Mid Canterbury Combined’s Sam Ree clears the ball under pressure from the Lincoln Combined defence during his side’s loss on Saturday. Photo Erin TaskeIt was cold, wet and muddy, but Mid Canterbury Combined didn’t mind.

In fact, the young rugby side relished the conditions and produced one of their better performances so far this season, bouncing back from two pretty substantial losses to just go down 17-5 to Lincoln Combined on the Ashburton College field on Saturday.

It meant that the combination side from Ashburton College and Mount Hutt College was still yet to pick up a win in the 2019 Crusaders secondary school region’s UC Championship, but to only lose by 12 to a top six side wasn’t too bad, coach Brent Middleton said.

The week before the Mid Canterbury side had ended up on the wrong end of what looked more like a cricket score, 108-0 against a polished Christchurch Boys’ High School side in Methven, so their latest performance was a step back in the right direction.

Lincoln led 12-0 at halftime, but Mid Canterbury Combined had the better of the second half, Middleton said.

They scored a try through second-five Mark Gabriel, and almost had a second right under the posts, but it was disallowed due to an incorrectly taken tap.

“If you take that try underneath the posts, if that tap was taken correctly, all of a sudden it would’ve been 12-all and anyone’s game,” Middleton said.

Instead, Lincoln scored a late try to seal it.

But Middleton and co-coaches Andrew Morgan and Warren Donald weren’t altogether unhappy.

“At the end of the day we were rapt with the way they played well as a team and stuck to the game plan,” Middleton said.

Persistent rain and a cold wind made life difficult for both sides, with mud and water flying everywhere, and Middleton said having to adjust to those conditions meant that they probably couldn’t spread the ball wide as much as they wanted to.

But, rugby was a winter sport and sometimes conditions were like that.

Middleton said being able to stick with a side like Lincoln, which currently sits in sixth on the UC Championship table, gave Mid Canterbury Combined confidence.

“It was nice to come across a side that was similar in size to us,” Middleton said.

“They have got a big catchment area to call on, players come from Darfield, Ellesmere, Lincoln and Akaroa – it’s not just Lincoln – so it’s quite a big catchment and there’s quite a bit of depth there and that’s why they were quite successful last year, and why they are going pretty well this year.”

Mid Canterbury Combined would now turn their attention to their next match, which is one they are targeting for a win.

This Saturday they host Roncalli College in Ashburton, and the Timaru side is just one spot ahead of Mid Canterbury Combined at the bottom of the leaderboard with one win to their name so far.

Meanwhile, Timaru Boys’ High School moved up a couple of places on the leaderboard on Saturday with their first win of the season against St Thomas, and up the other end of the table the only unbeaten side so far is St Andrew’s College.

© The Ashburton Guardian - 4 June 2019

John Morrison will break new ground on Saturday when he drives at the Harness Jewels. Photo suppliedIt’s a nod in the right direction for a junior driver if they’re given any opportunity to drive a horse for a top trainer outside of junior driver specific events, but to get that nod for one of the biggest race days of the year is an even bigger privilege.

And it’s a privilege that isn’t lost on former Mid Canterbury lad, John Morrison as he gears up for one of the biggest moments of his young career on Saturday when he takes a drive on Harness Jewels day at Addington.

The rising talent of the harness racing driving ranks will take the reins on the Paul Court trained Cast No Shadow in the final race of the day the Three-Year-Old Emerald and the enormity of the occasion hasn’t been lost.

“I’m feeling a bit lucky to have been given the chance to drive him to be honest,” Morrison said.

“I’ve driven him for most of the season but to get the nod to keep the drive for a Group One race, especially one at the Jewels is a bit of a highlight for me.”

Court is no stranger to big race success, he was the man behind three-time New Zealand Trotting Cup winner, Terror To Love and is known for his use of some of the best drivers in the country like Blair Orange and Ricky May.

And while not a bona fide winning hope in a really strong affair for the three-year-old colts and geldings, Morrison is just hoping that his charge gets the best possible chance to show his full ability.

“He hasn’t had the best of luck during the season, in fact recently not much has gone right.

“He got the perfect trip last time out, but they just didn’t go quick enough for him to really come into contention, I’m hoping that won’t be a problem this week though.”

The Emerald is one of the hottest races of any Jewels Day and generally produces one of the fastest times of the day, and with $150,000 up for grabs there isn’t often a lot of love lost.

“If they roll along in front and keep things pretty honest, I’m sure he’s good enough to get home well late and get himself a wee share of the prize.”

Morrison is riding the crest of a wave at the moment, one which had him five wins clear of his nearest rival in the national junior drivers’ premiership going into racing last night from Forbury Park.

With 48 wins on the board, he’s just a couple shy of reaching 50 wins for the term with a couple of months still remaining and at the moment, getting to that milestone is weighing more on his mind than winning the premiership.

“I’m trying not to think about it too much at the moment, a few weeks ago the wins dried up and it really started to impact on me, so I decided to step back and make things a bit more simple and it seems to have worked.”

With six winners in the past fortnight on the board and the promise of a good night last night at Forbury and across the long weekend, Morrison could really put a march on his rivals in the premiership stakes, but you get the impression he’d rather take just one really strong performance late on Saturday afternoon rather than a host of winners at the three other meetings he’ll be driving at.

By Matt Markham © The Ashburton Guardian - 31 May 2019

Sophie Adams (left) and Ashlee Strawbridge. Photo supplied.National honours are again beckoning for two young Mid Canterbury basketballers, with one having been named in two national sides within a matter of days.

Ashburton College student Sophie Adams, and Ashlee Strawbridge – who now attends Rangi Ruru – have been named in the New Zealand Under-17 side which will head to Noumea in August to contest the FIBA Oceania Championships, while Strawbridge has also made the national under-18 side to contest the FIBA Under-18 3×3 World Cup in Mongolia.

She’ll join Sharne Pupuke-Robati, Tayla Dalton and Charlisse Leger-Walker for the tournament in Mongolia next week, in what’s likely to be an experience to remember.

The tournament will be played at the iconic Sukhbaatar Square on one centre court, with the 20 men’s and women’s teams divided into four groups of five teams for a round robin phase which will lead into elimination games.

Strawbridge and her Kiwi team-mates are in pool B which includes the team ranked second in the world, Russia, and world number seven Hungary, along with the USA and Poland.

The Kiwis are ranked 10th and will be seen as a threat by many, having won silver at the FIBA 3×3 Under-18 Asia Cup in 2018, losing to China 19-12 in the final.

China are the top ranked team at next week’s world event.

After that tournament’s over, Strawbridge will turn her attention back to the five-aside game and in August she’ll join Adams in the national under-17 side for the Noumea tournament.

The under-17 tournament in Noumea will run from August 19-24 and if the Kiwi girls can secure a top-two finish there it will secure them a place in the FIBA-Asia Under-18 Championships for 2020.

Adams and Strawbridge are also both part of the wider Canterbury Wildcats squad this year.

© The Ashburton Guardian - 31 May 2019