Regan Hindmarsh will be at No 2 for Tairāwhiti at the national interprovincial in Palmerston North next week. Photo / Paul Rickard
Hindmarsh played at the 2021 national interprovincial, while Gray will be competing in it for the third consecutive year, having debuted as a 14-year-old in 2023.
That makes the exciting young left-hander the second most experienced at this level, although Brown has played for Poverty Bay-East Coast and now Tairāwhiti in multiple Freyberg Masters (over-40s) national interprovincials, including at No 1 at the Omaha Beach course last month.
Notable absences from the 2025 national interprovincial squad are William Brown, Hukanui Brown and Dan Collier.
William Brown, who played in his 16th consecutive national interprovincial tournament last year before shifting to Queenstown, has just taken up the position of chief superintendent at Rotorua Golf Club and is unavailable. It is believed he would have reached the rare milestone of 100 matches at the tournament this year.
Hukanui Brown, another highly experienced campaigner, and Collier, who has played in the past two interprovincials, are also out because of work commitments.
Three doors close. Three doors open. And the likes of Keast are looking excitedly to representing his province and challenging himself at this level.
“I’m feeling positive,” Keast said. “I’ve made good use of practice hours this year, which is now coming through in my scoring. The team has formed well and we’re looking forward to the challenge. We’ll embrace the underdog tag and use it as motivation to front up against the other regions.”
Devery will leap into the deep end of the pool at No 1 in the side.
“No nerves yet, but there’s bound to be some … it’s all or nothing.”
Hindmarsh, at No 2, will be taking it in his naturally relaxed style.
“Not looking too bad,” he said in response to how his game was going. “Playing decent golf considering I’m a full-time pig hunter.”
Jace Brown, at No 5, is taking an upbeat attitude into the experience.
“I’m actually feeling really good, and looking forward to getting over to Palmy …”
In being described as a “49-year-old rookie” and arguably the “team kaumatua”, he laughed and said: “I’ll wear that badge with honour and pride.”
Marcus Gray, 16, will be playing in his third consecutive national interprovincial. Photo / Paul Rickard
Gray, playing at No 4, can’t wait to get there.
“It’s going to be fun … I’m excited … I’m looking forward to it.”
With two national interprovincials under his belt, Gray knows well what it will take to put “W’s” next to his name, and it isn’t always about birdies and hot scoring.
“Grind … you’ve got to grind it out.”
The team will once again be managed by Dave Keown, who has lived through the emotions of hundreds of matches over his long tenure.
Keown praised all six for “putting their hands up to play for Tairāwhiti and making sure we’re there”.
It was going to be a challenge, but they were looking forward to it, and he was confident they would “dig deep”.
“They’re comfortable in where they are at, knowing we’re without the top three (Hukanui Brown, William Brown, Dan Collier).”
Devery has probably the toughest assignment of all at the top of the order.
“Jase can play, no doubt, and he knows he’s going to be up against it, [but] he’s the sort of player that if it happens, it happens. He’s mentally strong enough to be in that position and not feel too bad about the knocks.”
Keown said Hindmarsh, at 2, was in the same situation. He was a “flair” player who on his day could beat anyone, and he was familiar with the Palmerston North course, having been a past member there.
“Hayden’s solid as a rock [and] he’s really starting to perform.”
Gray was “a very good player” and having him at No 4 would enable him to keep building on his experience.
Jace Brown, after doing it tough at No 1 at the Freyberg Masters, needed “to get out there and have some fun” at 5.
Keown said Hansen had been there and done that and would get game time as the team would be rotating over the week, meaning each player got a break.
Tairāwhiti are the bottom-seeded province at 15 – the position they finished in last year.
They open the 2025 edition against Northland on Tuesday morning, followed by Canterbury (Tuesday afternoon), defending champions Auckland (Wednesday morning), Otago (Wednesday afternoon), Waikato (Thursday morning) and Manawatu-Wanganui (Thursday afternoon).
