GOOD
Super Rugby tops the billing this week, with the Hurricanes extending their unbeaten start to five games with a 54-28 defeat of the Rebels. A tricky away trip to Dunedin on Saturday is next up, and it’s by no means a given after the “landers” showed some grit in coming back for a narrow loss to the Chiefs.
Normally, a five-match losing streak and bottom of the heap would fit into the ‘Ugly’, but as it’s the Crusaders, and I’ve endured the best part of five decades of torment from one-eyed Cantabs and, more latterly, Crusaders fans, it just fits snugly into the ‘Good’. 0–6 is looking like a real probability with the Chiefs up tomorrow.
The Warriors finally got their first win under their belt, and although not the prettiest two points they have ever bagged, they got their show on the road, ensuring a sellout crowd for the visit from the Knights on Sunday.
The Kiwi para-cycling team rode home with 11 medals from the World Champs in Rio, with Devon Briggs [four medals] and Nicole Murray [three medals] leading the way on the velodrome.
Is this good, or simply nuts? Greig Hamilton became the first Kiwi to complete the tortuous Barkley Marathons in his third attempt at the 161km race in Frozen Head State Park, Tennessee. Hamilton had just over 21 minutes left when he finished the five-lap race to beat the 60-hour time limit. The race features 16500m of vertical climbs and descents and is described as “the race that eats its young”. Only 19 have finished the race, including one woman, Jasmin Park from Britain, in this year’s edition.
Let’s conclude the ‘Good’ with a bit of local and Martinborough winning the Gawith Shield for Wairarapa Tennis supremacy – their sixth win in the past eight years. And Ruby Rocks striding to victory in the Masterton Cup at Tauherenikau on Sunday, completing the local cup double to go with the Wairarapa Cup on Waitangi Day, made even sweeter when one has a share, although only a hoof, in the honest mare.
BAD
Numerous defaults, long breaks without games and shambolic scheduling all added up to a bad softball season for the Giants softballers. Although Giants had a reasonably successful season with a win in the Intercity Premier Three championship and runners-up finishes in the Intercity and Hutt Valley Premier Two, they will be pleased to see the back of a badly organised season.
The Wellington Phoenix women’s poor away form again bit them on the behind with a 1–0 loss to Canberra United, ending any hope of playoff football.
UGLY
The hoo-hah over the dolphins on the race course resulting in the deferral of racing in the Sail GP at Lyttelton Harbour has created more than enough discussion and overreaction and really got a bit ugly. Now, I have no firm view of whether racing should’ve gone ahead or not because I simply do not know enough about it, but threatening not to go there again is surely over the top. Next thing you know, you might not be able to schedule a cricket test at the Basin Reserve in fear of it raining.
On the subject of Sail GP, what is with Kiwi sports teams that they have to be lumbered with stupid nicknames? The Black Foils, please! I suppose it’s better than the briefly used badminton team moniker ‘Black Cocks’, which was quickly dropped, presumably because the team didn’t measure up.
