Club rugby: Papatoetoe keep cup in nail biter

Photo / Robert Trathen

AUCKLAND

Papatoetoe retained the Sir Fred Allen Challenge Cup and gained valuable points after a nail-biting 20-18 win over Grammar Carlton at Papatoetoe yesterday.

The game was a cracker, with second-placed Papatoetoe seemingly assured of the win as the clock ticked over 80 minutes. But Grammar Carlton ran the ball from their goal line and winger Ben Lam touched down for a memorable try. Michigan Lam's conversion from out wide just missed to leave Papatoetoe second on the Alan McEvoy Memorial table, behind University who beat Teachers Eastern 39-6.

Grammar Carlton had looked the more assured in the first half, playing the patient game Papatoetoe lacked with a strong wind at their backs. Hooker James Sorensen scored the only try of the half to have Grammar Carlton ahead 10-3 at the break.

But, led by an outstanding display from Auckland squad lock Fa'atiga Lemalu and a dominant scrum, Papatoetoe looked more likely in the second half but struggled to break down Grammar Carlton's tight defence, well marshalled by flanker Kara Pryor.

Lemalu set up winger Tenina Sauileoge for a try between the posts, then scored himself to make it 20-10 after Grammar Carlton's scrum went backwards.

Ponsonby move to third after a 13-3 win over College Rifles, Marist knocked over Suburbs 14-10, while Otahuhu beat Eden 46-17. Fourth-placed Pakuranga beat Waitakere City 31-22, Waitemata defeated East Tamaki 48-7 and Manukau Rovers beat Te Papapa-Mt Wellington 20-3.

- Peter White

NORTH HARBOUR

North Shore stretched their winning margin in the qualifying rounds for the North Harbour premier playoffs to 10 points yesterday, with a 22-19 win over second-placed Silverdale.

They only just snatched the win in the dying minutes through a try to centre Ben Stewart, and might well have lost but for Silverdale's poor goalkicking. When they played with the wind, three reasonably easy penalty goal attempts were missed.

That gave Shore a 10-5 halftime lead and when Silverdale again made most of the play in the second spell, they looked to have secured the win, especially when wing Aaron Doyle got the second of his two tries and replacement Bradley Abraham also crossed.

But with prop James McLachlan also scoring twice, and then Stewart, Shore were able to escape to earn a bye, along with Silverdale, for next weekend. Third-placed Massey will play the sixth side Takapuna and fourth-placed Western Pioneers meet fifth-placed Northcote to decide the other semifinal spots.

Western pushed Takapuna behind Northcote with a 20-3 win, while Massey and Northcote enjoyed easy wins over bottom sides Glenfield and Mahurangi.

Richard Lobb exceeded 200 points for the season with a 24-point haul in Massey's 74-3 win over Glenfield and Northcote thrashed Mahurangi 90-0.

East Coast Bays and Marist battled to a 13-13 draw, with Bays' Dave McMurtrie kicking eight points to reach his personal century.

- Lindsay Knight