Central must be content with bowl

BURSTING THROUGH: Central Bay of Plenty's Ethan Draper takes the ball up in the Stan Meads Cup semi-final between Central Bay and Maniapotu at the Ngongotaha Domain on Saturday. PHOTO/BEN FRASER

Central Bay of Plenty will have to be content with trying to retain the Stan Meads Bowl next weekend.

Central went down to Maniapoto 25-14 at Ngongotaha Domain in the Stan Mead Cup semi-final on Saturday, missing a chance to lower the colours of Te Awamutu in next weekends cup final.

Instead they will take on Thames Valley B as they attempt to retain the bowl they won last season.

Central captain Dan Pearce said he was disappointed with the outcome of Saturday's game.

''We'd been going well and thought we were on the path to win it - we won 35-26 against Hamilton and beat Eastern Bay 51-5 and thought we might have it in the bag,'' he said.

But the semi-final was essentially lost in the first half.

''We didn't fire too much in the first half, we won the second half, but the way we played in the second half, we should have played in the first half. But that's footy.''

Central had a bye the previous weekend and Pearce said that might have worked against the team.

''The gelling wasn't there at the start, but it started to come towards the end. That's semi-final football - it should be a hard game and it was a hard game.''

Overall, though, Pearce was pleased with Central's Stan Meads campaign.

''The boys have gelled real well. All the (Rotorua) teams coming together and forming one team, it can be tricky, but we end up all being good mates and that's good when you come back to club rugby.''

Central's bowl final against Thames Valley B will be a curtain raiser to the cup final between holders Te Awamutu and Maniapoto. Both games are in Otorohanga.

The Stan Meads competition is named after one of the most dedicated All Black forwards of the 1960's, and brother of Colin Meads. It is contested between six sub-union teams from the Bay of Plenty, Waikato and King Country.