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Androgroup Summer Touch Finals:
Slots still up for grabs after postponements

A worried-looking HSBC team try to find a hole in the Muppets’ defence.	HSBC Hurricanes swing the ball wide against Muppets.	Clive Thomas recycles the ball for Madiba’s Magic.
Recycling the ball for Muppets in their match against HSBC Hurricanes.	Muppets get ready to swing the ball.	Trying to get the pass away before the touch for Cayman Pirates.
Cayman Pirates move the ball wide in their game against UBS.	A Wrecker’s player looks for support.	Wreckers drive the ball up the field.
Bevin Klinkhamer makes ground for Madiba’s Magic.	UBS shoots for a gap in the Cayman Pirates’ defence.	Madiba’s Magic captain Mark O’Hare moves the ball down the line.
Graeme Edwards places the ball for Madiba’s Magic.	Wreckers look for a way  through their opponents’  defence.	Madiba’s Magic player Alison O’Hare distributes the ball.

Mark O’Hare, captain of Madiba’s Magic, led his team
to victory in the Androgroup Summer Touch League.
O’Hare scored three tries in his team’s 5-1 win over
Wreckers in their division one clash.

Tuesday,  September 6, 2005

What should have been the final regular-season week of the Androgroup Summer Touch tournament has turned out to not be quite that. Rain caused the pitch to be waterlogged, which meant that the games scheduled for Wednesday 31 August had to be postponed for a week to Wednesday 7 September. 

These matches include a couple of division two matches that can determine which teams go through to Finals Day on Saturday 10 September.

However, in division one, it seems a relatively clear-cut matter. The Incredibles are still undefeated, with one match left to play, and lead division one. 

Madiba’s Magic are secure in second position after winning their final regular season game last week Thursday, while Five Nations are in third, with one game to go. C&W Taniwhas are the final team set to fight it out for division one honours on Finals Day.

With Madiba’s Magic already safely through to the final, their game against Wreckers did not carry that much importance as far as they were concerned, as it would have no impact whatsoever on their future in the tournament.

However, it did carry much more importance for a reinvigorated Wreckers team. They had managed to win their first game of the tournament the week before, and were hungry for more. 

That win had also lifted them off the bottom of the log, leaving HSBC Hurricanes in last position. However, HSBC could still get out of last position, depending on points difference and results. And last in the division was not a title that Wreckers were keen to retake.

To everyone’s surprise, Wreckers took the first points of the game, giving them the lead against the much-favoured Madiba’s Magic.

After the try, Madiba’s Magic played with renewed urgency, and launched attack after attack on the Wreckers’ try line. 

However, the Wreckers’ defence held solid. After keeping up the pressure, Madiba’s Magic finally managed to score the equaliser. Soon after their first try, Madiba’s Magic managed to take the lead through another stabbing attack on the Wreckers’ line.

On the stroke of half time, Madiba’s Magic captain Mark O’Hare launched a beautiful little run, and stepped through the Wreckers’ defence to score a the third try, to put the Magic up 3-1.

After the restart it was Madiba’s Magic who scored first. Captain Mark O’Hare dummied to the right and stepped to the left through a massive gap that opened in the Wreckers’ defence. This took Madiba’s Magic well clear, with the score at 4-1.

Wrecker’s almost managed to score a try of their own, but were denied as their player was touched before the ball could be dotted down.

To seal the win, O’Hare scored his third try of the match, to give Madiba’s Magic a clear, but hotly contested victory against a Wreckers team that was not the least bit intimidated by the pedigree of their opponents.

With the win, Madiba’s Magic secured their second place in division one. However, they have more pressing worries, as three of their players will not be available for the finals. 

Captain Mark O’Hare, along with Alison O’Hare and Graeme Edwards, have a previous engagement off-island. However, with the depth of talent in the team, the remaining members should be more than capable of taking on the other teams in the final.

In division two, a special mention must be made of Deloitte Two. Although they played against the undefeated log leaders Back ‘n’ Black, they put up some very solid opposition. They might have been inspired by the statement in the 31 August edition of Cayman Net News that, considering their opposition, “a loss seems almost inevitable.” 

Although the prediction did turn out to be true, it was a tougher than usual battle for Back ‘n’ Black, as they eventually took the win by 4-3. It must however be noted that they had to shore up their team with some imported ‘magic’ to make up for low numbers on the day. 

Deloitte Two played some of the best rugby they had played the entire season, and most certainly deserve to be proud of their performance.

The hidden advantage for Deloitte Two is that they should now be able to enjoy the season-ending league dinner without having to worry about their performance the day after in the finals. 

The matches still to be completed next week include the division one encounter between The Incredibles and Five Nations. 

Although both teams are certain of a position in the finals, The Incredibles will be looking to maintain their unbeaten record. For Five Nations, it would be something special to become the first team to beat The Incredibles, and it would give them a great boost of confidence a couple of days before the finals.

Deloitte One will play KPMG Mavericks, but with Deloitte One solidly in the finals, and KPMG Mavericks nowhere close to making finals, the results of the game will not influence the future of either team.

For C&W Taniwhas their game against Maples & Calder remains an important one, as they could do with a boost ahead of the finals, after losing to The Incredibles in their previous game.

However, the game should not impact their finals aspirations, regardless of the outcome.

The most important game of the week will be between Gaelic Warriors and PWC Thunder. For PWC Thunder, this is a make-or-break game. As they now know that Deloitte Two did go down to Back ‘n’ Black, even if only just, they have to win their match against Gaelic Warriors to take their place in the finals. 

With UBS having jumped over Deloitte Two with their win, they will go through to the final if PWC Thunder should fail to defeat Gaelic Warriors. However, should PWC take the win, they will easily place above UBS, as they have a much better points difference.

Finals Day will take place at the Rugby Club on South Sound on Saturday 10 September, with play starting around 12:30 pm.

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