Several punches of joy from Flaxmere premier men's softball team's pitcher Tamihana Hokianga into his catching glove told some of the story on Saturday.
"This is pretty mean. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present. I've lost count of how many times Saints have dominated me this season so it was good to dominate them in the game which counted," Hokianga said after Flaxmere pipped unbeaten top qualifiers Saints 4-3 in Hawke's Bay's pre-Christmas competition final at Akina Park, Hastings.
A former Saints player and a 2008 national title winner with the Hawke's Bay under-19 team, Hokianga, turned 28 on Saturday. The final was his second full game on the mound within six hours after he played in their 3-0 loss to Saints in the double life semifinal earlier in the day.
The brother of another of Flaxmere's regular pitchers, Rita Hokianga, who was unavailable because of her White Sox fixtures against the University of Oregon in Auckland at the weekend, was rested when Hector Stubbs had the pitching duties in Flaxmere's 5-3 win against Maraenui Pumas in their elimination semifinal. He agreed the ejection of club stalwart and Softball Hawke's Bay Association board member Luke Herrick for swearing in the fourth inning fired Flaxmere up.
"It was the spark I needed and it picked the whole team up."