With around 200 parents and students cheering on their local school athletes, as well a dash of classroom banter, Wednesday night's league matches between Cowra and Camden kicked off an intense but friendly two days of competition between the two schools.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
With the Cowra Eagles Rugby Union club making their home ground available for the night (and with plenty of familiar Union faces manning the canteen), the vibe at the ground was more closely aligned to that of an American football game, but with the colloquialisms that only bush footy can provide.
The two schools are currently vying for the Robert Montgomery Shield, with the league matches kicking off two days of sports, debating, quizzes and chess as well as social events.
It is the 48th year the schools have engaged in a sporting exchanges, Camden having held the upper hand for most of the time, winning 27 times while Cowra have held the Shield on 17 occasions, with three ties over the journey.
Junior Boys' League
A hat-trick of tries to Jacob Haeata and seven straight conversions to Leroy Murray were the highlights as Cowra won 56-0 against a Camden outfit that couldn't hack the home side's intensity.
The thrashing was one sided from the get go, with Haeata and Ryan Carroll (Two tries) wreaking havoc with Camden's defensive sets, with Camden simply unable to push through, as Cowra's defensive line held tight for an easy and convincing victory.
Eoghan Killick and Dan Britten, both of whom are also featured in representative Rugby Union for the Under 14s Central West team this week, also took part in the win for the home side.
Girls' League Tag
The girls' game was no less thrilling than the men's match, and while Camden were in control for large portions of the game, they were never able to score thanks to a dogged Cowra defence, with scores 12-12 at the end of playing time.
Camden struck the first blow early, getting out to a 6-0 lead after successful conversion, however Cowra managed to grit their way back to another try, leaving the scores equal just before half time.
However, as the game wore on, the game spent an extended period of time in Camden's forward half, and while the visitors didn't necessarily make the most of their opportunities, they still scored and converted to jump out to 12-6 lead.
Cowra managed to get the game back on their terms late though, equalising with a try and successful conversion of their own, the match ending moments later.
Senior Boys' League
A 15 minute lapse in confidence from Cowra saw a focused Camden outfit run out convincing 24-10 winners.
Like their junior counterparts, the home team jumped out of the blocks, getting away to a 10-0 score with additional try disallowed for being off-side, with Camden only making their way back into the contest late in the half, with a non-converted try leaving scores 10-4 at half-time.
Camden, despite getting scores back to 10-8, were on the defensive for most of the second half, as Cowra looked to land the final blow.
However, a defensive lapse from the hosts opened up an opportunity for Camden and they swooped, denting the Eagles confidence to quickly put on three tries and ice the game.
READ ALSO:
