The rugby union Match of the Day on Saturday, June 13 saw a very tight struggle between Avoca Beach and Terrigal.
Avoca Beach won the match by 17 points to 7 at Heazlett Park. Avoca Beach got away to a good start and held that lead for the remainder of the 80 minutes. The intensity of the match was there for all to see, and it resulted in defence being a feature of the game. Both teams found it diffi cult to make inroads. The attacks of both teams often broke down because of some unforced errors, but mainly because of the stern defence and the commitment of both teams to get the win. Avoca scored two converted tries in the fi rst half. This took them to 14 points to nil and they maintained this lead right through to the halftime break. These two tries were scored by centre Chad Martin, who had a very good match, and their speedy winger Daniel AguirreAcevedo. Terrigal had several good performers including Lock Phil Heard who was everywhere in attack and defence and had one of his best games this season. He was well supported by winger Dan Sargeant and fullback Adam Danckert. Terrigal knew they had to start the second half well if they were to get a chance of victory in the match – and they did. Early in the second half, Terrigal were able to respond and their winger Dan Sargeant crossed for a converted try. The conversion by Adam Danckert suddenly saw the visitors back in the picture. With the scores now 14- 7, the match was certainly up for grabs. Despite the action on the fi eld, with play going from one end of the fi eld to the other, not much was happening on the scoreboard. After the Terrigal try, the only point scoring of the second half was a penalty goal to Avoca fi ve-eight Dylan Hardaker. This made the score 17 points to 7 and this remained the scoreline at fulltime. It was a hard fought match with no quarter asked for or given. But the end result was that Terrigal had lost its undefeated record for the season and Avoca remained in third spot but with a very tight top of the table competition ladder forming. Ourimbah continued its recent good form with a most convincing win over Kariong at Ourimbah Rugby Park. Ourimbah dominated the entire match and ran out winners by 69 points to 17. The fi rst half was a relatively even battle but the further the match went on, the stronger Ourimbah became. The halftime score was 29-12 in Ourimbah’s favour. Despite this scoreline, Kariong had played well and had crossed for two tries. But at the same time, Ourimbah were proving themselves the stronger team on the day. The second half saw Ourimbah continue on their merry way. The home team ran in a total of 11 tries to Kariong’s three, and that was a true refl ection of the fl ow of the match. Kariong were best served by number eight Jackson Beresford and Jake Holwill. Gosford maintained its unbeaten record in the 2015 season with a big win over Warnervale at Woongarrah Oval. Gosford ran in 10 tries to four to defeat the home side by 64 points to 22. Warnervale did score fi rst in the match but that is where the lead ended for them. Gosford were quick to respond and they scored consistently for the remainder of the fi rst half and the match. They had jumped to a 19-7 lead approaching halftime, and then increased that lead to 31-7 in the early parts of the second half. The win had been secured but Warnervale never stopped trying. They played quite well during the mid-period of the second half, but once again Gosford gained the ascendancy late in the match to record the win. Gosford had several good players. Three players, Mitch Starkey, Hugo Pike and Josh Reid, were all able to cross for three tries apiece. Especially notable were the two brilliant runs by winger Mitch Starkey which resulted in tries from well inside his own half.
Media release, 14 June 2015 Larry Thomson, Central Coast Rugby Union