Fijian winger Esava Teko has established a new record for the most tries scored by a Wairarapa-Bush player in any one season in NPC third division matches. Teko, who plays his club rugby in Wellington and is the only "imported" player in the current Wairarapa-Bush squad, has already touched down onsix occasions in the 2004 competition. And he could have as many as three games left to build on that number with Wairarapa-Bush to play Mid-Canterbury in the last of the preliminary round games in Ashburton this coming weekend, and then to contest a semi-final seven days later. Win that of course and they will be through to the grand final. The previous Wairarapa-Bush record for the most tries in any one season at third division level was jointly held by Jamie Stewart-McDonald and Patrick Rimene, Stewart- McDonald setting his figure in 2000 and Rimene in 2003. Teko's next objective will be to better the career record for tries scored for Wairarapa-Bush in NPC third division matches It is held by Stewart-McDonald with eight. So far in 2004l Wairarapa-Bush has scored 20 tries at NPC level.. Teko on six is followed by five players on two, Jaco Pieterse, Hamish Mckenzie, Simanu Simanu, Brian Saolele and Nathan Couch. Scorers of one try to date are Sam Henderson, Richard Carroll, Mike Robinson and Jorji Tamani. Goal kicker Patrick Rimene has already equalled the record for the number of conversions landed for Wairarapa-Bush in any one third division season. He has managed 10, the same as he himself kicked in 2000 and Darren Kapene chalked up in 2001.. Rimene is also set to establish new figures for the most penalties kicked in any one season. That record of 10 is also shared by himself and Kapene and Rimene equalled it in the match with West Coast last weekend. In total Rimene has scored 50 points for Wairarapa-Bush this season, 16 short of the record of 66 he set in 2003.
