Hinuera senior b team winners of the Div1 b main round trophy with an undeafeated season
The centenary year has been one to remember for the Hinuera Senior B rugby team. Coached by ex players Jeremy O’Reilly and Jeremy Kidd, managed by Aaron de Haas and co captained by Jarrod McKillop and Scott Bonenkamp. With a squad of 35 players finding a place for everyone was challenging, with the return of a number of seasoned campaigners for the special year the biggest challenge being whether these old bodies could survive rigours of senior rugby once again. The depth of the squad paid dividends over the course of the season as a number of injuries to key players allowed new players to step in and really cement their places In the team.
After a good preseason against Waihou and the local derby against Matamata, the season kicked off against Te Rapa in what was a terrible day of weather, with the boys roughing it though 14-0, followed by a close win against Tokoroa. The highlight for the boys was the centenary weekend win over Putaruru at Hinuera 32-24 in front of a massive crowd at Wealleans Park. The first round was closed out with a 38-19 win over Leamington round to claim the first round title with 10 wins from 10 games.
The second round provided the lads with a number of real tests to see what level we could play at. Fronting up for a second week in a row at Leamington the boys started to really fire with a convincing win 44-7. The competition really heated up with wins against Suburbs, Tokoroa, Putaruru and then closed out the regular season with a messy win away against Ohaupo. This game came with the loss of captain Scott Bonenkamp for the season to a facial fracture, a massive loss to the team.
Wealleans Park at Hinuera hosted the final of the Waikato Div 1B competition on the 27th July against a very fired up Putaruru B team looking for payback for two previous losses during the regular season. After a very physical 80 minutes the boys kept their composure to pull through with a 33-19 victory to cap the season off. With a record of 16 wins, an undefeated season was celebrated for the Hinuera B team and the boys can head into the off season with the heads held high after all their hard work paying off.
A big thank you from the all team to our families, sponsors and supporters for standing by us throughout the season and allowing us to play the game we all love.
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