CLUB RUGBY: Maungakaramea romp in

Mid Western firepower blew Kamo away 52-nil when the two Northland southern districts premier rugby teams met in rain and mud at Maungakaramea on Saturday.
Following their first defeat of the season the previous week had Mid Western were keen to start winning again, and they turned in a dominant display for 80 minutes to delight supporters at their home ground. Centre Dan McCully ran in five tries, big bearded prop Glyn Hooson-Owen from the Isle of Man scored twice, and winger Saxon Samuels also dotted down.
Fullback Luke Muggeridge kicked six conversions. This was no mean feat as the wet ball was heavy and some of his shots were from difficult sideline angles.
But while these players got the glory all in the Mid Western team were heroes on the day. They played running rugby in boggy conditions and Kamo had no answers to their superb handling of the muddy ball.
Kamo wilted early.
Despite captain and hooker Scott Linklater's fine leadership, his team-mates couldn't muscle up to match the constant Mid Western pressure and the score was 40-nil at half-time.
Kamo coach John Miller then told his boys to tidy up their tackling and retain possession when they had the ball.
They followed his advice in the second half, which slowed their haemorrhaging of points, but two more Mid Western tries late in the game completed their somewhat humiliating defeat.
Mid Western supporters who were looking tense before kickoff, fearing the loss to Mid Northern the previous Saturday could be repeated, were elated when 52-0 went up on the scoreboard.
"Yeah - that's a bloody hiding," one man crowed.
Mid Western patron Norm Morgan, 85, who has been associated with the club for 60 years, said he considered that the current premier team were the fittest players the club had ever fielded.