Try fest as last year's finalists run riot

ELUSIVE: Pioneer's Sean Robinson evades the tackle of Gladstone's Henry Booth on the way to one of his two tries in his team's 30-20 win.PHOTOS/ANDREW BONALLACK.

Tries came thick and fast when matches in the Wairarapa-Bush Rugby Union's premier division competition kicked off on Saturday.

Over the four games played, 35 tries were scored with last year's Tui Cup finalists, Greytown and Eketahuna, providing 24 between them.

Defending champions Greytown were always likely to be too strong for an injury-ravaged Marist in their clash at Greytown and so it proved with Greytown romping away for a 62-0 win and scoring 10 tries in the process. Backs Raymond Oakley and Joseph Sio scored two tries apiece and others went to Norm Henricksen, Regan Pope, Kurt Simmonds, Taylor Fenwick, Chaz Matthews and Tehaina Brown.

Tavita Isaac added six conversions. Marist lacked nothing on the score of endeavour but were all too often caught out on defence by a Greytown side willing to move the ball at every opportunity.

It was a similar story at Eketahuna where the home side ran in 14 tries against a Carterton side missing several of last year's squad and very much in a rebuilding phase. Eketahuna's game plan was to place almost total emphasis on attack and they kept the scoreboard ticking over at an impressive rate. Newcomers Robbie Anderson and Paul Tikomainavalu scored two tries for Eketahuna as did Tom Meuli while Dylan Bennett, Bradley Harriman, Luke Mahoney, Sam Monaghan, Daniel White, Jeff Ebbett and Sam Marshall-Wilson all managed one apiece.

Anderson kicked three conversions and Meuli four.

The sole Carterton try was scored by Daryl Pickering and Brock Price landed two penalties and a conversion.

A penalty try helped Pioneer to a 30-20 win over Gladstone at Gladstone. Impressive back Sean Robinson also touched down twice for Pioneer and Joseph Thompson kicked three penalties and three conversions.

Inia Katia scored both of Gladstone's tries and New Zealand Heartland rep Cameron Hayton added two penalties and two conversions/

The surprise result of the first round was Martinborough's decisive 36-9 victory over last year's Tui Cup semi-finalists East Coast at Martinborough.

This was expected to be a close-fought affair but, as it happened, Martinborough ran in six tries to zilch and were clearly the better team.

Tim Roberts scored two of the Martinborough tries and others went to Tipine Haira, Jared Hawkins, Max Hornblow and Nathan Hunt. Tipene Haira kicked two conversions and his brother Himiona Haira kicked one conversion.

All of East Coast's points came from the boot of Byron Karaitiana who landed three penalty goals.