CRL YOUTH WRAP & WEEKEND PREVIEW
YOUTH WRAP – JUNE 12
After the King’s Birthday Weekend break, all three CRL girls grades and the 16s and 18s boys were back in youth night competition action on Monday.
The girls’ season wrapped with the 14s’ ‘game of three halves’, a pair of 16s clashes and the third and final Linwood-Hornby 18s encounter – won 20-6 by the Panthers – at Ngā Puna Wai.
But there’s still plenty to look forward to, courtesy of the 2023 South Island youth tournament in Oamaru in a fortnight’s time. Canterbury 14s, 16s and 18s squads were named earlier this month for the July 1-3 tournament.
CANTERBURY SQUADS ANNOUNCED FOR SOUTH ISLAND GIRLS TOURNAMENT
In 16s boys matches, Linwood Keas stayed unbeaten with a 62-0 win over Woolston Rams, Hornby Panthers Black consolidated second spot with a similarly emphatic 62-4 defeat of Papanui Tigers and Hornby Panthers White leapfrogged Celebration Lions into third with an 18-14 result.
Linwood Keas finished top of the 18s boys table with a 56-10 victory against Papanui Tigers, while second-placed Hornby Panthers defeated Halswell Hornets 42-4. The Keas face the Hornets and the Panthers take on the Tigers in Monday’s semi-finals at Ngā Puna Wai
Meanwhile, on top of the exciting news Canberra Raiders under-18s will play two matches in Christchurch next month against Canterbury 19s and South Island Scorpions 18s, Canterbury’s 13s, 14s, 16s and 18s teams for the South Island youth tournament in Oamaru from July 8-10 were named yesterday.
CANTERBURY AND SOUTH ISLAND TEAMS TO PLAY TOURING CANBERRA RAIDERS JUNIORS
SEE ALL DRAWS, RESULTS AND STANDINGS HERE
WEEKEND PREVIEW – JUNE 17-18
It’s a huge Saturday ahead in the CRL Men’s Premiership courtesy of a pair of top-four showdowns and a clash that will have a major bearing on which club features in the promotion/relegation fixture in August.
Massetti Cup co-leaders Linwood Keas and Hornby Panthers are both at home – hosting Eastern Eagles and Halswell Hornets, respectively – while bottom-placed Northern Bulldogs take on Riccarton Knights in Kaiapoi. The Bulldogs are searching for their first win since defeating the Knights in Round 1.
Following the top-six/bottom-five split in the CRL Premier Reserves competition, Greymouth Greyhounds and Ashburton Barbarians square off in a top-of-the-table ISC Canterbury Cup encounter at Papanui Domain. Linwood Keas and Eastern Eagles sit equal-third and meet at Linwood Park, while the Hornby Panthers-Halswell Hornets derby could be crucial in deciding who features in the promotion/relegation match with the top-ranked Division One team.
After a three-year hiatus, Division One officially returns this weekend, with Papanui Tigers, Riccarton Knights, Northern Bulldogs, Shirley Hawks and Burnham Chevaliers joined by second lower-grade teams from Papanui and Hornby. The Tigers’ top team is in the box seat for the promotion/relegation weekend in August.
In Sunday’s CRL Women’s Premiership double-header at Ngā Puna Wai, defending champs Linwood Keas are aiming to bounce back from their first loss of the season last weekend to Sydenham Swans when they face Burnham Chevaliers at 1pm, while Woolston Rams and Eastern Eagles lock horns at 2.35pm.
SEE ALL DRAWS, RESULTS AND STANDINGS HERE
Photo Credit: Abraham Atherton Photography
