Rugby fixture saved by council action
A late ground change and quick work by Porirua City Council saved an annual rugby fixture from being moved out of Titahi Bay.
Onepoto Domain wasn’t available for the recent 51st annual match between the under-12 grade Norths-Onepoto Hawks and their Lyttelton counterparts because it was closed for winter maintenance.
The teams were worried the September 17 fixture would have to be shifted out of the suburb.
Instead, Titahi Bay Intermediate offered its field and Porirua City Council turned it into a match-ready rugby ground so the game could take place, much to the delight of Norths-Onepoto assistant coach Carl Jones.
‘‘When we found out Onepoto was closed, I was a bit concerned we’d have to break with tradition and move it out of Titahi Bay,’’ he said.
‘‘I can’t thank the council and the school enough.’’
Council chief operating officer Tamsin Evans said Ascot Park was initially offered to the teams.
However the council realised how important it was to have the traditional game staged in Titahi Bay.
‘‘We brought Titahi Bay Intermediate field up to scratch by marking lines, filling in some holes with top soil and mowing it before the weekend, all at no cost,’’ she said.
The school also supplied pads for the goal posts and opened up the school toilets.
Jones said the annual matches are played over two weekends, one in Lyttelton and the second in Titahi Bay.
The weather in Porirua was dismal for the second fixture, but the kids loved the experience anyway, he said.
For the record, the Hawks won both games and retained the shield the two sides play for.