North Canterbury News: June 16, 2022

SPORT
North Canterbury News, June 16, 2022
39
First all North Canterbury final
RUGBY
By PETER WILLIAMS
For the first time since North Canterbury
entered the Combined Rugby
competition in 2007, the final for the
Luisetti SeedsCup will be contested by
two North Canterbury teams.
On Saturday, Saracenswill host
Glenmark­Cheviot at Southbrook Park
after both teams registered contrasting
victories in the semi­finals.
Saracens vPrebbleton
This match was areal enigma.
Prebbleton were first on the scoresheet
with apenalty after just 3minutes.
Saracens struckback immediately with
atrademark try.
Hard­running fullback Harry Murray
made the break and offloaded to right
winger,LemuelHill who finished it off in
style.
Murray, who was having ablinder,
repeated the doseshortly after when he
sliced through and slipped apass to Ollie
Bithray for him to finish.
Duringthe first quarter of the match
Saracens were matching it with
Prebbleton.
In the forwards, hooker Connor
Higgins andflanker Brett Hancox, who
wasparticularly strong on defence, were
having busy games as were the midfield
combination of Kerran Jenkins and Toby
Ashby.
Given thatthe team was playing into a
strong cold wind, the Saracens
supporters were cock­a­hoop, and even
when Prebbleton closed the gap to two
points with agood try at the 30 minute
mark there was afeeling that Saracens
was still on track. But the supporters’
mood was about to change.
Tries to Prebbleton either side of halftime
shot the visitors out to a22­12 lead.
Although Ashby did claw five points
back with athoroughly deservedtry,
Prebbleton was now dominating virtually
every phase of the game .
Uncharacteristically Saracens started
to fall off anumber of tackles. Added to
that the injurytoll started to rise,with
some key playerslike Murray and halfback
Liam Dunseath having to be
replaced.
The earlier confidence of even the
most ardentofSaracens supporters gave
way to resignation that they were going to
have to bow to asuperiorteam in
Prebbleton.
But no­one told the players.Bithray
who had left the field in obvious pain
havingtaken ablow to the ribs, reflected
the spirit in this team by showing courage
in returning to the fray as the bench was
empty.
But it was super­subNathan Goodwin,
in particular, that sparked an unlikely
last gasp renaissance from his team.
Since coming on to the field in the
secondhalf he had beenthe one shining
beacon inthe Saracens’ effort. With less
than five minutes on the clock, and
completely against the run of play,
Goodwin latched on to adeftly­placed
chip kick by five­eighth Ricky Allin to
score only afew metres from the corner
flag. Given the conditions, Allin did
supremely well to land what proved to be
avital conversion, to narrow the gap to
five points.
Inspired by this turn of events,
Saracens swept straight back on to attack
and its big forwards,led by Rawiri
Karena and AlexKennedy, went to work
launching one final assault on the
Prebbleton line. Fittingly,itwas captain
Kennedy who crashed over next to the
posts. Allin added the winning points.
Prebbleton was bitterly disappointed,
havingfailedtoput the game to bed
despite anumber of gilt­edged
Super Sub ... Inspirational flanker Nathan Goodwin on the way to scoring the try that put
his team back in the game when all seemed lost.
PHOTO: LEONIE HANCOX
opportunities to do so.
Perhaps it was karmaas12months ago
it knocked Saracens out at the same
ground at the quarterfinal stage by
scoring atry deep in injury time. This
year it was Saracens’ time to turn the
tables.
Saracens 31 (Lemuel Hill, Ollie Bithray,
Toby Ashby, Nathan Goodwin, Alex
Kennedy tries, Ricky Allin 3conversions)
beat Prebbleton 29 (Cam Hay, Eddie
Sunia, Tim Murgatroyd tries, Ted
Coleman 1try 3conversions, 1penalty.
SouthernvGlenmark­
Cheviot
It was abig ask for Glenmark­ Cheviot,
who had only just scraped into the playoffs,
to have to travel all the way to Hinds
to square off against the playing through
champions.
But in the first minute of the match,
Cogs Harnett scoredanopportunistic try
to give the visitors alead they never
surrendered. From there, the first half
was asounding out affair, with neither
side really gaining abig advantage.
An aerobatic try in the corner to Jordy
Gray gave Glenmark­Cheviot a10­3lead
at the break.
Early in the second half the Glenmark­
Cheviot forwards started to gain abit of
momentum and were rewarded when
Nick Hyde scored two tries from lineout
mauls andHarnett kicked apenalty.
Southern stayed in the game, scoring a
try of its own.
Then a68minute yellow card to
Glenmark­Cheviot prop Hayden
O’Donnell added to the intrigue.
Southern responded immediately with
aconverted try that closed the gap to only
six points, but the Glenmark­Cheviot
forwards rolled up its sleeveswith only
14 men, playing therest of the match at
the right end of the field,and having the
satisfaction of winger Matt Holmes
scoring in the dying phases.
For the visitors, flanker, Matt
McKellar, was outstanding while Jordy
Gray controlled the game well from
halfback. The five try to two victory over
the accomplished Southern side is a
result to be proudof.
Southern 17 (Makasiale Kauvanua,
Angus McKenzie tries,Thomas
Middleton 2conversions and 1penalty)
lost to Glenmark­Cheviot 28 (Nick Hyde
(2), Jordy Gray,Matt Holmes tries, Cogs
Harnett 1try, 1penalty)
Ohoka vWaihora
Ohoka came out of the blocks well to
celebrate Tom Taylor’s50th game for the
team, scoring first. Waihora levelled up
on the stroke of half­time butWaihora
dominated the secondhalf with three
unanswered tries. Ben Gold, Patrick
McCallum and Scott Allinwere the pick
of the Ohoka team.
Ohoka 7 (Patrick McCallum try,Scott
Allin conversion) lost to Waihora 29.
Ashley vRakaia
Ashley put on aconvincing performance
to beat Rakaia 47­14 after leading 28­7 at
half­time. Playing an entertaining brand
of 15­man rugby it chalked up seven tries,
with goal­kicker, Jack Marshall,
converting all but one of the tries.
Ashley 47 (Anthony Tavendale (2), Tyler
Power, Ben Wicksteed, Louis James,
Korbyn Gray, Brad McKenzie, tries, Jack
Marshall 6conversions) beat Rakaia14.
Kaiapoi vHurunui
Two very strong forward packs made this
match an enthralling fixture. Taine
Jacobs­Lawson scored early after a
Hurunui clearing kick was charged
down, but the leadchanged hands
several times during the match.
Kaiapoi’s flanker, Jarrod Smith, earned
their Player­of­the­Day award for his
tireless efforts, whileHamish Dalzell
was one of Hurunui’s best.
With just four 4minutes remaining,
Hurunui’s hooker Ben Funnell scored,
but the conversion attemptwhich would
have put Hurunuiinfront was waved
away.
Kaiapoi 19 (Jacob Hurring, Shak Bassi
tries, Taine Jacobs­Lawson 1try 2
conversions) beat Hurunui 18 (Ben
Funnell try, Kyle McKenzie 2penalties, 1
conversion.
Oxford vWoodend
In wet, cold and windy conditions at
Oxford, the home team controlled all bar
the first 10 minutes of the match against
Woodend. CodyTayles, Jesse Houston,
GeorgePrain and Sam Freemanwere
outstanding for Oxford, while Woodend
certainly benefited from the return of the
Swaine brothers. Andrew Procter and
Aidan Wakefield were others to play
well.
Oxford 47 (Jesse Houston (3), George
Prain (2) Sam Freeman, Korbyn Newman
tries,Matt Roberts (4) Gus Mowat (2)
conversions beat Woodend 17 (Connor
Swaine, Michael McCloy ,tries, Jordy
Swaine 1try, 2conversions).
NORTH CANTERBURYRUGBY
SUBUNION -18 June 2022
Luisetti Seeds Div 1-ALLNORTH CANTERBURY
FINAL
Saracens V Glenmark Cheviot, 4.45PM Sbk1
FINAL. Ohoka VLincoln, 2.45PM Mand 1. Ashley
V Kaiapoi, 2.45PM LobLr1. Hurunui V Rakaia,
2.45PM Col 1. Oxford VWest Melton, 2.45PM
OxOval.
Division 2-Ellesmere &North Canterbury
Saracens V Ashley, 1.00PM Sbk 1. Ohoka V
Hurunui, 1.00PM Mand 1. Woodend VKaiapoi,
1.00PMWdnd1.Amberley VOxford, 2.00PMAmb
1. KaikouraVGlenmark Cheviot, 2.30PMKaik 1.
CombinedColts-All games 1.00pm
Kaiapoi VLincoln. Glenmark Cheviot VPrebbleton.
Ashley BYE.
Womens - SeeWebsite
1stXV
Roncalli College Aoraki Combined VRangiora HS,
2.45PMRoncalli 1.
Senior Girls-See Website
Under 18
Hurunui VRangiora HS 1.00PM. Kaiapoi VHornby
1.00PM
Under 16
Leeston VOxford 12.00PM. Celtic VRangiora HS
1.00PM.Kaiapoi HS VWest Melton1.00PM
Under14.5
OxfordVRolleston 12.00PM. Rangiora HS Green V
Springston /Waihora 1.00PM. RangioraHSGold V
Kaikoura 1.00PM.
Under 13 –all games 11.40am
Kaiapoi VHurunui. Oxford VAshley. Saracens V
Woodend.
Under 12 –all games 11.30am
Amberley V Ohoka Black. Ashley V Saracens.
Kaikoura V Glenmark Cheviot. Ohoka Red V
Hurunui. OxfordBYE.
Under 11 –all games 10.30am
Amberley VSaracensRed. AshleyVSaracens Blue.
OhokaRed VHurunui. Kaiapoi Blue VOhokaBlack.
Woodend VKaiapoiGold. Oxford BYE.
Under 10 –all games 12.10pm
Amberley Blue VOhoka Black. Amberley Black V
Oxford. Kaikoura VAshley Blue. Kaiapoi Gold V
Hurunui. WoodendVOhokaRed.
Under 9–all games 10.00am
Ashley Blue VSaracens Blue.OhokaBlackVAshley
Green. Glenmark Cheviot VSaracens Red. Ohoka
Red VHurunui. Woodend VKaiapoi Gold. Oxford
BYE.
Under 8–all games 11.05am
Amberley VSaracens Red. Ashley Blue VGlenmark
Cheviot Black. Kaikoura Blue V Ashley Green.
Ohoka Red VHurunui. Woodend Black VKaiapoi
Gold. Oxford VSaracens Blue.Ohoka BlackBYE.
Under 7–all games 10.50am
Amberley VSaracens Red. Oxford Red VAshley
Blue. Ohoka Red VAshley Green. Woodend Green
VGlenmarkCheviot. KaiapoiBlue VHurunuiBlack.
Ohoka Black VHurunui. Woodend Black VKaiapoi
Gold. Oxford BlackVSaracensBlue.
Under 6-all games 10:00am
Amberley VSaracens Red. Kaiapoi Blue VAshley
Blue. Ashley Green VAshley White. Ashley Gold V
Glenmark Cheviot Black. Glenmark Cheviot Blue V
Woodend Green. Glenmark Cheviot Gold VOhoka
Black. Woodend Black V Kaiapoi Gold. Ohoka
Green VHurunui Black. Ohoka Red VWoodend
White.Oxford VSaracens Blue.
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