Marlborough touch teams impress away
Marlborough were well represented by several motivated teams during the Tahunanui touch tournament in Nelson at the weekend.
Two teams from this side of the Whangamoas reached finals.
The under-12 girls made their way to the decider where they lost 9-1 to Wellington, while the under14 boys also met a capital combination in the decider, going down 8-1.
In the round robin section the under-12 girls beat West Coast 3-1, Canterbury 4-3, Nelson 2-1 and the Marlborough Development side 5-0, then went on to win their semi in a thrilling match, Maddie Large scoring the winning try during a drop-off after the sides drew 1-1 in normal time.
Kayla Hebberd was named MVP for the under-12 girls grade, an award voted on by the referees.
The youngsters learned quickly how to play structured touch and discovered the finer skills required for the higher level.
The under-12 girls development side were unable to pick up a win, although they came close in their final game against West Coast, who scored the decider when the teams were down to three players apiece.
It was the first time Marlborough has taken a development girls team to any tournament and all the team showed major improvement.
The under-12 boys side lost to both Wellington and Canterbury in pool play, but beat Marlborough Development 9-1 and Nelson 6-4 to reach a semifinal against Wellington, which they lost 4-1. This side produced a mixed bag but improved as the weekend went on, slowly coming to grips with the intensity required to play at rep level. Their style of play netted 18 tries.
The under-14 girls combination won just once in round robin, downing West Coast 3-0, then beat the Coasters gain in the fifth and sixth place play-off 6-0. The girls were disappointed with their final placing, having been well-placed to win against both Motueka and Nelson.
Although they lost the final to a bigger, faster combination, the under-14 boys side had a good weekend, playing consistently to reach the title decider. In round robin play they lost 5-3 to Wellington, then beat Motueka 6-4, Canterbury 4-3 and Nelson 12-1. In their semi, against Canterbury, they were all tied up at full time, Marlborough’s Jake Pacey scoring the winning try in the drop-off.
Next up for the Marlborough teams is the South Island IPS tournament in Christchurch on December 16-17.