72-8 Win Just Misses Record

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31782, 12 September 1968, Page 17

72-8 Win Just Misses Record

(New Zealand Press Association) GISBORNE. Counties set Rugby historians thumbing through the record books yesterday when they defeated East Coast, 72-8, at Tokomaru Bay, after leading 31-3 at half-time.

The concensus of opinion was that this was probably the high est first class score since Hawke’s Bay overwhelmed Wairarapa, 77-14 in 1926.

The 77-14 score is a record in a New Zealand first-class game. Against an almost nonexistent Coast defence, Counties ran riot, scoring 16 tries and converting 12. Thirteen of the tries came from the backs.

In East Coast’s favour it could be said that in the face of this torrent of scoring it never stopped trying, but had its efforts on attack been matched by similar resolution on defence, the winning margin would have been lower. The highest scorer in the game was the Counties fullback, J. Graham, whose tally of 25 points came from a try and 11 conversions.

Other tries were scored by W. Hardgrave (4), M. Knight (3), W. Joyce (3), F. Dickey (2), E. Mcßobbie, G. Lewis and G. Barbara. Hardgrave also converted one try. For Coast, W. Reedy scored a try, converted by K. Gilvray, who also kicked a penalty goal. Last-second Try

A try scored in the last seconds enabled Otago to beat North Otago, 9-6, at Oamaru yesterday. The Otago forwards, after being outplayed in the opening exchanges, particularly in the loose mauls and scrummages, gained control but the ball was played untidily to the backs, who often came under severe pressure.

For Otago, G. L. Colling and A. J. Clarke scored tries and L. Mains kicked a penalty. D. Hurst scored a try and P. Ford kicked a penalty for North Otago.