CRL YOUTH WRAP & WEEKEND PREVIEW
YOUTH WRAP – JULY 31-AUGUST 2
The weather and ground conditions forced the cancellation of last week’s CRL Youth Night Competitions, and although the 16s boys were back in action at Ngā Puna Wai on Monday, the weather intervened again on Wednesday.
Linwood Keas stayed undefeated atop the 16s table with a 32-6 victory over Hornby Panthers White, while Hornby Panthers Black stayed on the Keas’ tail via a 64-0 defeat of Woolston Rams.
Meanwhile, Celebration Lions carved out a 66-6 win against Papanui Tigers.
Wednesday’s 14s games kicked off but were called off during the first half due to deteriorating weather conditions.
Canterbury Park plays host to the 13s semi-finals this weekend, ahead of that grade’s grand final on August 12.
SEE ALL DRAWS, RESULTS AND STANDINGS HERE
WEEKEND PREVIEW – AUGUST 5-6
The stakes rise in the CRL senior competitions this Saturday for the opening weekend of the 2023 finals series.
In the CRL Men’s Premiership, two familiar foes lock horns in the qualifying final. Massetti Cup winners Hornby Panthers and defending premiers Linwood Keas – who have faced off in six of the last seven grand finals – vie for the first berth in the 2023 decider at Leslie Park.
Meanwhile, it’s do-or-die for third-placed Halswell Hornets and fourth-placed Eastern Eagles at Halswell Domain, with the loser eliminated and the winner taking on the loser of the Panthers-Keas clash next weekend. Both matches get underway at 2.45pm.
The ISC Canterbury Cup and Division One semi-finals both operate under a sudden-death format this season.
In the ISC Canterbury Cup, fourth-placed defending champs Linwood Keas make the trek over to Greymouth’s hallowed Wingham Park to take on the table-topping Greyhounds at 1.45pm. The 2 v 3 semi sees Hornby Panthers head down SH1 to face Ashburton Barbarians at Robilliard Park at 1pm.
Riccarton Knights and Shirley Hawks will battle it out in the Division One semi-final at Crosbie Park at 1pm, with the winner to face Papanui Tigers in the grand final.
The annual CRL Presidents 10-a-side tournament will be played at Murphy Park in Kaiapoi on Saturday with games getting underway at 11am.
Split into Pool Red (Sydenham Swans, Shirley Hawks, Northern Bulldogs, Papanui Tigers) and Pool Black (Addington Magpies, Riccarton Knights, Woolston Rams, Hornby Panthers), teams will play three rounds of matches. The top two qualifiers from each pool play in semi-finals at 2.30pm, before the tournament final unfolds at 3.30pm.
The CRL Women’s Premiership regular season continues on Sunday, with Burnham Chevaliers hosting Eastern Eagles at Coronation Park and Woolston Rams squaring off against Sydenham Swans at Woolston Park. Both games kick off at 1pm.
