The shirts were actually inspired by NRL champions Penrith Panthers.
“We had a black strip in 2022, then white in 2023,” team member and pennants chief organiser Dwayne Russell said. “Then the Panthers won for the third year in a row, so we chose the Pink Panther strip. Players slowly embraced it after we joked about our shirts being a ploy to put the opposition off.”
The shirt statement was loud, but their golf was loud and clear as they proved that the country course are indeed ‘Tahi - number one.
They became the inaugural winners of the Tairāwhiti District Champions pennants trophy - a replacement of the replacement for the Oligoi Jug, which was lost in post-pennants celebrations in 2017. And it was fitting.
Patutahi topped the points standings after seven rounds of round-robin play. Their only defeat was to Park (1) - 5-3 at Patutahi in round six - which they avenged 6-2 on Park’s home fairways in the semifinals.
Eddie Brown Jr was an anchor that would have held firm a cruise liner. He finished with an individual record of seven wins, one half and one loss. HIs only defeat was to Auckland-based Waikohu team member Glenn Solomann, who was named winner of the Sportsman Trophy for player of the series.
Russell praised Brown Jr’s efforts off the course as well.
“Edward has done a stellar job balancing the ship and making sure our whole squad stayed in comms to help us cover our two teams.”
Russell played his part as team member and pennants frontman. He ended the series unbeaten with three wins and four halves from the seven rounds in which he played.
Skudder, whose golfing talents match his rugby skills as captain of YMP premier team and the Poverty Bay Heartland squad, had six wins and one loss.
Hukanui Brown, in the four matches he played due to work commitments, had two wins, a half and a loss.
Regan Hindmarsh did not play in the final but had three wins over the series.
Jace Brown filled in for a couple of rounds and Jon Priestley had a win in the only match he played for the No 1 team.
Russell made special mention of the Patutahi (2) players - “our backbone, backing up each week” - and said it had been “awesome” building up pennants experience in the club.
Finals day at the bay featured other positional playoffs and there was plenty at stake.
Te Puia Springs and Park (1) finished 4-all in the Bronze Trophy playoff for third and fourth - a clash highlighted by Springs No 1 William Brown’s comeback win against Dan Collier. Brown, 4-down after 10 holes, won the 11th with a par, and made birdies on the 14th, 16th, 17th and 18th to win 1-up.
The teams decided to share the trophy, rather than have a sudden-death playoff.
Not the case in the Waikohu-Tolaga Bay playoff for fifth and the Pounamu Trophy.
That also ended 4-apiece - which included Waikohu’s Park loan player Mike Christophers’ historic first Oligoi win - and No 1s David Solomann and Neil Hansen headed back to the 18th tee for a play-off.
Solomann had already made a superb up-and-down for par - after duffing his second shot - on the par-4 18 to beat Hansen 1-up.
This time he slotted a 28-foot slider for birdie for the team victory.
Solomann gave an inspiring speech in the clubhouse at prize-giving and there were no prouder parents than he and wife Debbie (both originally from Gisborne) after Glenn was named winner of the Sportsman Trophy.
The 16-year-old Howick College student and his father have regularly made the long haul from Auckland to represent Waikohu. Such commitment and Glenn’s record of six wins and a loss from the seven matches he played swayed the decision in his favour.
Glenn’s run came to an end at the hands of Bruce Yates in Sunday’s playoffs.
Brown Jr and Poverty Bay’s Quin McPike, who had seven wins and one loss but was unavailable for the final, were also in the mix for Sportsman Trophy honours.
The trophy no one wants to win - the wooden spoon (an actual wooden spoon) - went to Park (2) after they fell to Patutahi (2) 6-2.
Jace Brown, Silas Brown (yes, there are a lot of Browns in the pennants) and Jason Tuapawa had wins for the Tahi Rua team; Anthony Pahina for Park Rua.
Oligoi Jug interclub pennants finals day
Tairāwhiti Districts Champions trophy final (36 holes) - Patutahi (1) 7 Poverty Bay 1 (Patutahi names first): Hukanui Brown def Waka Donnelly 4 and 2; Dwayne Russell halved with Mark Jefferson; Shayde Skudder def Glenn Morley 6 and 5; Eddie Brown Jr def Zach Rolls 7 and 6.
Bronze Trophy playoff for third/fourth (18 holes) - Te Puia Hot Springs 4 Electrinet Park (1) 4: William Brown def Dan Collier 1-up; Thomas Donovan lost to Pete Stewart 6 and 5; Jason Devery def Matt Henwood 3 and 2; John Wyllie lost to Ian Loffler 5 and 4. Trophy shared.
Pounamu Trophy playoff for fifth/sixth (18 holes) - Tolaga Bay 4 Waikohu 4: Neil Hansen lost to David Solomann 1-down; Bruce Yates def Glenn Solomann 3 and 2; Taine Lincoln lost to Mike Christophers 2 and 1; Tim Adamson def Terry Reeves 6 and 5. Waikohu won in a sudden-death playoff, David Solomann defeating Hansen.
Wooden spoon playoff for seventh/eighth - Patutahi (2) 6 Park (2) 2: Jace Brown def Craig Christophers; Jason Tuapawa def Bailey Matoe; Silas Brown def Sel Peneha; Hamish Harris lost to Anthony Pahina.
