Fast exit for Papanui

Press, 26 March 1981, Page 30

Fast exit for Papanui

Bv

JOHN COFFEY

Papanui is a club synonymous with rugby league riches, but for the third consecutive season it has been beaten in its first appearance in a sponsored knockout tournament.

Any hopes that Papanui would reverse the trend this year were extinguished by Linwood at the Show Grounds last evening. But it was a close call. Linwood’s winning margin was only 7-5, and Papanui would have forced the quarter-final of the Qantas-Radio Avon series into extra time had Bryce Nicholson succeeded with a conversion attempt' just before the end. .

However. Linwood, benefitting from having had a previous game in the competition, was marginally the better side and deserved to advance to the semi-finals. Its opponent next Wednesday evening will be Eastern Suburbs, which eliminated Addington. 14-5, last evening.

It was not until the last minute before half-time — when Lewis Hudson kicked the first of his two goals for Linwood—that the scoreless stalemate was broken. Very wet conditions demanded that much of the action be confined to the forwards, although the handlings was of a surprisingly high! standard. ■'

•The only tries in the game came in the final seven minutes. Robin Hudson, moving sweetly into a Linwood

passing movement from ful’ 'back, appeared to make th ; : result safe for his team, only for Papanui to strike back when its left wing i.Merv Clarkson, touched i down as he was tackled. ■ Nicholson’s vital conversion swung wide. The tight struggle which marked that match was contrasted by the seeming inevitability of Eastern’s defeat of Addington. Eastern easily slipped back into the groove which carried it to its championship triumph last winter, two spectacular tries taking it 10 points clear by the interval.

j But Addington had by far i the greater share of pbssesi sion in a penalty-ridden second spell, and Eastern lapsed into, error more often. Eastern still had more than enough in reserve, its onlybig lapse enabling the Addington wing,’ Chris Towart. to score the one try in that period. The other quarter-finals, between Hornby and Maris tWestern Suburbs and Syden■ham and Shirley, will be played on Sunday. Eastern 14 (M. R.- French, K. J. Murphy tries; B. R. Edkins four goals) beat Addington 5 (C. M. Towart try; J. R. Tapiata goal). Halftime. 12-2. Referee, Mr M, Kinnaird.

I Linwood 7 (R. S. Hudsrir try; L. E. Hudson two goals) beat Papanui 5 (M. R. Clarkson try; B. Nicholson goab Half-time, Linwood, 2-0. Ref eree, Mr T. Brott,