Appleby pip LIME in dying seconds

(CFRU): Round 9 of The Cayman Summer Touch league was played out last week as teams are starting to look at those all important play-off places come the end of the season. In Division 1, a compelling but low scoring game saw Appleby just pip Team LIME 2-1 in the inaugural Fruit Cup.  Appleby put in a golden delicious performance to see off a LIME team who played with plenty of zest but ultimately ran out of juice.  Appleby frittered away a few early chances but they used turn-over ball to their advantage and with Desiree Sampang and Karen Hart Thomas at the core of their best moves they blossomed as the game went on. (Photos Caroline Deegan)

Both sliced through the LIME defence to each pick up a try, one in thefinal seconds of the game.  Between Appleby’s tries,LIME wedged in a try of their own through the effervescent Eamon Wilson.    Key to LIME’s fight back was Katy Bayles and Jonny Hillyard, but Appleby simply refused to crumble.  IsAppleby making a real challenge for the title or is it simply a case of (apple) pie in the sky?

A source close toTeamLIME said, “PlayingAppleby was always a potential banana skin for us.  Eamon Wilson scored a peach of a try, did you see that man-go?  A second try would have been the cherry on the cake.  Kumquat may we’ll keep on trying to the end of the season!” 

PWC played DMSout the first round of the unofficial Acronym Challenge Trophyand ran out easy winners 7-2.  Richard Lewis scored a nice hat-trick bringing his season total to seven.  DMS had developed a new “Pick and Go” strategy however whilst there was plenty of “Pick” there was precious little “Go”.  Steve Henshaw, who bakes exceedingly good cakes, seemed to be orchestrating this new strategy but admitted that he and his team-mates may have been on different wavelengths at times, and when his fourteenth pass in a row hit the deck I think the knowledgeable and intelligent crowd both agreed.

2010 Touch Champions Maples1 are not going to let the title go easily and in spite of conceding the first try for the third game running, they once again showed that momentum counts for a lot in touch rugby.  Playing Walkers Blue Iguanas, they missed a few key players but they gradually ramped up the pressure through the second and third quarters adding a “rapier” in the form of Jyoti Choi to the “claymore” of Guy Major.  Choi, who combines quick feet with a quicker brain spotted several gaps in the Walkers defence to run in four tries.  Play of the game goes to Joan Murphy though as she finished off a fine solo mazy run past two helpless defenders to score her fourth try of the season.  

Genesis Five Nations beat Ogier 7-3.  Laren Gillespie, a strapping six-foot-two Scots caber, plays touch rugby which encapsulates the bravery of William Wallace, the poetry of Robert Burns, the dress sense of Billy Connolly and the hair of Rab C. Nesbit, scored two magnificent tries.  He plundered the Ogier defences as if they were the gathered Sassenach armies at Stirling Bridge.  Philip Fourie chipped in with his usual pair, taking him to thirteen for the season.  James Waters (1) and Ben Hart (2) replied for Ogier. 
In a make-up game from Round 7, Maples1 played Ogier and eventually ran out 6-4 winners.  It was played at a frenetic pace and Ogier put up one of their best performances of the season deserving more from the game.  This result puts Maples1 back on top of the table on points difference from Genesis Five Nations and I can guarantee they won’t be happy with that!

In Division 2, KPMG1 maintain their position at the top of the table with a hard fought 8-6 win over Campbells.  MVP GhislainGyhoot scored three tries as did fellow South African team-mate Philip Fourie.  Campbells never lie down, or roll overand want their tummy tickled though and kept on to the end in search of those elusive tries that would havelevelled the game.  Dicky Thomas and Jyoti Choi weighed in with a couple, Nick Quin and Wiki Hitchman adding the extras.

Maples2 stopped their recent run of poor results with a thumping 7-2 win over Harmonic.  Chris Palmer marshaled the team with a nice couple of tries and was picked as the star performer on the day.  Justin Colgan also picked up two.  Harmonic are now entrenched on the bottom with only two wins from nine. 
Trident Titans have worked hard to get up to second in the table and seem intent on staying there or going even higher.  UBS offered a fine challenge, but the Titans looked to James Waters (3) and Sharlee Henshaw (1) to get the important scores to take a tough 4-3 victory.

In an entertaining game, Happyfish Ticklers beat DART 7-5.  Played at a fast pace that ultimately did for DART who were a little down on numbers for the game, the Ticklers had the jewel in the crown in the form of Simon Crompton.  He scored four tries and proved to be a constant thorn in DART’s side with his ability to find a gap and burst through a tiring defence.

In Division 3, Deloitte continue at the top of the table with a good win over fourth-placed Rawlinson & Hunter.  Sharlee Henshaw continued her recent try-scoring form with two tries, Neil Ainscow and Tony Campbell pitched in with one each.  For Rawlinson & Hunter, Katherine Mew played with great spirit to take the MVP award, and Conrad Proud continued his remarkable season with another try taking his tally of scoring in nine consecutive games.  He has scored 16 in total this season, exactly half of the total for the entire team.  Deloitte have now won seven games on the bounce, averaging over 6 tries a game.  The question for everyone now is,“Can anyone stop Deloitte”?

Perhaps the only team that can is KPMG2.  Currently lying second just one point behind the leaders, they dismantled Ernst & Young 7-3 with the singularly-named Lopez getting three and Ian Roberton with two tries respectively.  These guys are having a personal tussle to be KPMG2 top scorers with Lopez currently edging out his team-mate 11-10.  Niall O’Sullivan chipped in with a couple and his overall performance won the MVP vote.  Ronan McCarthy and David Pearlman replied for Ernst & Young.
Against a backdrop of the setting sun, GCM and Credit-Suisse had a fine tussle but neither could find the killer touch and the match ended 3-3.  Suisse were missing a few players but with tries from Prinsloo, MacDonald and Kehoe they held off the GCM attack augmented by new boy Dave O’Driscoll (2) and one from James Trundle.
Island Heritage and QueensgateGrizz’s Old Fellas had an interesting start to their game with an unusual bout of “Dueling Defaults”.

  
Both teams lacked the requisite number of men and women to make the game valid but in the end play went ahead in a fine spirit as befits touch rugby here in Cayman.  Both teams played with a smile on their face, more interested in enjoying the game than the scoreline.  Special shout-outs must go to Island Heritage players Dan Twist – for his two tries, and Mick Kehoe with a 40m pass interception courtesy of yours truly… ah the shame of it!  For the Old Fellas, Mike Johnston flew 5,000 miles to land his try in the corner; John Wagner played with all the fizz of a dyslexic Irish cider; and Caroline Deegan got her third try in two games promising the team a free beer each to celebrate.  Thanks Caroline! 

Player of the Week
This week’s Heineken Touch Player of the Week goes to Simon Crompton of the Happyfish Ticklers.  Four tries against a resurgent DART team earns you a bucket of six ice cold lipsmacking, thirstquenching, acetasting, fastliving, cool fizzing… Heinekens!

ROUND  9
Division 1 Results
Ogier 3 v. 7 Genesis 5 Nations
Walkers Blue Iguanas 4 v. 10 Maples 1
PWC 7 v. 2 DMS
Team LIME 1 v. 2 Appleby
   
Division 2 Results    
Maples2 7 v. 2 Harmonic
UBS 3 v. 4 Trident Titans
KPMG1 8 v. 6 Campbells
Happyfish Ticklers 7 v. 5 DART
   
Division 3 Results   
GCM 3 v. 3 Credit Suisse
Deloitte 4 v. 1Rawlinson & Hunter
Island Heritage WIN v. DEF Queensgate Old Fellas
KPMG2 7 v. 3 Ernst & Young