Magpies' ITM Cup celebrations turn fiery

The ITM Cup provided a useful vessel from which Magpie players toasted their success.

The ITM Cup the Magpies lifted last Friday may have enjoyed a fiery celebration after the game.

"They were celebrating pretty good for a few days - probably still are," Magpies commercial manager Jay Campbell said.

The story doing the rounds is that during the celebrations on the winning night someone poured some fiery drop into the cup and ignited it - briefly.

It was then said to have been dunked into a swimming pool at the property it was all happening at.

"No one's said anything about that to me," Magpies assistant coach Danny Lee said. "But it [the cup] probably would have had a fair amount of fun."

Mr Lee said he had no concerns for the cup, although he had not seen it for himself.

Neither had Mr Campbell or union chief executive Mike Bishop.

"It's with the players and my understanding is it's okay," Mr Bishop said, adding that if there were any problems with it they would have let him know.

"We worked hard for this cup and we'll look after it."

He said he had no doubt though the players celebrated hard after the great win. "I think we all did."

Mr Campbell said everything was on track for the end-of-year prizegiving at the Cheval Rooms in Hastings tomorrow night, when the cup will have pride of place.

He said it was not unknown for trophies to take aboard some slight dings and dents during celebrations or simply doing the rounds. He cited the Ranfurly Shield as an example - one of the teams which held it before the Magpies lifted it somehow managed to drop it in a spa pool.

Talk of such events were all part of what he called the "stories and colour" of enthusiastic celebration events.

"But as far as we're aware, all's well." Mr Campbell said over the next six months the cup will tour the region to sponsors, schools and various events.

For Magpies fans it is most certainly viewed as ... very hot stuff.