Double success for University

Press, 15 July 1985, Page 23

Double success for University

Not only did the University senior rugby team win the first-round Championship Cup on Saturday, it took also “The Press” Cup as the best and fairest team of the round.

And like the Championship Cup, this is the first time University has held “The Press” Cup, which was presented in the C.R.F.U.’s centennial year, 1979. In fact, winning “The Press” Cup marks quite a reversal in University’s standing in this competition, for which the referee gives up to 12 points for sportsmanship and the reporter covering the game rates the side out of eight for how well it played to its known abilities.

In recent years University has usually come home near the tail of the field and two years ago it was last. University was one point behind Marist going into the last round round of matches on Saturday and it clinched victory by getting a perfect score of 20.

Marist got f 16 and this was enough to give it second place, three points to the good of Hornby, which was the leader for many weeks.

While University was the only team to score maximum points on both counts, Lyttelton and Shirley could not be faulted on their conduct and High School Old Boy? and Sydenham were

both deemed to have played as well as they possibly could. Sydenham’s mark of 19 was clearly its best of the season.

Four teams had players sent to the sin bin and suffered the automatic deduction of three points from their sportsmanship totals.

The players were Phil Cropper (Linwood), Graham Kench (Christchurch), John

Hanrahan (Merivale-Papa-nui) and Paul Bell (New Brighton). Saturday’s points — University, sportsmanship 12, constructiveness 8, total 20; High School Old Boys, 11, 8,19; Sydenham, 11, 8,19; Lyttelton, 12, 6, 18; Hornby, 11, 7, 18; Shirley, 12, 5, 17; Lincoln College, 10, 6, 16; Belfast, TO, 6, 16; Marist, 10, 6, 16; Christchurch, 9,7, 16; Burnside, 10, 6, 16; Albion,

11, 5, 16; New Brighton, 8,7, 15; Suburbs, 10, 5, 15; Linwood, 8,6, 14; MerivalePapanui, 9,5, 14. Final points.— University 248, Marist 245, Hornby 242, Shirley 240, Christchurch 239, Lincoln College, Burnside 238, Linwood, High School Old Boys, Lyttelton 237, Belfast 236, Albion 231, New Brighton 226, Sydenham 224, Suburbs 221, Merivale-Papanui 208.