Keith vs Belfast D4
Ground: Sheldon Park 2
Time: 1-00pm

Team List
Forwards
Darren MOKE
Phil KEARNS
Sam LEMON
Ian LOCKWOOD
Mark VAN GROENDAAL
Colin GRAVETT
Karl HADDOCK
Kevin WILLIAMS

Backs
Bevan WEBB
Rob FOLEY
Paul CRICHTON
Gary RICHARDS
Stuart HERRIOT
Adam MILNE
Leyton HUNT

Reserves
Joe BESWICK
Shawn MUIR
Isaac ARAPAI
Fred BROADMORE
Phil HUGHES

Points: 0-5, 0-10, 0-12, 0-17, 5-17, 7-17, 12-17, 12-22

Tries: Bevan WEBB, Rob FOLEY
Conv: Rob FOLEY
Pen:

Player of the Day: Sam LEMON
Most Valuable Player: Adam MILNE

Photographs here: http://gallery.keith.org.nz/2012/20120616/

WHEN THE RULES ESCAPE YOU, USE CLAIRVOYANCY. IT'S THE NEW WAVE FOR REFS.


You know the Team's in trouble, numbers wise, when Psycho turns up. And by jolly jingo, we were in deficit almost as bad as Greece.
Thanks to Karl's mate Shawn for lending a hand and to Joe for rounding up the total reserve numbers to 5. I know it's been a cold week and a wet last couple of days, but if I'm not mistaken, I'd say there was a good old fashioned case of sooty fever going around.

Nevertheless, the game started on time and from that moment on, we were befuddled by the referee. Seriously befuddled. Yes, he's a volunteer and yes, he's reffing a Division Six game, but surely a modicum of knowledge of the basic rules would be necessary? As usual for the Keiths, we gave him plenty of sideline support and encouragement and in fact we gave him so much, he even started making decisions about lineouts even before the lineouts were formed.

Belfast came out fully mongrelled up and rearing to go and took it to us hard. Mark went down early and had to be subbed, but we limited Belfast to just 2 tries in the first half with good defence, but with bad kicking (accuracy) skills. As Webby said, it was like playing a game of forcing back out there.
While we knew we had a tough time of it to reach the front of the points queue, 2 tries down was not a lot of points to catch that up, but it wasn't until the reserves came on 2/3rds into the game that we started to peg the points back. Not sure if that relates to the quality of the reserves, or the tiredness of the opposition. Freddy and Piez will no doubt have a view on that.

Webby, at halfback and Poacher at first five eighth, scored in remarkable fashion in quick succession, but by the end of the game we were still 2 tries behind. Belfast were remarkably happy, overly celebratory in fact at the thought of beating a Division Six team, or maybe we did indeed scare them that much that they could do nothing but holler and shout at each try?

I and Trout and others are in no doubt that we did not play badly, but that with the extra reserves and support we were used to in previous games, the outcome would have been different.

Congratulations of course, to Paul 'Toad' CRICHTON who today surpassed Greg 'Lau Lau' HARDING's and became the Keith who's played the most number of games for the Club at 255. We're thankful that Toad came over to the Keiths after his team, The Richard Craniums disbanded several years ago. Well done Toad, and as you said when you reached your 250th, 'You're a long time retired'.

While Colin, as usual played his guts out, Adam MILNE got the MVP award.