Westport "Gin Twins" remembered

Barry the Butcher, Whanganui Rugby mascot. Photo / Bevan Conley

The visit of Buller this weekend brings back memories of two of the southern union's most jovial and popular characters.

They were Ross Burrows and the late "Digger" Hartigan, two long-serving Westport publicans who were involved in a multitude of sports on the West Coast and made visits to Whanganui.

They were nicknamed the "Gin Twins" by some Coasters because of their daily ritual of strolling along Westport's extremely long 4km Main Rd occasionally casually sampling the wares from the multitude of bars.

The pair were not only loyal Buller rugby fanatics but they also played in a range of other sports in their young days, played bowls in latter years and were actively involved in trotting and jockey club racing as owners and officials, winning a number of prominent events.

They undertook trips to All Blacks fixtures as well as watching other major sporting events including the Commonwealth Games in New Zealand.

Ross Burrows is still associated with trotting and enjoys an occasional quiet drink with his wife Marlene while dining at the beach on Friday nights … although nothing like the sometimes extended old "Gin Twin" sessions.

The ex-publicans were regular visitors to Cup Week in Christchurch and personally attended racing on visits to Whanganui.

One trip to Whanganui was to play in the annual Tim Hurley-organised HANZ Bacardi licensed trade lawn bowls championships which regularly attracted well over 100 players from all over the country.

It was on one such road trip that the "Twins" came upon another South Island publican, then NANZ vice president David McNae, the licensee from Tuatatapere.

Distant Tuatapere happens to be 53.6 miles beyond Invercargill, is renowned for its sausages and hitched on to the McNay vehicle happened to be a very well-equipped portable bar. Enough said for extra thirsty travellers.

Ross Burrows and the late Digger Hartigan used their personalities to help raise thousands and thousands of dollars for Buller sports and charity organisations over many years.

One Buller victory
Buller may have only won one of six Heartland fixtures at Cooks Gardens since 2008 – 40-30 in 2013 over a team under one-term head coach Karl Hoskin - but the southerners gave the Butcher Boys a scare in the 2016 Meads Cup final.

The sides were locked 10-all at halftime and Steelform Whanganui scrambled home 20-18, thanks to Ruapehu second five Craig Clare scoring 15 pts (a try, two penalties and two conversions) and Border lock Gavin Thornbury scoring a try.

Three weeks earlier Whanganui had won 28-0 at Victoria Square in Westport but the Buller "Boys" were fired up for the final and missed a great chance of winning a first set of Meads medals, but ace goal-kicker James Lash, the top Heartland points scorer of the year with 124 pts, missed several penalty attempts.

Tries counted for six points that year and penalties for two points.

After not winning a game for the past two years Buller is currently fifth on the Bunnings Warehouse Heartland points table with home wins over Mid Canterbury 34-29 and Poverty Bay 49-0 and away against West Coast 36-32, a 10-71 hammering away at the hands of North Otago in Oamaru and a 52-12 defeat from last year's Meads runners-up Thames Valley in Westport last Saturday.

Inside back Jack Parker is the top points scorer with 53 points while the trio of Isei Lewaqal, Michael Stringer and Mitieli Kaloudigtbeci each have scored four of 20 tries.

Bonus point was vital
Thank goodness Whanganui rallied with a second spell recovery to score a late second spell converted try to clinch a 32-24 fifth round Heartland qualifying victory over Poverty Bay in Gisborne last Saturday.

The Butcher Boys, ahead 14-10 at halftime, but later trailing 20-24, collected an invaluable bonus point for a fourth try which enables the side to stay in with a realistic chance of hosting a home Meads Cup semifinal next month.

The 'Bay, which can prove an unpredictable opponent to play at times with unexpected tactics, could have upset Whanganui and won the fixture which would have dropped the Butcher Boys to fourth with three rounds remaining.

But tries from Semi Vodesese and Ethan Robinson helped Whanganui maintain an unbeaten record of 16 Heartland victories over Poverty Bay.

Since 2006 the winning teams have scored 691 points and conceded 277 with an average winning score of 43-17.

Whanganui prominent
Whanganui has conceded the fewest points of any Heartland side so far this season and is one of three teams conceding the least tries.

Latest Heartland statistics –
Qualifying Points – Sth Cant 24, Whang 21, TV 20, Nth Otago 17, Buller 15, Mid Cant 14, Horo-Kap 13, KC 10, EC 9, PB 6, WC 3, Wair-Bush 2.

Points scored- - NO 247, SC 215, Whang 174, MC 173, TV 161, Buller 140, H-K 133, KC and PB 100, WC 92,W-B 86, EC 80.

Points conceded – Whang 94, TV 95, SC 97, EC 110, NO 114, KC 129, PB 148, MC 154,WC 163,H-K 191, Buller 204, W-B 208.

Most tries scored – 36 NO, 30 SC, 25 TV, 24 Whang, 23 MC, 20 Buller, 14 PB, 13 HK, WC, WB, 11 KC, EC.

Most tries conceded – 13 Whang, SC, NO, 14 TV, 15 EC, 16 KC, 19 MC, 20 PB, 24 EC, 28 HK, WB

Average winning scores – 49-23 NO, 43-19 SC, 35-17 Whang, 35-31 MC, 32-19 TV, 30-41 Buller, 27-39 H-K, 21-30 PB, 20-16 KC, 18-33 WC, 17-41 W-B, 16-21 EC.

Highest scores – Nth Otago 89 (13 tries) , Horo-Kap 23;TV 71 (11 tries), Buller 10; Sth Cant 53 (9 tries), Horo-Kap 20.

The most vital Heartland clash this weekend is between third and fourth placed Thames Valley and North Otago in Whitianga.

With only three weeks of qualifying remaining, the result will have a major bearing on the composition of the eventual semifinal pairings.

Other games on Saturday – Hosts first – Horowhenua-Kapiti v Mid Canterbury, King Country v East Coast, South Canterbury v Poverty Bay, West Coast v Wairarapa Bush, Whanganui v Buller.