Rugby
Gladstone's JAB rugby section has made a roaring start to the 2013 season with over 120 junior players registered to wear their colours.
A muster of players and coaches was held at the Gladstone sports complex in April. The numbers mean 10 teams are being fielded this season, three in the under-6 grade, three in the under-8 and one each in the under-9, under-10, under-11 (combined with Greytown) and under-13.
A dedicated committee will deal with the logistics of shorts, jerseys, balls and water bottles and all the other details required to make a junior club run smoothly. Typically, mums and dads are included among the many managers and coaches and each team has their own website where photos, videos and results are posted every week and also emailed to club members.
The need to fundraise to keep the junior section healthy has long been recognised and this year's major event is to be a trail ride.
The Gladstone Gold under-6s were a busy team last Saturday, playing two matches. They lost to Pioneer and Red Star but won plaudits for their enthusiasm and determination.
Player of the day was Zac Blair, who scored five tries over the two games.
The two Greytown teams contesting the under-13 grade met last Thursday and in a high-spirited game which saw both teams run in some spectacular tries, Greytown Black beat Greytown Red 51-25.
The Greytown under-9s also showed plenty of passion in Saturday's fixture with the Rams although it was the latter who ran out winners.
One of the more entertaining fixtures in the under-10 grade was between Carterton-Tuhirangi and Eketahuna Yellow with Carterton-Tuhirangi holding out their tenacious opposition 40-30. Highlight was the keenness shown by the two sides at the breakdowns with possession being evenly shared. Matthew Roger was a standout for the winners, scoring two of their tries.
Rams produced an excellent set of results in Saturday's JAB action with 11 wins and a draw from the 14 matches in which they were involved.
The under-13s kept their unbeaten record intact with a win over Carterton at Carterton. No8 Jeffrey Wilson was in grand form, scoring a hat-trick of tries.
Rams under-11s ventured all the way down to Pirinoa and were part of the celebrations for Tuhirangi's old-timers and sponsors' day. They scored a good win and David Kelly was named their player of the day.
The under-10s, who never recorded a win last year, are on a roll this season and they picked up win No3 on Saturday when they accounted for Eketahuna. Moa Iefata was the standout player, scoring three sensational tries.
In the under-9 grade, Rams White registered a win over Greytown and Rams Black went down to a Carterton side after showing plenty of flair.
Rams under-8s were on fire with the Black squad beating both Greytown and Carterton and the Whites recording victories over Gladstone and Marist.
The Greys started with an impressive win over Carterton but found Eketahuna too hot to handle in their second match.
In the under-6s there was a win for the Blacks and a draw and loss for the Whites.
Results: Under-6: Rams White one win, one loss; Rams Black one win. Under-8s: Rams White two wins, Rams Black two wins, Rams Greys one win, one loss. Under-9s: Rams White 40, Greytown 10; Carterton 45, Rams Black 25. Under-10s: Rams 20, Eketahuna 15; Under-11s: Rams 50, Martinborough-Tuhirangi 0. Under-13s: Rams Red 50, Carterton 0.