RUGBY
Wairarapa College held on in a nailbiting finish to beat Rathkeale 17–15 in a tight, tense first XV clash at Waicol on Monday.
Tries to Junior Mila, Conley Alexander and Cyrus Wilson had given the home side a 17–10 lead late in the game, but Rathkeale weren’t to be denied. A try to prop William Kloeg to go with an earlier try to Sanerivi Fuli closed the gap to two points, but the conversion attempt was astray, giving Waicol their second consecutive victory in the traditional fixture for the NR Stuart Cup.
HOCKEY
St Matthew’s made it two in a row in the Manawatu Intercity Secondary Schoolgirls Division One Championship, winning an entertaining, high-scoring final 6–5 over Feilding High School.
It wasn’t such good news for the region’s two boys’ teams in the finals. Waicol were beaten 4–2 by the gun Palmerston North Boys High School first XI in the division one decider, while Kuranui went down 3–2 to Whanganui High School in the division two final.
Gladstone did the double in the Wairarapa Hockey Local League finals. The Bulls were too good for Carterton Vets in the men’s final, winning 3–1, and the women were taken to a shootout by Dalefield before prevailing 2–1.
Tremains Red Star trounced Dalefield Dodgers 9–2 in the men’s bottom four final, while Coasties are the division two women’s champions after beating Property Brokers 2–1 in a shootout, and Wairarapa Mitsubishi won the bottom four 3–2 also in a shootout.
FOOTBALL
Rathkeale finished a credible third in the Wellington Secondary School Premier Boys Championship after a brilliant 4–3 victory over Scots College. Liam Gale scored two goals, while Sam Jonas and James Wilkinson also found the back of the net.
Waicol conceded a late goal to top qualifiers Heretaunga Collge going down 4–3 in the boys’ division one final.
Douglas Villa Drake will take on clubmates DV Skulls and Featherston United Property Brokers will host Carterton Redbacks in Saturday’s Wairarapa Cup semifinals.
In last Saturday’s quarterfinals, DV Drake easily dispatched Greytown Umbrella Group Spartans 8–3, Skulls won a tight game with Progressive Engineering Masterton Athletic 5–3, Redbacks had to work hard before prevailing 3–1 over Greytown Tremains, and Featherston were untroubled in beating Martinborough 4–0.
