It is hard to say which was the more remarkable achievement in Central Otago premier club rugby on Saturday — Cromwell scoring a handsome win over Arrowtown after losing seven players (and a coach) to Covid, or Alexandra nosing out Wakatipu for a second time in a game that produced a solitary penalty goal.
There were times during the week, as the casualty list grew, that Cromwell coach Mike Cunningham, himself a victim, genuinely feared he may not be able to field a team at all.
In rapid succession he lost his halfback and captain Ben Maxwell, and his back-up, his midfield ace Hayden Todd, his fullback Devon Mathieson and a cluster of tight forwards.
"Because I was flattened myself, it was hugely challenging trying to put a team together. I was dreading each phone call."
In desperation, he sent an SOS to prop Jack Hanson, who had not played for two years, and he responded.
"As late as Saturday morning we didn’t have a halfback. But our lightweight flanker Dylan Robinson came to the rescue.’’
Cromwell had just 19 players when the bus arrived at Jack Reid Park, and when Arrowtown scored a quality try after only five minutes, things looked grim.
But that’s when the team’s class players — forwards Stefan Blakeborough, Jackson Clark and Hayden Hopgood, and first five Rhys Harrold — stepped up.
With Robinson turning in a near man-of-the-match performance, throwing faultless passes from halfback for the entire 80 minutes, Cromwell came through to dominate the second half.
Harrold scored his ninth try of the season and took his season’s points aggregate to 83.
Arrowtown made an explosive start, as it had in beating Alexandra the week before, and deserved its 10-7 halftime lead, its scrum consistently pressuring Cromwell. But in the second half too many erratic passes were thrown and too much quality possession kicked away.
Alexandra beating Wakatipu 11-10 in the opening round represented a monumental upset. Could it repeat the achievement at Molyneux Park?
Many thought not but Alexandra turned on a near-perfect defensive display that had coach Lee Wilson beaming with pride.
"I’m immensely proud of the players for what they achieved," Wilson said after the 3-0 win.
"It’s one of the most satisfying coaching occasions of my career."
It was 0-0 at halftime, and during the break Wilson told his players that if a penalty opportunity occurred, to take the three points, which they did, Tyler Ford landing the goal from 30m and in front 10 minutes into the second half.
Wakatipu, missing several key players to injury, had one opportunity only in the remaining 30 minutes to equalise, but the penalty attempt drifted wide.
Alexandra, whose man-of-the-match award went to prop Will Holden, registered its fourth victory to move into third place.
Alexandra will challenge front-runner Upper Clutha next Saturday for the White Horse Cup, a trophy it has not held since 2008.
Upper Clutha registered its sixth straight victory of the season, downing Maniototo 18-12 at Ranfurly, Maniototo goalkicker Daniel Adam keeping his side in the game with four well-taken penalty goals.
— Bob Howitt
