Win would be nice

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34119, 3 April 1976, Page 52

Win would be nice

(By

JOHN COFFEY)

Kaiapoi’s loyal band of rugby league supporters will be able to relax in comfort this evening when their new clubrooms complex is used for the first time, and a victory by their premier team over ChristchurchEastern Suburbs would make a red-letter day just that much more memorable.

Although Eastern, as the defending champion, must be a warm favourite to begin the Tavendale Cup series with a victory, Kaiapoi has a proud record in recent matches between the two clubs. In nine games since 1972, Kaiapoi has had five wins and a draw.

The acquisition of John Greengrass has further strengthened an already very capable Kaiapoi forward combination, which also includes the provincial trialists, Dale Brown, Mark Fuller, Graham Eaton and Danny Millward. A suspected broken thumb suffered by the Eastern prop, Terry Gillman, has prevented a third meeting of the season between the rivals for the Canterbury hooking position, Brown and Alan Rushton. Rushton will now switch to prop, with Kevin Corkran striking against Brown.

The Eastern backs will be without Dave Honey, who broke a thumb in the seven-a-side series last Saturday and will be unavailable for about nine weeks. The Kaiapoi centre, Francis Lawrence, will have to be at his penetrative best to keep his representative hope alive against the accomplished Eastern pair, Bruce Dickison and Leon Paskell.

Another individual tussle that could prove enlightening will be that between the stand-off halves, Graeme Cooksley (Eastern) and Charlie Paki. Cooksley was inexplicably left out of the second trial, with Paki and Cliff Leney (Linwood) being given preference. In the other Tavendale Cup matches, a radically changed Linwood line-up is expected to be severely tested by Addington, while Papanui is likely to be too strong for Sydenham. The qualifying round — from which much of the interest dwindled when the league’s administration decided that four, rather than two, of the six clubs would be granted premier status — began last Wednesday evening when University-United just managed to get up and beat Baisweil. It continues today with Marist-Western Suburbs opposing Woolston at the Show Grounds and Hornby being at home to Riccarton.