The competitive spirit was alive and kicking at last week’s annual Chris Hoare Cup rugby league match and gala day with 160 players from Gloucester High School and Bulahdelah Central School competing in a series of sporting matches. Gloucester emerged the clear victors winning all five events, including the coveted Chris Hoare Cup rugby league match with 34-12, during a game which sent five players to hospital.
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It was a match which saw Gloucester fly out of the blocks early with a try to Ryan Yates chasing Ken Wamsley’s attacking kick into the corner. Ryan Yates sliced through the ensuing scrum to score adjacent to the posts. Gloucester was on the attack. A last tackle kick out was batted in field by Jonah Mason for Ryan Yates to swoop on and score a hat trick inside 10 minutes.
Bulahdelah settled and found their rhythm testing Gloucester’s defence. It held firm and Gloucester set about working the ball out from their own end. Another Ken Wamsley kick into the goal area allowed hooker Coen Durbidge to dive on the loose ball for the fourth Gloucester try. A late barge over try by Ken Wamsley saw the score 22-0 before an injury forced an early end to the half.
A reduced second half due to time constraints commenced with a more composed Bulahdelah outfit enjoying some quality ball and field position. Against the run of play Ken Wamsley found a gap to score. Bulahdelah were rewarded with a try to close the margin to 20 after the conversion. A see sawing second half saw Gloucester score on the back of some powerful work from the Gloucester forwards and a penalty. Josh Chester was able to barge his way over from the tap. With the game out of reach for the Bulahdelah boys, Callan Radford scored down the left wing. A late consolation try to Bulahdelah reduced the score to 34-12 with Gloucester running in 8 tries to 2.
After losing the Chris Hoare Cup last year, Gloucester has the trophy back in its cabinet. Gloucester’s coach Adam Cameron paid tribute to the team effort displayed.
“What was particularly pleasing about the win was not just the way the experienced boys played but how well the inexperienced players did.”
In what Bulahdelah teacher Brian Belic described as ‘events that could never have been planned’, five of its students were hospitalised for injuries during the match including a broken collar bone, tibia and fibia bone, ribs and a knee injury “all within 15 minutes of each other within the one match.” With one 16 year old boy recuperating after surgery at John Hunter Hospital, Belic said the match had been well played and the injuries were unexpected. All patients were reported as ‘doing OK.’
In other matches, Gloucester High School ended in a clean sweep defeating Bulahdelah in the Under 14 rugby league 52-8, 5-0 in the Under 15 girls soccer, 7-2 in the Open girls touch football and 5-1 in the U/15 boys soccer.
