor accounted for Otago's Susan Greig by 2 and 1 before Aorangi's Jenny Kellahan made her sweat for a 1up result in the afternoon.
HBPB play for 5th-6th placing against perennial semifinalists North Harbour this morning after the latter missed the cull by half a point.
"It's great. I've only played Toro for three years and this has been the best finish we've had since I've been in the team," she said.
Deam said they were always targeting the future and this year's blend were coming off winning two provincial titles this year.
"We had a good build up to perform well at Toro."
The two handicapper from Napier Golf Club said the course wasn't too spongy after the downpour on Thursday but it was the combination of heat and humidity that tested their resolve yesterday when it warmed up but they thrived.
"It softened up the greens for us," she said, after finding on day one that approach shots tended to roll off firm greens. Her putting and chipping improved and she found more greens on regulation.
Today it'll be a case of going out to play their game and pray they won't have to battle the elements too much before finding a comfy perch at the clubhouse to watch the final.
"We're pretty happy because we beat the [HB] boys, too." Deam got into golf as a 16-year-old while caddying for her father, Rob, a Tumu Timbers employee.
"I caught the bug one day while caddying for him. He wasn't playing very well so I said, "I can play much better than you, dad'.
"He got me into golf and we've got a great relationship through golf."
Deam said her father had been a big influence on how she played and approached golf. Auckland start the day off when they tee off against division two runners-up Wellington while defending champions Canterbury will take on top qualifiers Bay of Plenty in the other semifinal.
Yesterday's results
■ Rd 6:
Otago 1 Hawke's Bay Poverty Bay 4: Abigael Crawford lost to Angela Jones 5/3, Jo Hicks-Beach def Tessa McDonald 2/1, Annabel Evans lost to Sara Deam 4/3, Rachel Lissaman lost to Janie Field 6/4, Susan Greig lost to Jaimie McIvor 2/1
North Harbour 4½ Northland ½: Ela Grimwood halved with Kylie Jacoby, Bridget Connolly def Soktaerodh Sean 1up, Vaha Fapiano def Belinda May 5/4, Olivia Choo def Alayna Cox 7/6, Subin Wui def Racheal Williams 2up.
Aorangi 1 Waikato 4: Ginny Bolderston lost to Chantelle Cassidy 6/4, Sharon Bradford lost to Jill Morgan 1 down, Jessica Shearer lost to Fai Tongdethsri 7/5, Kathryn Baker lost to Zeta Syme 5/4, Jenny Kellahan def Katherine Janphanich 3/2.
Tasman 1 Wellington 4: Emily Stenhouse lost to Gabrielle Palado 3/2, Eve Clarke def Te Rongopai Clay 3/2, Michele Reardon lost to Darae Chung 5/3, Tracy Bary lost to Shontalia William 3/1, Lizzie Neale lost to Alanah Braybrook.
Bay of Plenty 5 Manawatu Whanganui 0: Alanna Campbell def Tara Raj 3/2, Rotana Howard def Tania Hook 3/1, Emmalee Morrell def Jill Hall 5/3, Jodae Ngaheu def Leanne Brown 7/6, Heather Keefe def Mudra Lakhani 6/5.
Auckland 3 Canterbury 2: Rose Zheng lost to Amelia Garvey 1 down, Munchin Keh def Juliana Hung 3/2, Siyi Keh def Hillary O'Connor 1up, Brittney Dryland def Catherine Bell 5/4, Carmen Lim lost to Jasmine Rou 1 down.
■ Rd 7:
Hawke's Bay Poverty Bay 4 Aorangi 1: Angela Jones def Ginny Bolderston 3/1, Tessa McDonald def Sharon Bradford 2/1, Sara Deam lost to Jessica Shearer 1 down, Janie Field def Kathryn Baker 6/5, Jaimie McIvor def Jenny Kellahan 1up.
Auckland 5 Southland 0: Rose Zheng def Angela Gerken 5/3, Munchin Keh def Robyn Pullar 2/1, Siyi Keh def Olivia Frost 6/5, Brittney Dryland def Helen Baird 4/2, Carmen Lim def Kate McGregor 7/6.
Canterbury 4½ Waikato ½: Amelia Garvey halved with Chantelle Cassidy, Juliana Hung def Jill Morgan 1up, Hillary O'Connor def Fai Tongdethsri 2/1, Catherine Bell def Katherine Janphanich 5/4, Jasmine Rou def Zoann Huang 4/3.
Taranaki 3½ Manawatu Whanganui 1½: Celeste McLean def Tara Raj 2/1, Tyla Winter def Tania Hook 3/1, Rochelle Keegan def Jill Hall 4/2, Tineka Kumeroa lost to Leanne Brown 1 down, Melanie Wilson halved with Mudra Lakhani.
Wellington 4 Northland 1: Gabrielle Palado lost to Kylie Jacoby 1 down, Te Rongopai Clay def Soktaerodh Sean 4/3, Darae Chung def Belinda May 1up, Shontalia William def Alayna Cox 4/3, Alanah Braybrook def Taimanu Ngakuru-Smith 1up.
Bay of Plenty 3 North Harbour 2: Alanna Campbell def Ela Grimwood 5/4, Emmalee Morrell def Katie Pryce-Jones 5/3, Jodae Ngaheu lost to Bridget Connolly 2 down, Mary Lines lost to Vaha Fapiano 4/3, Heather Keefe def Olivia Choo 3/2.
Final playoffs
7.30: Auckland v Wellington semifnal.
8.05: BOP v Canterbury semifinal.
8.40: North Harbour v Hawke's Bay Poverty Bay for 5th.
9.15: Waikato v Taranaki 7th.
9.50: Otago v Manawatu/Whanganui for 9th.
10.25: Southland v Northland for 11th.
11.00: Aorangi v Tasman for 13th.
12.30pm: Championship final.