Senior winners continue to set pace for Clip

Press, 26 April 1988, Page 34

Senior winners continue to set pace for Clip

Univeristy. Linwood and Shirley, all with four wins from as many matches, continue to set the pace in the Trust Bank Cup senior rugby competition. University was not allowed to rest on its laurels yesterday! as. Suburbs tried valiantly to’dpset the defending champion at Rugby Park, while the fancied Christqhurch team comfortablj’ overcame Albion in the early match. The ' "player of the day” award at Rugby Park yesterday was won by the strapping University left wing, Jordan Scott, who scon d two superb solo tries. .) ' | ! Leading scorers over, the week-end matches were Jon Preston (Burns de) with'24; Tony Wells: (Linwood, 21); Colin Willianiso ij(Shirley, 20) and James Wheldn (Old Boys, 19): Whelan wrs! the “player' of the day" at 1 ugby Park on Saturday. ■ j Wells header [Greg Coffey: (Marist) in the sprint for the; first player to lost 50 points. Wells has Tallied 50, one: more than Ct ffey and six. better than Ros Adler (New) Brighton). i ■

University 35, i : Suburbs 21 i f i University: J. Sqott (two), C. McDowell (two)j DI Atkins, P. Treves tries: [Treves four conversions, penalty goal. Suburbs: P. Tait,! T. Williams tries; K. 'Davis two conversions,’three penalty goals. Half-time: 19-6. Referee: Mr P. R. Jellyman.; j ii • {■Suburbs put tile spectre of its {1 00[point loss to University lisi season behind it as it played with great zeal' to restrict j the i high-flying siuldents to a iLpoint lead. Not | tod much went right for) University 'in the first quarter ‘as Suburbs forced errors! arid evert the reliable goal-kicker. Phu! Treves, failed | vfith tvlo relatively easy shots. ’ '[ ' . ' After 2jomin, Suburbs led 63{, but: between the first [and fourth quarters University added, 26 pointk to destroy Suburbs' [hopes of- victory although the beaten team;was never completely suppressed.

| University gave glimpses bf its attractive brand of 15-man

attacking rugby,[but the team lias played better and three of its; s x tries were from spectacu ar solo' efforts. [ [ Treves sprinted 30m for a fine angled cornjer try to [start

the try spree [and the] left wing, Jordan Scott.' also' produced two brilliant individualistic efforts to advance his v season's tally tri eight. !

|.[Scott hardly ] touched the ball, but on the,first occasion he ran 65m to score after

beating four defenders with prodigious sidesteps off the left foot. His i second try proved his ability to skir |the defence on the outside ' i jGeorge Latu and, .Mark Thompson were in the v: n of the University forward d -lives and Kieran Jones was a good pivot in the midfield. 1 . [suburbs gave a gutsy performance. Ste\e Richptds. Gary O’Malley ana Scott Smith refused. 0 buckie in the pack while Tait, who opened the scoring win an opportunist's try!, handled the half-back's job jvitli aplt rib. Christchurch Albion 6 | I Christchurch: M. Brerner (two), V. de Beus (tw< ) r H. tries; m! Robinson two conversions, two penalty goals.! Albior: T. Geddes two penalty ’pals. Half-time: 14-3! Refereq Mr :G. F. Collins. | |- [ - Thirteen changes} [tr its listed 15 in the programme i Hinted that Albion yis in : disarray for [ its qi ritain- [ raiser match against Christ- : church. ..ii 1 | | However Albion played 1 with considerable!spirt and. if lacking ; some [ 01 the strength and skills pf Mristchurch, it ran[hard| ar c put Christchurch’s deferice to the test. !||: | The greater | power of Christchurch's ipabkj made it 'difficult for'Albion to |t c Id in the scrums! and |thr?; of Christchurch’s tern mated from scrums near its'opposition's line. ' 1 ; Viv de Beus celebra ed his

Shift from lock to No 8 with two tries and Tim Smellie, off the flank, was a [forceful! runner, i Paul Scott apd John Mills excelled in wrestling the ball [free from the) mauls. Gary Whalls wrs art industrious flanker for Albion and Bevan ‘ Mitchell acquitted | himself well as hpokbr. ' 1 The inside backs wasted too much possession through injudicious kicking , which counted against Albiotj for it had two sharp attabkers in Nigel Heddingto and the feisty fullback. Mark Beddoes. ■ |[ . .; :| ; Old Boys 27 ! ! Marist 12 Old Boys: S. Bropn, N. Ward | tries; J. Whelan two conver- ! sions, five penalty goals. : Marist: G. Coffe(- three pen- ; alty goals, dropped goal. ; Halftime: 12-9. Referee: Mr I G. J. Anderson. : Old Boys wor this match because they liste'd better, and were able to mount the crucial surge in he last quar- ; ter. The first try came with only llmin remaining. The second came 5 thin, later and the 12 points resulting in that brief, late perioc buried Marist, although it did fight back and probably deserved a conssolation try. I the first 69min of the match! the lar,;e crowd at Rugby Park witnessed a goalkicking duel oetween Old Boys' James Whelan and Marist's Greg Coffey, the frequent shots punctuated by periods of active rugby which was not especially 'decisive.

The toqe was set early, eight attempts! at goal from penalties: domijng in the first 22min, six of them successful. Marist's [demise pdssibly began when its aggressive No. 8. Adrian Kerineds. was Sinbinned for makirg an ■ aL legedly d; ngerous. tackle to snuff out im <pid Boys attack 15 minutes into trie second half. [ Whelan gopled his fifth penalty shot after: the incident to give Old Boys the lead at 15-12.[ Kennedy; was back into the fray before the tries were scored, but in- his absence Olli Bojs hab begun to mount a! Sustained! assault on the Maritt line. U-hich was finally rewarc ed when Simon Brown fotnd tis why clear on the blind-hide of a scrum. But it! was the) Old Boys pack which sealed the victory. When 1 he side gained the ascendancy irj the dying stages, Nigel Vard; showed up in dramhtic fashibm and he scored trie srcond try 6miri from the finish. ! Ward, somewhai less obtrusively, hrtd alreadjy made an excellent contribution, in his general play off [the side of the scrum and ini some very useful work near [the back of the lineopts. : Don Svmon won a lot of line-out: Iballl for| Old Boys, rarely icieatily, [but usable nonetheless, and Hamish Robinsori gale nothing away to [ his Marist Counterpart. Kennedy Andy Open foraged diligently and lent good support in drivihg pjay. Marist had two'players favouring hkavi v-strapped hand injuries. St< ve [Baker and

Tala Kele. Baker, however, cleared the bia,il 1 swiftly and cleanly, without having a major influence! on the game, and Kele as robustly involved as ever in the tight exchanges. [Kennedy was a potent force 4ri the drive. But the blicks failed to spark as a unit after Kelly Hansen was replace dearly in the match. Coffey kicked well at goal. as. [did Old Boys' Whelan, ana i he showed touches of his) poise in general duties. ; ‘ Burnside 52 Merivale 3 Burnside: M. Feldwick (3), R. Penny (2)| P. Elliston, S. Harding, tries. J. Preston, six conversions, four penalty goals. Merivale: J. Sherratt, penalty goal. I Half-time: 13-3. Referee: Mr |p. J. Philpott. • With superior skill and strength, both[ forward and back, Burhsi'de easily beat Merivale in h scrappy game at Burnside Park. Play flowed only sporadically and the spectacle was not enhanced by trie frequent outbursts of figriting. In the purnside pack, which was a cohesive unit. Rob Penney bpd an outstanding game. the scrum, the half. Tim [Spratt, and the first five-eights, Jon Preston, played well,! frith the threequarter, Mark Feldwick, showing spifgd and determination in scoring his three tries. j Don Gourjay was the best of the Merivale forwards and Dennis Kale 1 , at five-eighths, came through a difficult game with aredit.

Sydenham 19 ■) ' j ' LincoJi College 16 Sydenham: K. Flynn, [ D. Kerr, W. Maunsell tries; Flynn two conversions, penalty; go.il. Lincoln College: T. Redfern,' D. Murray tries; S. Wallis wo conversions, penalty god. Halftime: 19-0. Referee: [ Hr R. B. Rudkin. A highly convincing firsthalf effort gave Sydenham victor) over Lincoln College tn Suntipy's Lancaster Park curtain-ifaiser,: but [the side must hive been concerned at theiway'it went right off the boil, in the second spell. , John Cook tSydenham) was more than a handful at No. 8 for co lege in the first half, before being replaced, and the I midfield : pairing of Wiremu. Maunsell and Kieran Flynn was just; as hard to hold in that period. Paul Wisbey.ian eleventh-hour replacement for Mark Hudson, had a fine first half off the side 0 the scrum, while Donald Giipsford was a prominent Mrbntranker. Lincoln made a spirited comeback after the interval, arid the transformation in forturies was; stunning. Jonn Jackson turned in a superp idisplay in the second half, jadth in the line-outs and on the: drive. The open-side flanker, Kelly Ireland, was similarly inspired after the break, 'as were lan Fleming, the, captain. Dougal Murray, arid Mark Mc.Atamney. 1 Aaron James'and Tim Redfern did much to turn the tables on their midfield oppo-

sites [ while. John Ogilvie showed plenty of dask and spirit on the left wing. Linwood 33 Eyttelton 0 Linwood: M. Fransen. D. Reid, G. Jones tries; T. Wells five | penalty goals, three conversions. Half-time: 12-6. Referee: Mr B. Gardiner. | The Linwood centre. Tony f/ells, kicked his side to a omfortablei 33-0 win over iwly Lyttelton at Linfield ’ark. ' Wells was in deadly form. 1 Rioting five penalty goals and (hree Conversions for his 21 :K>ints. It took Linwood 60min to >enetrate the gutsy Lyttelton iefence and see .Mike Fransen score its first of three ries from a line-out Linwood lad 80 per cent of the ball, but Lyttelton surprisingly showed backline jenterprise with the little ball it got from its outplayed forwards. Shirley 56 Hornby 9 Shirley: M. Young (2). N. Katae (2),| J. Gilbert (2). B. Reid, C.: Williamson, C. Power and A. Lindsay, tries; Williamson, 8 conversions. Hornby: W. Raimova try; E. Goodhue conversion, penalty goal. Referee: Mr K. G. Simpson. [Too much weight and strength in the forwards: too much pace in the backs, more decisive and innovative [ on attack . and uncomprising ift'defence — Shirley held all the aces against a luckless

but plucky Hornby team. Yet. in spite of its obvjtpus physical superiority'it did not flatter Indeed, the final kry tally ioi’[ 10 to one was somewhat; cjomplimentary to he losers. ) [ Shdriey could — and should — havt* scored many mdre. but fpr) dropped passes an(i :a tendency for some 'of the backs jo hold on to the ball just a little too long.' , ) Hornjby deserves I !some credjt or a spirited performance; Until it ran { out) [of slearh, it took advantage) of man]/ of) Shirley's [ breakdowns. and. in contrast to previous games this [season, its! tackling was solid and consistent. ' For Shirley. Na Katae had an outstanding game and was well) supported by Mark Youhg in the loose and Gavin Hill in the lineouts. Colin Will amson was the backline star ajlthough Brent Reid) impressed with his positions play. | In the Hornby pack, no one toiled 1 harder or more effec tive y than John Hydes, whiiq lan 'Henderson showed speed [ to [ trie: loose ball. [Wes 1 Raimova made many strong run{; from the wing. ' ) ■ i 1 Neu Brighton 22 I Belfast 6 New Brighton: R. Adler, I- [ Stephenson. M. Carringtoii, !

A. Steel tries; Adlen three [conversions. Belfast: K. Burney dropped goat; R. Brunie [penalty goal. Halt-time: Is-X Referee: Mr T. M.| Hannan.) In this decisive, win against i Belfast. New Brighton served | notice of being on the come!- [ back trail, eager to recapture ! past prestige. : ji: There .were encouraging . signs for Brighton in the ' development and hardening of the younger forwards and in the fluency of some of the back play. ' The heady, vastly experienced Wayne Burleigh arid the strapping hard-runnirig Mark Carrington had between them a sweetly moving second five-eighths in Nathan Moore, and behind them [a competitive, avidly attacking full-back. Lance Stephenson A superb break from set play by Moore 30min into the match set up a memorable: try for Stephenson. In the, Brighton pack. Dean Wakefield and Darren Avery had: highly useful games.

Belfast was at its best in the. last 15min, despite conceding a try from )a' breakdown. Don Bowden gave a whole-hearted effort in tight, driving play and [in the line-outs, whilq the No.) 8; Stu Grimshaw, also showed up to good effect. Ralph Brunie made up for some wayward goal-kicking with a series of spirited runs, from the rear. : j )

1 Points table: P u| i 1. F A Pt Un v. 4 ■ i 0 128 51 16 Shirley 4 ' I) 121 31 16 Linwood ' o 1116 19 16 HSOB 4 r 9 ion 44 1(1 Lm.Coll. 4 f 1 9 75 68 !| Burn. 3 f ] 8740 8 Marist. .3 b 1 1 84 36 8 Cheh 3 1. 1 63 34 8 Syaen. ' 1 34 44 8 Subs ; J 50 64 5 NewBn. 3 t | 2 46 53 4 Belfast 4 1 : 3 37 11)0 4 Hoynby 4 I : 3 19 153 4 Albion 4 I i 1 30 S3 1

Men vail 1 3 0 !3 17 119 fl I | 3 0 ; 3 if. 1 6 64