CLUB RUGBY - W. Sharks defeat leaves only Wellsford unbeaten

Wellsford downed the Western Sharks 27-14 on Saturday to become the only unbeaten team after four rounds of the Joe Morgan Memorial competition.
Wellsford were deserving winners in a game that never quite lived up to its pre-match billing but most of the spectators at Centennial Park went home happy with their team winning.
The visitors started well enough and enjoyed a wealth of possession early on but poor discipline allowed Wellsford to get a toehold in the match and halfback Luke Voss made the most of a back-pedalling defence to dodge and sidestep his way from a midfield scrum to score in the corner.
They led 8-0 at the break but a breakdown of communication saw them go 13-0 ahead when number-eight Stu Oldfield somehow stole possession and scored after a good Sharks lineout steal by Aaron Lambly.
Two soft tries by Matt Wright and Joejoe Ranger toward the end of the third quarter completed the win. The Sharks showed what they were capable of by playing well in the final quarter, with converted tries to Sonatane Takulua and Craig Williamson narrowing the gap between the two teams.
Mid Western are currently second in the Southern Districts competition following a 59-0 thumping of a lethargic Old Boys side, whose backline was so disorganised during the latter half of the match, the visitors cut through them almost at will.
New Northland backline pivot Lachie Munro scored five tries with centre Saxon Samuels scoring a double, while winger Tim Pettit was named player of the match.
Mid Northern are level on points with Mid Western in second place after thrashing Waipu 80-7 on Thursday night. Former league star Buddy Grey scored four tries on the wing as the home side built on a 27-7 halftime lead to pile on more than 50 points in the second spell.
On Friday, champions Hora Hora showed they are far from being a spent force in the competition with a measured 32-10 victory over Kamo.
Midweek saw Hora Hora practising surviving their first five minutes without conceding a try - something they've done in each of their three previous games. It must have worked. A hat-trick of tries to Logan Wendt gave the visitors the ascendancy and when Jason Parangi was driven over midway through the second spell, the side picked up another deserved bonus point.
An injury to Marist first five-eighth Lewis Norman threw the Whangarei side off their game in their clash against Hikurangi on Thursday evening. Norman's departure triggered a collapse and while Marist maintained good pressure on Hikurangi up front, elsewhere was a different story and the visitors were eventually defeated 3-34, after trailing 0-29 at the break.
Southern Districts Premier Grade: Hikurangi 34 Marist 3; Kamo 10 Hora Hora 32 (LWendt 3, J Parangi, L Voss, I Levuimata tries; W Dunn conversion); Wellsford 27 (R Neal, S Oldfield, J Ranger, M Wright try, pen, 2 con) Western Sharks 14 (S Takulua, C Williamson; H Rawiri 2 con); Old Boys 0 Mid Western 59 ( L Munro 5, Saxon Samuels 2, R Edwards, A Vette-Welsh; Munro 4 cons, L Mudridge 3 cons); Mid Northern 80 Waipu 7. Reserves: Hikurangi 32 Marist 15; Hora Hora 25 Kamo 25; Western Sharks 28 Wellsford 14; Old Boys 15 Mid Western 5; Mid Northern 64 Waipu 7.