Field sees bright future for Bays side

The future of Hawke's Bay Poverty Bay women's golf is in good hands, according to team veteran Janie Field.

The Napier club player was full of superlatives after the side finished their Toro national inter-provincials campaign in Whakatane with a 3.5-1.5 win against Wellington in the playoff for fifth on Saturday.

Field said 16-year-old Tessa McDonald of the Poverty Bay club was the "hero of the moment" after recording her second win in three appearances at No5.

McDonald beat Barbara Parreno 2 up. She travelled as the team reserve but with regular No5 Lynne Roberts of the Hastings club winless McDonald made the most of her opportunities.

"Considering it was Tessa's first time on the representative scene she held her nerve well. She will have a big involvement in the team in future and we can't wait to see how she goes at the New Zealand Strokeplay championship to be played at Bridge Pa in three months," Field said.

"Those two halves on Tuesday cost us a semifinal berth. But when you look back and realise we had just one loss to Auckland and they went on to win the tournament you can see why we are all so happy."

Field finished the week with just two losses and beat Wellington No4 Imogen Donnelly Lawrence 6 and 5.

HBPB No2 Jamie McIvor of the Maraenui club beat Wellington's Lucy Davis 1up while Field's clubmate and HBPB No1 Kate Chadwick halved with Julianne Alvarez. HBPB No3 Angela Jones, who is a member of the Hastings and Waipawa clubs, lost to Te Rongopai Clay 3 and 2.

Auckland beat defending champions North Harbour 4-1 in Saturday's final.

In a repeat of the 2009 final at The Grange in Auckland, the gallery which walked the links of Whakatane hoped the result would hinge on the final match between star teens Lydia Ko North Harbour and Cecilia Cho for Auckland.

It didn't, as wins to Larissa Eruera, Wen Yung Keh and Jesse Hamilton put the title beyond North Harbour's reach.