That's because Central captain/centre Cudby will celebrate her 25th birthday.
"We do know each other well and our families do, too, but when we're on the court it's just netball," says 17-year-old Pearse who slips on the goal-attack bib for Kauri.
The significance of the game from 7.15pm is magnified when it becomes apparent the losers will play the team perched on the top rung of the senior 1 grade, competing on Saturday afternoons in a promotion-relegation format after five rounds.
It isn't lost on Cudby anymore than the prowess of Pearse in dropping the ball through the hoops around the 70 to 80 per cent mark.
The sales and marketing employee at Rocket Apples is comfortable in the knowledge Central beat Kauri in their grading game in April.
"Kate had a really good game that day. Her shooting's very accurate and she's an asset to Havelock," says Cudby, who is partial towards a goal-defence bib but Central coach Jeanette Oliver hastens to point out she is vertically challenged in that department so stoking the fire in the engine room is her calling.
"Every opportunity I get I drop because I love to be a defender," says the pivot who has slipped on the GD bib twice this season.
"I feel great because I make more intercepts and I get more of a breather," she says with a laugh, revealing she had a protracted spell last season because of a torn Achilles but is definitely "getting there" in fitness this winter.
On the table, Kauri, who are last on the six-team rumble, are marginally inferior in the for-and-against statistics.
Their shooting is 14 goals shy of Central and defensively they have conceded nine more to date, suggesting they need to tighten up at both ends.
"In the grading tournament they won by seven goals, I think, but it was a 40-minute game," says Pearse, a seventh-former who spearheads the attack for her Hastings Girls' High School team and also made her debut at the Super 6 level for her school side last season.
Point taken from the Angela Harvey-coached Kauri who are returning from a three-year hiatus while Central also return following a year's absence due to dwindling numbers.
"We've had some similar results so whoever has a good game on the day will come out on top," says Pearse who will have GD Olivia Tilyard breathing down her neck although Cudby says due to injuries the goal keep will be a bit of a surprise.
Cudby and Pearse's family ties go beyond the casual barbecues in summer and casseroles in winter.
Cudby's mother, Robyn, sits on the Central bench as manager while Pearse's mum, Denise, occupies the officials' table as scorer.
"Kate's dad, Rohan, will be the MC at my brother's [Sam] wedding on July 1," says Cudby who fondly recalls the two families forging ties when Rohan was Tikokino Primary School principal and Denise was her netball coach as relieving teacher in Central Hawke's Bay.
It stops short of babysitting duties because of the age gap but Pearse recalls she was 5 when Denise was at the helm of Cudby's CHB rep team.
"I travelled in the bus with the rep team so it was beyond exciting for me because Anna was like a role model for me.
"I never imagined playing at the same level as her," says the teenager.
For Cudby, the magic for a rebuilding Central is to conjure four consistent quarters to avoid the ignominy of renewing their Super 6 visa.
"Last week we, against Outkast [Optimise Physio], started eight down and lost by five so we had good second and fourth quarters but that's not good enough."
