Christchurch, Sydenham for final

Press, 26 June 1989, Page 22

Christchurch, Sydenham for final

Christchurch and Sydenham will dispute the final of the second division of the senior rugby competition, for the Trust Bank Plaque, this week-end. The two sides, both of which were relegated from the top group after the first round, retained their leading positions in division two by scoring big wins on Saturday.

The unbeaten Christchurch scored 15 tries in beating Hornby, and Sydenham sparkled in the second half to thump Albion, 50-3. The third-placed Lincoln College, the only side to beat Sydenham in the current round, overcame Merivale by 33-9.

The other divisional winner was Suburbs, after being nine points down in the first quarter to Otautahi.

Christchurch will go into the final round with three competition points to spare from Sydenham, and the knowledge that it beat its old rival, 25-6, in the first round.

But since that match Sydenham has regained more members of the Flynn family, and has scored 65 more points than Christchurch in the second round.

Scoring highlights in the division on Saturday were Edward Sparrow’s three tries for Sydenham against Albion, which made him the leading try scorer in senior rugby — thanks to a tally of seven against Hornby — and Hornby’s try against a rampant Christchurch. The try, scored by a replacement prop, Murray Kinard, was Hornby’s first in six matches.

FLOODGATES OPEN Sydenham waited until the second half before it asserted its superiority against Albion in the curtain-raiser at Rugby Park, and turned a five-point advantage at the break into one of 47 points at the finish. Sydenham scored seven tries in the second half and the leading senior try-scorer, Edward Sparrow, on the right wing, gained a hat-trick of tries within the space of 6min

to advance his season’s tally to 17. Although Sydenham, with Wiremu Maunsell and Kieran Flynn in midfield, had the skills and speed to outmanoeuvre Albion, it took Sydenham some time to establish enough control in the forwards to free the backs. Albion packed a very strong scrum and Dean Thyne hooked two tightheads. Phil Riordan had a lively game on the flank and Graeme O’Callaghan made several sharp thrusts out wide. Lyn Chandler busied himself to good effect in the Sydenham pack and the backs, from Aaron Flynn at scrum half to Brent Nicoll at the rear, all distinguished themselves. FALSE HOPES Otautahi started with a rush, being three points up in the first minute, and continued the good work to be nine points ahead at the end of the first quarter. Thereafter the game gradually swung Suburbs’ way and Otautahi’s subsequent attacks were sporadic. The Otautahi forwards’ pro-

pensity for offside play maeant that the penalty count was heavily against them and this plus Suburbs’ almost complete dominance of the line-outs proved an insurmountable hurdle.

Under the heavy conditions the game was surprisingly open and before the ball became leaden there were some entertaining movements. For Suburbs Jim Bennie and Steve Richards were enterprising loose forwards and Willie Hohaia worked hard in the tight. Both halfbacks, Paul Tait and Duke Jones, played well while Norm Brown and Ned Tamatea, showed up for Otautahi. COLLEGE’S CONTROL A well motivated Lincoln College side displayed more commitment and cohesion to overwhelm Merivale on the college field. The students controlled the match from the outset and never looked in danger of losing. Merivale lacked punch and its defence was poor, allowing Lincoln in for three of its tries.

In an impressive over-all effort the first five-eighths,

Kelvin Hore, had a fine game for Lincoln. His tactical kicking and incisive running were first class, and he proved an able goal kicker. The students also excelled on defence, even when the pressure was intense for long spells. RARE TRY Hornby scored its first points in five games but lost by another mammoth score to Christchurch at Denton Oval. Christchurch scored 15 tries, with the No. 8, Viv de Beus, and a wing, Brendon Charteris, scoring three each. Charteris missed another three easy tries through sloppy handling. Hornby never gave up and tried to run most of what little ball it had. The replacement prop, Murray Kinard's 78th-minute try gave Hornby the last word. Christchurch's forwards dominated the game and the backs’ eight tries showed how many times they were allowed to run with the ball, despite the muddy conditions. It also showed how inept was Hornby’s tackling.

Scoring details:— SYDENHAM 50 (E. Sparrow 3, J. Payne, K. Flynn, D. Kerr, W. Smart, A. Flynn, W. Maunsell tries; Kerr four conversions, penalty goal; K. Flynn penalty goal) beat ALBION 3 (T. Geddes penalty goal). Half-time: 8-3. Referee: Mr P. Honnis. SUBURBS 19 (S. Richards. R. Dixon, J. Bennie, tries; P. Tait, two conversions, penalty goal) beat OTAUTAHI 12 (N. Tamatea, try; M. Parsons, conversion, two dropped goals). Half-time: 13-12. Referee: Mr K. G. Simpson.

LINCOLN COLLEGE 33 (C. Stiles 2, A. James, K. Hore, M. Johnson tries; Hore, 3, D. Lochore, 2, conversions; Hore penalty goal) beat MERIVALE 9 (A. Smith 2, N. Jewell penalty goals). Halftime; 21-3. Referee: Mr M. L. Fitzgibbon. CHRISTCHURCH 74: (V. de Beus, 3, B. Charteris, 3, A. Langley 2, H. Murchison, 2, J. Currie, J. Leota, D. Chalken, J. Sherrat tries, one penalty try; J. Sherrat seven conversions) beat HORNBY 4: (M. Kinard try). Half-time: 36-0. Referee: Mr K. N. McCrea.

W L F A Pt Chch 6 0 203 38 24 Syd. 5 1 268 36 21 Line. Coll. 5 1 209 71 20 Albion 3 3 135 125 12 Meriv. 3 3 128 110 12 Subs 2 4 122 104 8 Otautahi 0 6 54 189 0 Hornby 0 6 7 453 0