MANIOTOTO RUGBY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26851, 16 August 1948, Page 7

MANIOTOTO RUGBY

PREMIERSHIPS DECIDED Special to the Daily Times RANFURLY, Aug. 15. By winning their respective matches on Saturday, the Ranfurly senior and junior Rugby teams became the premiers for Maniototo in the 1948 season. Both matches were played off following a tie in each competition. In the senior match against Becks, played at Becks, spectators were again provided with an exceptionally good game, both teams playing the outstanding football which made their two previous encounters a feature of this season's competition. In their earlier games Becks relied effectively on the tight play and solid rucking of their forwards, but on Saturday they were inclined to play too loose, and in this department were outplayed by the Ranfurly pack. At half time Becks held a s—ml lead with a try by E. Mee, converted by D. Armitage, but in the second spell C. Forrester and J. P. Kearney scored tries for Ranfurly. Kearney converting them both. Armitage kicked a penalty goal, but Becks was unable to score again, and Ranfurly won 10—8. , For the winners J. S. Hanrahan (fullback) and J. P. Kearney produced top from, while E. J. Kearney also played a sound game. The best forwards were D. Graham, O. Hunter, and C. Forrester, who. with C. Mulholland, did good work in the tight. The best backs were A. Vugler and E. Mee, and among the forwards D. Armitage and R. Fore were outstanding in the tight, with H. and G. Swinney repeating their good performances of the previous week. Junior Final By defeating Strath-Taiert by 12—5 on Saturday, ' the Ranfurly junior Rugby team won the junior competition banner and the Blakely Challenge Cup for the first time since 1925. Ranfurly’s points on Saturday came from tries by W. Stringer, A. Cleveland, and B. Ward, while O. Lynch kicked a penalty goal. J. James scored Strath-TaierPs try, which was converted by Tisdale.