Wakatipu hangs on to cup

The Wakatipu team after successfully defending the White Horse Cup on Saturday. Photo by Christina McDonald.

A dominant first half helped secure Wakatipu victory over Upper Clutha on Saturday and, more importantly, retain the White Horse Cup for another year.

In a tough game against Upper Clutha in the first round of the competition, Wakatipu scraped by with a one-point win, but it was a different story on Saturday, as the home team won 32-15.

Wakatipu coach Damian Petre said his team's performance in the first half put it in good stead for the entirety of the game.

''In the second half, Upper Clutha came back and scored three good tries, but I think we had control of the game throughout.''

Wakatipu's Henry Youngman in action during his team's final White Horse Cup defence of the year. Photo by Blair Pattison.

Wakatipu scored a try in the first minute and backed that up with two more before the end of the first half.

Upper Clutha tried in vain to push through Wakatipu's defences before halftime but, in the second half the visiting team hit back with three tries, but the home team also added three to its tally.

Having won the coveted trophy, Petre said ''we can now focus on bigger things''.