A resounding victory over The Lakes on June 24 has seen Avoca Beach rise to the top of the rugby union points table as the season enters its second half and the race to the finals begins.
The Round 10 game saw Avoca Beach trounce the visitors 57-19 at their home field, Heazlett Park.
Avoca Beach took the early lead, scoring 17 points before The Lakes were able to respond with their first points in the match.
The Lakes managed to score two tries, but Avoca Beach went into the half-time break with a handy 24-12 lead.
The second half saw Avoca Beach post a further 33 points and although The Lakes crossed for a lone converted try in the second half, they were unable to make any inroads on the home team.
Best players for Avoca Beach were prop Matt Ritchie, winger Mitchell Briggs, lock Lachlan Sooialo and flanker Matt Anderson.
The Lakes were best served by prop Luke Clarkson, hooker Brandon Church and centre Ashton Hutchinson-Walters.
The respective five-eights, Sione Vaenuku (The Lakes) and Sam Evans (Avoca Beach) each crossed for three tries apiece.
Avoca Beach maintains its unbeaten record after 10 rounds.
The match of the day at Gosford Showground between Gosford and Hornsby proved to be a nail-biter from start to finish.
Gosford won the match 25-17 but the contest was an arm wrestle for the entire 80 minutes.
The opening minutes saw play move from one end of the field to the other, with several try scoring chances going by the board.
It was Hornsby who opened the scoring with a converted try in the 18th minute.
Gosford was quick to respond with its own converted try to level the scores at seven-all before kicking a long-range penalty goal to take the lead by 10-7 going into half-time.
The second half continued in much the same vein, with Hornsby levelling the scores at 10-all early in the second stanza.
Gosford broke the deadlock with two quick successive tries to lead by 20-10, with both teams crossing for tries in latter stages of the match but Gosford hanging on for the victory.
Best players for Gosford were halfback Ben Shelley, winger Josh Parish and hooker Joel Wagner.
Hornsby had several good efforts from prop Russell Yates, halfback Ben Astley, lock Dominic Cole, fullback Jack O’Connor and flanker Harrison Vollmost.
The win sees Gosford cement its spot in fourth position on the competition ladder.
Woy Woy travelled to Ourimbah Rugby Park to meet the Razorbacks, only to be trounced 120-0 by the home team.
The Razorbacks controlled everything from start to finish, posting points regularly and quickly throughout the match.
After leading 52-0 at half-time, they posted a further 68 points in the second half.
Woy Woy had no answer to the Razorback onslaught.
Best players for the Razorbacks were No.8 Lachlan Peruch, hooker Jade Strongman and centre Owen Turner.
Flanker Rob Peden crossed for five tries for the home side.
Best for Woy Woy were centre Jarrod Olive, winger Max Stride and centre Ulysses Fotofili.
Warnervale met Lake Macquarie at Woongarrah Sports Field with Warnervale recording a 50-15 victory.
Warnervale got away to a great start, piling on points in the first half and going into the break with a 38-0 lead.
In the second half Lake Macquarie out-scored Warnervale by 15-12, but couldn’t snatch a victory.
Best players for Warnervale were five-eight Isaiah Niumata, centre Sevanaia Nabetelevu and prop Taniala Tangulu.
Lake Macquarie was best served by halfback Matias Furno, five-eight Brendan Holiday and No.8 Vilikesa Ralagakali.
The Premier 1 points table sees Avoca Beach in the lead on 39, ahead of the Razorbacks on 36 and Terrigal on 35.
Gosford is on 29, Warnervale 26, Hornsby 14, The Lakes 12 and Woy Woy on seven.
The Women’s 10s competition saw The Lakes, Terrigal and the Razorbacks all record important victories.
In Round 11 on July 1, the match of the day will see Terrigal take on the Razorbacks at The Haven Oval.
The Lakes will host Hornsby at Slade Park, Woy Woy and Gosford will clash at Woy Woy Oval and Avoca Beach will travel to Boolaroo to meet home team Lake Macquarie.
In the President’s Cup, Terrigal will meet the Razorbacks at The Haven and Gosford/Kariong and Warnervale will clash at Woy Woy Oval.
In the Womens 10s comp, the Razorbacks will travel to The Haven Oval to meet Terrigal, Avoca Beach and Warnervale will battle it out at Walters Park and The Lakes will take on Hornsby at Slade Park.
Source:
Central Coast Rugby