Kerekere back in rep squad

THE itch is back and Peter Kerekere gets to give it a three-round scratch when he makes his representative return for Poverty Bay-East Coast this weekend.
Kerekere has been named in the eight-man senior golf squad for the Central North Island interprovincial at Taupo’s Centennial course on Saturday and Sunday.
Postman Pete last wore PBEC colours at the under-23 national teams’ tournament at the same venue in January 2009.
It came 10 months after his previous representative outing — the SBS Invitational interprovincial.
Before that Poverty Bay club member Kerekere was a regular fixture in PBEC teams, including the one that contested the 2007 national interprovincial at Mt Maunganui.
Work was the predominant reason his golf was put to one side but it seems his motivation is back to near full capacity, and he will be a valuable addition — particularly if he quickly works his way back up to the quality that had him marked as one of the province’s most promising players.
Kerekere is at No. 8 for the matchplay fixture against Bay of Plenty, Manawatu-Wanganui and Taranaki.
The PBEC team also feature a new face in Patutahi’s Shayde Skudder. The 20-year-old has played in many PBEC junior sides but this will be his senior debut, and he has been slotted in at No. 5.
Waikohu’s William Brown, fresh from winning the individual boys’ gross at the Booth Shield junior interprovincial in Gisborne over Labour Weekend, is at No. 1, Auckland-based Simon Jenkins No. 2, Te Puia Springs’ Andrew Higham No. 3, Tolaga Bay duo Dion Milner and Bruce Yates at No. 4 and No. 6 respectively, and Jason Devery (Poverty Bay) No. 7.
The Central North Island quadrangular is the last chance for players to press for a spot in the five-man PBEC squad for the national interprovincial at the Poverty Bay course next month.
Selectors have all but settled on the final composition, although the door is not closed.
Someone who could open it is New Zealand secondary schools rugby representative Sheridan Rangihuna.
The Gisborne Boys’ High School student, who played halfback for New Zealand Schools in a narrow defeat to Australia a couple of weeks ago, is at No. 1 in the four-man junior team for the CNI quad.
Rangihuna is a talented golfer and three wins at the top of the junior order could put him in the mix.
The rest of the junior team are Quentin Carmichael junior, Peta Westrupp and Taine Lincoln.
n Ian Whitley will get his first taste of over-40s golf at the highest national amateur level at the Freyberg Masters in Levin at the end of the month.
He has been brought in at reserve in the six-man squad, replacing Gisborne Park clubmate Tane Cassidy, who is unavailable.
Whitley will definitely get a taste of action as No. 1 Wynne MacLellan is returning home on Thursday for family reasons.
Whitley will replace him for the Friday afternoon clash with Tasman.