Rugby
Pioneer overcame a sluggish start to beat Carterton 27-17 in their Tui Cup premier division rugby match at the Jeans Street grounds in Masterton on Saturday.
Both teams struggled to get into rhythm in an opening quarter highlighted more by the number of spilled passes and wasted kicks than anything of note.
Pioneer butchered at least two tries in that period through players going it alone rather than feeding on to those unmarked outside them and, similarly, Carterton also let possible scoring chances go begging through poor option taking just as the goalline beckoned.
Happily the standard of rugby improved dramatically through the remainder of the first half and all of the second with most of the seven tries - five of them to Pioneer - coming at the end of attacks in which teamwork was the prime ingredient.
The McFadzean brothers, Johnie and Lachie, were outstanding performers for Carterton, ensuring their side of an ample supply of lineout ball and often featuring with their powerful running in broken play. Tom Dixon also looked a likely prospect in the middle row and Blair Heming was typically industrious in the tighter exchanges.
Pioneer's forwards were well led by Nathan Rolls whose uncanny ability to position himself in the right place at the right time on both attack and defence was always evident, flanker Rimataei Mururai continued to build on the favourable impression he has made all season, lock Quentin Trass was a handy winner of lineout ball and a diligent worker in general play and dual try-scorer Lee Ewe was all hustle and bustle.
It was in the backs where Pioneer clearly looked the better of the two sides once they started to string their passes together. Halfback Joseph Thompson provided another high quality performance which must surely see him in the reckoning for representative honours and there was a lot to like about the speed and determination of Damian Kamo-Paku and Nikora Ewe.
The Carterton rearguard lacked the sting of their Pioneer counterparts with a tendency to run across field too often seeing their attacking movements stifled before they made it to the advantage line.
Damian Kamo-Paku, Lee Ewe (2), Nathan Rolls and Rimataei Mururai scored tries for Pioneer and Joseph Thompson kicked one conversion. Linai Volavola and Lachie McFadzean scored the tries for Carterton and Danny Brown kicked one penalty and two conversions.
Greytown celebrated their old-timers' day in style with a comfortable 29-3 win over Gladstone. Hard running loosie Nathan Iro scored two of the four tries for Greytown with others going to Teihana Brown and Joseph Sio. Glen Walters added three conversions and a penalty. A penalty by Cameron Hayton was all Gladstone had to show for their efforts.
East Coast and Martinborough were expected to have a battle royal at Whareama but, in the end, East Coast managed to deprive their opposition of any competition points with a 28-14 success. Sully Alsop, Sam Barbour and Zeb Aporo scored tries for East Coast and Nick Olson was on target with the boot, kicking three penalties and two conversions.
Eketahuna ran in six tries in their 47-17 defeat of Marist, two of them to lively flanker Johan Van Vliet and others to Dan Griffin, Rupeni Tamani, Richard Thurston and Devon Taiaroa. They were also awarded a penalty try.Tom Meuli added four conversions and Dylan Bennett two conversions. Abel Ripine and Fifi Tauese scored tries for Marist and James Goodger kicked two conversions and a penalty goal.
In senior reserve matches Pioneer beat Eketahuna 47-7 and Masterton Red Star edged out East Coast 11-7.