KEY POINTS:
Two teenaged brothers from Takaka helped Tasman inflict the first defeat on defending champions Waikato in the interprovincial golf tournament at Mt Maunganui yesterday.
Sean Riordan, 19, and his 17-year-old brother Blair both won 5 and 4 as Tasman won 4-1 in the only round played yesterday.
The brothers regularly trek over the hills to Nelson to be coached by Glyn Delany, who would have been impressed with the seven birdies and an eagle they garnered on the way to wins that have kept Tasman in the hunt for a title they have won only once, 11 years ago.
Waikato's only winner was number four Tane Robson. They play North Harbour and Canterbury today and may need to win both to be sure of a place in tomorrow's semifinals.
Harbour have made a habit of starting shakily and finishing strongly, a practice that has them unbeaten with three wins and a half. They gave their supporters palpitations early yesterday against previously unbeaten Canterbury.
But Scott Johnson, Jacques Nortje and captain Scott Johnson secured the win and James Davis got up on the last for a half to make the scoreline 3 1/2- 1 1/2. A win against Manawatu-Wanganui this morning should see them in the semis for the third year in a row.
Auckland's number five, Darren Gallot, drained a 7m birdie putt on the last to halve his game and allow his team to share the points with Hawkes Bay, conquerors of the favourites Bay of Plenty on Wednesday. Hayden McCallum and Ben Kendall had big wins but the half may not be enough to get Auckland to the semis. They play under-performing Otago and the formidable Bay of Plenty line-up today.
The Bay have been below their best for most of the week. Danny Lee and Jared Pender lost again in a 3-2 win over Aorangi. They have a tough assignment first up this morning against undefeated Wellington and their semifinal hopes may hinge on the Auckland clash in the afternoon.
Northland, who have punched above their weight all week, shared the points with Taranaki, Brad Bonnington halving his third game in a row and Gary-John Hill inflicting the first defeat on New Zealand representative Troy Ropiha at the top of the order. The only number one with a perfect record is Hawkes Bay's Nick Gillespie, who beat Auckland's Van Wright 3 and 2.
Steady rain and a brisk breeze yesterday added a new dimension to a tournament that has already thrown up more surprises than usual.
After two rounds today, the top two teams in each section will advance to the semifinals tomorrow. The final starts at 12.30pm tomorrow.
