NSW Country Rugby Union

Newcastle Hunter Claim Fourth Consecutive Title

Newcastle Hunter have been crowned the 2011 NSW Country Rugby Union Champions following their 46 – 20 victory over Central North in the Caldwell Cup final in Lismore.

The win has seen the zone claim the Caldwell Cup for a record fourth consecutive time to eclipse the previous record they shared with the ACT, Central Coast and Central North.

Newcastle Hunter were well on the way to victory when they skipped away to a 17 – 0 lead in the opening fifteen minutes of the match, which saw Central North having to dig deep to stem the flow of points.

Every time Central North put points on the scoreboard Newcastle Hunter immediately struck back, and it became a matter of the Kookaburras having to play catch up football.

The second half saw Central North run with the wind, and they used it well to mount pressure which saw them at one time close the gap to 34 - 20 midway through the half.  Two long range tries by Newcastle Hunter put the result beyond doubt, and they eventually ran out winner 46 – 20.

In the other finals played at Oakes Oval, Illawarra wore down a depleted Western Plains 40 - 10 to claim the Richardson Shield, Central West staged a second half recovery to win the Colts Championship 27 – 20 over Illawarra, and Far North Coast won their first Colts title when they overcame New England 17 – 15 in the final minutes of the Colts Plate.

At the conclusion of the Championships the Players of the Series were named, with Lachlan Brown (Central North) and Mitch Evers (Central West) claiming the awards for 2011.    








Championship Results – 27 March 2011

Caldwell Cup
•    Newcastle Hunter 46 - Central North 20

Richardson Shield
•    Illawarra 40 – Western Plains 10

Colts Championship
•    Central West 27 – Illawarra 20

Colts Plate
•    Far North Coast 17 – New England 15
Play Off Results

Seniors
•    3rd & 4th – Central Coast 27 – Central West 20
•    Seeding – Far North Coast 78 – Mid North Coast 0

Colts
•    3rd & 4th – Newcastle Hunter 28 - Central Coast 0
•    7th & 8th – Mid North Coast 17 – Central North 11

Championship Standings 2011

       Seniors                                      Colts
1 - Newcastle Hunter             1 – Central West
2 – Central North                    2 – Illawarra
3 – Central Coast                    3 – Newcastle Hunter
4 – Central West                     4 – Central Coast
5 – Illawarra                            5 – Far North Coast
6 – Western Plains                  6 – New England
7 – Far North Coast                 7 – Mid North Coast
8 – New England                     8 – Central North
9 – Mid North Coast

More photos of Country Championships to be loaded shortly. Please return soon.

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