Wednesday, April 04, 2012

ICE COLD RUGBY

HAIL, PELICUS!

APRIL SOCIETY MEETING

Our last meeting for the 2012 season will be next Wednesday, April 11, from 7 to 9 at the SFGG clubhouse.

Plan to arrive early – at or after 6 – for dinner and rugby conversation. That way, if traffic intervenes, you still won’t be late and you’ll still get to eat.

APRIL 14: NEED REFS

We have 22 refs available for 22 games on April 14. That won’t work – things always happen, games appear, refs disappear. Plus, there’s a tournament that day that the 22-game total does not include.

We could use at least another six refs. Let us know if you can help.

REFEREES NEEDED FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL TOURNAMENT APRIL 15

The first-ever NCYRA U14 championship tournament will be held in Dixon on Sunday, April 15.

Please let David Williamson know if you would be able to help out with refereeing: calrugbyref@sbcglobal.net

MORE HIGH FLYERS

Pelicans will be refereeing three of the four top college division quarter-finals on May 5, each hosted by the team that wins the conference listed:

Davey Ardrey - East
Aruna Ranaweera - West
Craig Smith - Pacific
Paul Bretz – Mid-South

Congratulations are in order.

GAMES

Thursday, March 29
SF/Golden Gate 5 – CUBA 104 Referee: Jordan Bruno
ARs: Preston Gordon, Bruce Bernstein
Videographer: David Williamson
A blitz from the start as the Argentinians came as part of the US tour to challenge SFGG's DI side. SFGG had players arriving late, as the game was played on a Thursday after work, while the Argentinians had been gearing up all week for the match--it certainly showed. CUBA scored early and often, rarely being held behind the gain line when attacking. They played scrappy but fast, running at pace and with support. Early scrums were contested well but with banter from props for binding and boring--it was something that needed monitoring throughout and led to a few penalties. A great game to be a part and thanks to David Williamson, Gordon Preston, and Bruce Bernstein for helping out.

ALL BLUES some – California 5 Referee: Bryant Byrnes
Under the lights at Witter's Field on Thursday night, the youngsters played the oldsters in a scrimmage with two 25-minute halves. The All Blues (who for some reason were the Skittles for this event) generally kept the ball in with the pack, which made for bruising, multi-phase play-and points.

To their credit, the Bears tackled the bigger Skittles, and tackled, and tackled. It was a good tune-up for post season play.

Saturday
SF/GOLDEN GATE 40 – Denver Barbarians 24 Referee: Aruna Ranaweera
Assistant Referees: Phil Akroyd, Eric Rauscher
Performance Reviewer: Kat Todd-Schwartz
The sun came out just in time for SFGG's super league home opener which was also played for the inaugural Papa Naqica Cup. SFGG led 19-12 at half with Denver staying close thanks to some opportunistic breaks. In the second half, both teams moved the ball all over the field, but they also squandered scoring opportunities. In the end, SFGG won by 6 tries to 4. Much thanks to Phil and Eric for their assistance during the game and Kat for her feedback after the game.

Sacramento Capitals 22 – SFGG 29 Referee: Chris Tucker
Wet, breezy, muddy. Fill in the rest. Kick, chase, knock-on, scrum, pileup.

A couple of points of note. The first was the yellow card I gave the Caps' #6. After pinging him three times (twice called, once immaterial) for playing on the ground I called him and captain over and had a quick word to the effect that he shouldn't appear on my radar again. Not 30 seconds later, there he was. Captain (and sometime referee) Tyler Harrison was not kind in his assessment of the flanker's thought process on this one, and off he went. He was matched later by Gate's inside centre, who chose to lie on top of the ball at 1m from his own goal line. Another easy decision for 10.

The best try of the day was scored by the visitors, who in the second half set up a wonderful driving maul that went from halfway to inside the 22, and with the defence sucked in, the backs had only not to knock-on as they spun it out to the wing. Their nerve held.

All credit to the Caps who are having a tough season, it was still tied up after 75 minutes, and the thoughts of the banquet with a tied game were getting stronger. But Gate kicked deep over the covering winger's head, chased hard, collected and beat some desperate defence to score and relieve my credit limit.

OLYMPIC CLUB 63 – Barbarians 5 Referee: Craig Smith
AR: Tom Zanarini

Seconds: OLYMPIC CLUB 47 – Barbarians 15 Referee: Tom Zanarini
(Scores may be approximate.)

EPA Razorbacks 17 – SAN MATEO 25 Referee: George O'Neil
AR: Tim Lew
Showers on and off prevented a free flowing game but some great passages of play did emerge. EPA was young but not afraid of the contact. San Mateo a bit older and bigger won the game with experience and good leadership. It was a fun day, thank you to both teams.

Seconds: EPA Razorbacks 30 – SAN MATEO 51 Referee: Tim Lew
In East Palo Alto, San Mateo vs EPA was a loose but hard-fought game. San Mateo played fast and quick but EPA scored some breakaway tries. Late in the second half, SM brought on some more experienced players and ran away with in the end.

EPA BULLDOGS 23 – Sacramento Lions 6 Referee: Max Barnard
AR: Pete Smith, Bruce Ricard

Seconds: EPA Bulldogs 22 –SACRAMENTO LIONS 24 Referee: Pete Smith
My game was 24-22 in favor of Sac Lions.

It was a 30 minute first half and a 20 minute second half. It has been a long time since I have heard so much laughter during a game. Played in good spirits, with very few players actually trying…should have just had a game of touch.

Last week cancelled, this week 50 minutes...at least this weekend looks good!

Marin 0 – DIABLO 25 Referee: Stephanie Bruce
AR: Sean Peters
Evaluator: Dixon Smith

Seconds: Marin – Diablo Gaels CANCELED

Fresno 21 – SANTA ROSA 24 Referee: Dan Wilson
Fresno 21 – Santa Rosa 24
The season for DII is drawing closer to the end and I had been fortunate enough to draw the heavy weight match of the weekend, Fresno hosting Santa Rosa. These teams met twice last season, once in the regular season and once in the Elite 8. Both of those times it was a slug fest and a close outcome. The teams may have a few different people in different positions, but it was still Fresno v Santa Rosa.

The weather man said the rain and heavy winds would hold off until approximately 2 PM, but who trusts those guys anyway. The pitch that Fresno chose to play the match on was the local park on which the U-19 teams play due to their normal pitch being booked months in advance for a soccer tournament. Aside from burned lines that were for a smaller field and a large cement footing for a field light being 2 meters from one of the sides, the field was perfect…keeping in mind the large, hard dirt patches throughout the pitch. Hey, we’ve all played on worse. Thankfully, the ice cold rain didn’t start until just prior to the B side match.

Santa Rosa kicked the ball off and due to a mistake by Fresno handling the ball and some great overload passing, Santa Rose scored an unconverted try at the first minute. Kicking off again to Fresno, it looked like it was going be a long day for Fresno boys. In minute eight, Santa Rosa scored a converted try. Then, in the seventeenth minute, they scored another converted try. Yep, with not even 20 minutes having passed in the game, Santa Rosa was up 19-0. Everything Santa Rose seemed to do worked and even if Fresno could kick the ball to relieve pressure, the boys from the north just put more pressure back. It wasn’t until the second quarter that Fresno started to rally by keeping control of the ball and playing stout defense. Just before halftime, in the 36th minute, Fresno scored its first converted try. Halftime score: Fresno 7 – Santa Rosa 19.

The second half seemed to be an absolutely different game. Fresno scored converted tries in both the 45th and 55th minute, actually taking the lead for about ten minutes. As the reputation proceeded itself, the slugfest showed up. The final three quarters of this game had some fantastic hits, great runs and seemed as if two bears were fighting for territory. Wait, that’s what it was, actually. Santa Rose finally got back into the try zone in the in the 65th minute, taking the lead back again by three points. Fresno had a penalty at the final minute just inside Santa Rosa’s ten-meter line and there was a quick debate of either kicking a penalty kick and tying the game or going for the win. A tap was chosen and the attempt to win was taken. Unfortunately, the movement did not lead to the try zone and Santa Rosa ended on top. Final Score: Fresno 21 – Santa Rose 24.

Seconds: Fresno 0 – SANTA ROSA 65 Referee: Bill Long
So 2 weeks ago I did a match before the A sides, rain. Ran touch for the A sides, dry. This week ran touch for the the A sides, dry. Refereed the B sides, rain. Is this how you break new guys in?

Santa Rosa had plenty of fit players and Fresno did not. With the loss of a prop to end the first half and sloppy conditions it looked like Fresno was doomed, and they were. They came out to start the second half with all cylinders firing and then proceed to run out of gas. 4 unconverted tries and 2 converted for 34 to 0 at half. 5 more tries with 3 conversions for the finish. 1 yellow card for #0 Santa Rosa for a dangerous tackle and at that point the field was fast earning lake status, the fans were wet and cold, and the players wanted some beers. Called it a day.

Chico 19 – SEAHAWKS 57 Referee: Preston Gordon
The driving rain and howling wind on the way out of the city gave way to overcast skies once I hit I-505, and the drizzle stopped right before kickoff. The only effect of the weather was on the pitch, which was very soft underfoot. Chico and San Jose traded 2 tries each in the first ~10 minutes of the game, then San Jose ran away with it, scoring 3 more in the first half and 4 more in the second, while Chico only managed one more in the second half. Despite the lopsided scoreline it was a fun game to referee and everyone was pretty happy afterwards. Thanks to the two guys on the touchlines, who did a great job.

I got out of town in the middle of a hail storm, and was only an hour late to the banquet. Those of you who left early, or who couldn't come, missed the karaoke fun!

B.A. BARACUS 51 – Berkeley 5 Referee: Chris Labozzetta
It was a very cold, windy, rainy Saturday with at 9:30am start. Despite a frozen ref, and bad conditions, the game was actually pretty well played from the standpoint that there was good ball movement and not a lot of drops.

In the end, Baracus was the stronger team, but both teams performed well under adverse conditions.

Seconds: BARACUS 12 – Berkeley 5 Referee: Cary Bertolone
It was raining pretty hard and the wind was 20 miles an hour off the bay at the Berkeley all turf fields off of Hwy 80. Miserable if you were standing around.

Great 2nd side game; everyone was in good humor and the players were having fun. Baracus scored first for a 7-0 lead, Berkeley had a 50 meter center try, but missed the conversion. Minutes later, Baracus made the missed conversion meaningless as they scored another try to win the game 12-5.

VACAVILLE 28 – South Valley 14 Referee: Jordan Bruno
Wet conditions on the day led to many scrums and a limited number of breaks in the backline for each side. Both teams played well on defense and in support. A high tackle at the end of the first half led to a yellow for the inside center of south valley. Vacaville came back with two more tries in the second half as South Valley lacked the fitness to keep up.

Seconds: Vacaville – South Valley Ref: Bruno
The second sides from each team played tens for fun and had a good run.

Siskiyou 0 – SHASTA 71 Referee: Kevin Parks (PNRRS)

Mendocino Steam Donkeys 17 – HUMBOLDT OLD GROWTH 18 Referee: Tony Levitan
Back story: I find out a couple months ago that my Mom is planning to come out for a visit so I emailed Bruce and said, "Glad to do a long trip on March 31 so I can enjoy some car time alone with my Mom." Little did I know that the drive would be to and from Ukiah in torrential rains, with limited visibility and on hydroplane-inducing roads. Good times for all! Truth be told, while the aforementioned conditions prevailed predominantly during the 6 hours of driving, there were plenty of moments of brilliant skies, breath-taking vistas, and family connection. Thanks, Bruce. Glad to take on Ukiah again next season!

The amazing part of the day is that after a steady stretch of days of rain -- including so much precipitation that the City of Ukiah was unable to mow the lengthy grass on this wet, natural grass pitch -- we kicked-off under sunny skies, and, save a tsunami-like downpour for 15 minutes straddling halftime, had mostly clear skies. The Mendo pitch was wet and heavy but that didn't stop us from having a barn-burner of a match. Fairly matched, these long-time rivals/pseudo-neighbors enjoy deep shared roots as players move around, joining whichever club is closer to wherever they happen to live at the time. The opening half was as close as their ties, with Humboldt opening the scoring 12 minutes in off an advantage gained from a Mendo knock-on. Eight minutes later, playing from the base of their stronger scrum, Mendo tied and then, with the conversion, pulled ahead, 7-5.

The aforementioned downpour made the handling the remainder of the first half challenging, to say the least. Humboldt pulled ahead with a penalty 5 minutes into the second half, and topped that with a strong backline unconverted try a couple minutes later (13-7 Humboldt). Mendo scored on a movement that went numerous phases and through plenty of pair of hands to pull to within 3 before Humboldt dotted down what was to be their final try, this one off a quick penalty tap with 18 minutes remaining. Then, things got really interesting :-). Mendo attacked and attacked, Humboldt played a bit defensively, and the home team inched closer to their Humboldt line with each counter thrust. Down to the final minute, after Humboldt was caught offside at a ruck near their line, Mendo tapped, mauled, rucked and rolled, finally scoring as time expired. While the Mendo try scorer scooted through in-goal toward the posts, Humboldt forced the touch down midway between the left post and touch line. Mendo could have used another foot or two as the kick sailed just barely wide left and Humboldt's victory was sealed, 18-17.

Fun match, great contest, and happy Mom. What else could a guy ask for ...

RENO 27 – Redwood Empire 17 Referee: John Villanueva
The match was moved from Reno to the Rodeo grounds at Fernley NV due to an approaching storm. The pitch was mostly dirt and weeds which did not take the marking paint well so lines were difficult to see. At match time there were winds of 50 MPH making it difficult to see at times as the dirt was being blown into my eyes.

Redwood Empire scored first by charging down a Reno kick, then Reno answered with a break-away. The first half was a little sloppy but a close contest. The second half tempers started to flare on both sides and I was forced to warn both captains about their teams conduct. The match continued back and forth with both teams scoring, when with 12 minutes left Reno took the ball on a break away from their own 22 for the deciding score.

Colusa 14 – SIERRA FOOTHILLS 37 Referee: Lee Salgado
The rain was nice enough to cease for much of the game and the field was in good shape despite the rain in the last 48 hours. I was looking forward to this game since I know it was going to be a hard hitting game of rugby, a fantastic D3 duel for play-off position. Both teams had strong packs but Sierra Foothill backs were the difference in the game. Tempers flared in the second half, but both teams composed themselves and finished strong. Colusa’s 9 and 10 kept the Sierra Foothill backs on their toes and Sierra Foothill 8 was crafty and utilized the fringes well. The play of the game was the beautiful drop goal by Sierra Foothills with very little time in second half; right through the middle of the uprights off a scrum in the middle of the field.

Paso Robles 17 – BAY AREA CHIEFS (SAMOA UNITED) 48 Referee: Bruce Bernstein
After taking shelter in my car pulling the wet, cold clothes off me after the match I was thinking; "They don't pay me enough for this."

Then I showed up in for the party in downtown Paso Robles at an Irish pub on the square and got "paid back" in all kinds of shots, shouts, plus a comp'd meal for me & Tina at a 4 star gourmet restaurant (which Paso has no shortage of these days).

And, the game featured a field of dreams set up in a farm field off the beaten path which ended up being interesting to try to drive out in the mud.

The field for some reason was unaffected by the torrential downpour which only happened while we played; leading to a few knock ons/scrum downs with very few penalties & zero cheap/dirty play by both teams. The match featured a great try off a maul by Paso to close out the first half; a penalty try awarded to Paso in the 2nd (which only lost that half 12-7); & some good team play by the Chiefs forwards lead by their #6 flanker who drove past the game line whenever he touched the ball.

Sacramento Blackhawks 22 – SF FOG 28 Referee: Josh Fitzgerald
(No report received. Result from the Fog website.)

ALL BLUES 26 – Sacramento Amazons 15 Referee: Richard Parrish (East Mids)

Vallejo 14 – STANISLAUS 28 Referee: Rich Boyer
Upon departing Sacramento with English Midlands ref Richard Parrish we felt Saturday would be a dry day. More wrong we could not have been. Wipers were travelling as fast as possible by the time we hit Davis.

The monsoon continued intermittently during the game, which was marked by mistakes arising from the conditions and some hard running. Stanislaus exhibited some enterprising back play and scored first on an intercept try. Vallejo tried huge skip passes numerous times, successful really only once as the winger skipped in for a try. The score was 21-7 at half. Vallejo struggled mightily and put together some good forward play, scoring under the posts to come within 7. But it was not to be as Alex, Stanislaus' fullback, put the game away.

I had the pleasure of coaching Alex this past summer for our U-19 7s team which played in Palo Alto and in Dixon tournaments. He showed good pace and tremendous determination this game. Stanislaus captain and flyhalf Peter, (an Irishmen wearing Aussie Rugby League clothes), had a very accurate foot for finding touch and for points, missing neither and routinely kicking lovely torpedo kicks 50-60 yards for touch. Stanislaus halfback played well defensively and the hooker ran hard, while Sanchez, number 5, was prominent in the rucks and forward running for Vallejo.

SF STATE 39 – CSU-Monterey Bay Referee: Jen Tetler
I hoped I wasn't going to have to run around in a torrential downpour, that it would ease up a bit...and it did! The sun ended up shining on Treasure Island as SF State and CSU Monterey Bay kicked off. SF State came out strong and scored in the first few minutes off of an offside advantage. They kept up the aggression throughout the first half, holding Monterey with no score, but not quite making the conversions on their 4 tries. First half score, 20-0 SF State. Monterey came out with a vengeance in the second half, looking almost like a whole new team. They were fast and got the ball out wide and quickly converted their energy into a try. This, however, made SF State wake back up. Both teams were extraordinarily professional, polite, and concerned for safety - a fantastic thing to see in rugby. Final score SF State 39 – CSUMB 5.

SAC CITY COLLEGE 19 – Univ. of San Francisco 5 Referee: JC van Staden
BRUTAL, is an understatement... So, my guess is, the rain we have been waiting for the year, decided to come down at 1pm, and stopped at 3pm.... More than 1" of rain in just 1 hr, 45F with a 10mph wind, so 35F on the fingers....

With both sides only fielding 16 players for the day, it only took 5 min of good scrumming, before we had to go to uncontested scrums. Which probably was a good thing, cause 28 scrums later, we were done, in more ways than one.... Hard running, big hits, and a lot of guts, were the only thing that kept this game alive with about only 4 spectators, including the coaches.

Long story short, most teams would have called the game and gone home... Having 32 players playing rugby on a day like this, was so much worth the drive! Thanks to Ponderosa for supplying an all-weather field, and thanks to all the boys for showing up, and playing your hearts out.

Sunday
UC Santa Cruz 0 – CAL FROSH/SOPH 128 Referee: Tom Zanarini

NCRYA YOUTH TOURNAMENT

The fifth annual post-season youth tournament was held for U8, U10 and U12 teams in Danville, on Saturday, March 31.

As you’ve read above, we had rugby weather: kids splashing about with abandon, looks of sheer joy on their faces chasing the funny-bouncing ball, while the trashcan-liner industry saw an uptick in sales of their impromptu, field-expedient raincoats.

Soccer requires dedication of its players’ parents: ferrying the youngsters to and fro, buying the apparel, providing the snacks, watching paint dry… while Rugby requires them to wear Coast Guard-approved lifesaving gear and have hailstones bounce off their faces.

The game’s the thing: Old Sol was the only no-show. About a hundred games were played on the day.

Stephen Moore was heavily involved in the organization. Other Pelicans seen on pitches included Matt Eason, Chris Fisher, Mike King, Eric Rauscher, and Bruce Carter.

Your reporter does not know who won in each division, having to leave just after five PM in order to attend the society banquet in Richmond with a warm shower in between.

HIGH SCHOOL

Friday
RENO 24 – Sacramento 20 Referee: Phil Ulibarri
This was a fine-spirited U19 match played on the world’s 10th-worst pitch (the other 9 being fields 1-9 at the Las Vegas 7s Tournament last February).

At issue: grass abatement, potholes, mosquito breeding pools, and so many white lines even Scarface would have been confused. Seems the Parks Department lined over a freshly marked rugby pitch with soccer stripes! Is there no justice!?

But regardless, the spirit of youth could not keep the players from having a good time. Another 5 or 10 minutes may have seen a different result as the Sacramento squad looked to be in better shape even at the 4000ft plus altitude.

Varsity: Oakland Warthogs 17 – DANVILLE OAKS 24 Referee: Tim Lew
In a very skilled and great game, DO barely held onto win in the last seconds of the game holding off a last stand by OW. Both sides battled with hard hits and GREAT stanzas of play. Going into half, DO had 12 & OW 10. While DO missed two easy tries in 2nd half (one out of the back tryzone & another grounded early), they held a thin lead to the end. Both teams looked very good.

JV: Oakland Warthogs 7 – DANVILLE OAKS 24 Ref: Lew
The seconds game was also very athletic. DO supported better in the loose and won virtual all the line outs and held possession through the halves. DO was well coached while OW had some great individual players who will be very good in the next few years.

Saturday
Varsity Gold: Bellarmine 15 - JESUIT 33 Referee: James Hinkin
Two of the top high school programs in the country squared off on the Bellarmine football field last Saturday in a highly anticipated match. Noticing a trend – my game 2 weeks ago was moved to Yerba Buena High School (3.7 mi from my house) and this week’s game was at Bellarmine (2.19 mi from my house) - I am fully expecting to host a match in my front yard next week. Not sure who is going to play but the pitch will be a bit small.

With heavy rain forecast and, in fact, occurring, I prepared for the worst but the game was generally free of precipitation. So much so that I didn’t even realize there were sprinkles until after the match when I spoke with some attendees. Neither team seemed to care either way as they just wanted to play some rugby, so I obliged. With Bellarmine kicking off Jesuit was immediately on the attack and scored a well-earned try before Bellarmine was able to get into the game. The Bells woke up after that and started playing some quality rugby. Jesuit was up to the task with some quality of their own and were able to get another try on the board before Bellarmine was able to pull one back. The 12 – 7 score held until the waning moments of the half until the Jesuit 13, who was a dynamic force the entire half, beat a couple of players up the sideline until finally being caught by the last man. The sweet pop-pass to the hard working #14 following up on the play led to a try under the posts and a 19-7 lead at the half.

(Note: As a former wing it always annoyed me when the “thinkers” on the team – read tight 5 – would complain about all the soft tries the wings got. Yes there are inexperienced wings who just sit out wide waiting for the ball just as there are props who are useless in open play. There is a lot of support running without the ball and chasing of opportunities that a good wing does in order to be in position to get that “soft” try. This was not the only opportunity that this player was supporting but this one had the reward. Looking around after the pass I didn’t see anyone else chasing the play quite so hard. A well-deserved try that was and if the wing was jogging at the finish that was more to do with the hard work put in earlier than anything else.)

The second half was in many ways a mirror of the first with Bellarmine being very good, but Jesuit being just that much better. A try and a penalty to the Bells was countered by two tries from Jesuit.

Final Score: Bellarmine 15 - Jesuit 33

JV: Bellarmine 5 – JESUIT 65 Dave Richards
Saturday came and weather looked ominous. Drenching rain on the way to Bellarmine, had they not had the all-terrain field I would not even had called to see if the game was still on. Torrential downpour. I was slated to ref the JV side, and when I got there, and saw both teams warming up, it was difficult to believe these were High School JV sides. Both teams had numbers, and size, with Jesuit's traveling JV side close to 30 players, or so it seemed.

As it often happens, right before kickoff the clouds parted, and suddenly it was not so bad of a day...not much sun, but the wind died down a little and conditions were a little wet but very endurable. Jesuit came out of the gate and showed why they are one of the top programs in the country, getting on the scoreboard early, with multi-phase ball which got out into the backs on the 6th or 7th phase, after Bellarmine's defense had gotten stretched, and the overlaps started to show. To Bellarmine's credit, they tackled well, played great defense for the most part, but with a bigger, faster pack, and some pace in the backline, Jesuit was able to play 6, 7, 8, 9, phase ball consistently and eventually find a hole here and there. Both coaches had numbers, and wanted everyone to get a good run, so they decided on 3-thirty-minute periods, since Jesuit basically had two teams. At the end of the 1st period, Jesuit led 24-0, which was not entirely indicative of the game itself, since Bellarmine did spend quite some time in the red zone at the attacking end of the field, but could not seem to finish.

Second period was more of the same, with Jesuit racking up another 19 points, and holding Bellarmine scoreless. Again, Bellarmine played inspired defense, led by their loosehead prop and a strong number 8, along with several key players in the backline, but could not get the ball down in goal.

Third period, Bellarmine finally got on the board with an early try, but could not match Jesuit's 22 points, and in spite of the final score of 65-5 for a 90 minute effort, I do think Bellarmine showed themselves to be approaching the level of Jesuit. Both teams showed great sportsmanship, great discipline, and were obviously well-coached.

One of the players on Jesuit was Anthony Nguyen, who acted as touch judge/ AR on the first 2 periods, and offered up several tips to me, which I both accepted and employed. I think he has a great future as a referee, he certainly has an early start!

SILICON VALLEY 30 – Berkeley Rhinos 27 Referee: Bryant Byrnes
So wet that the match was moved to Mountain View, this was an enjoyable game to ref- tough, lots of points, and close. Both teams were under a bit of a handicap-Berkeley could only bring 17 and SV initially sat some of its starters for internal reasons.

Berkeley leads at half, 12-10, in large measure because of its fullback's strategic toe and nice running. But SV's big, fleet Islander loose forward guys simply wore the Rhinos down in the second half (and I think scored all of their tries).

Boys High School Jeff Richmond
CHRISTIAN BROTHERS 22 – PITS 19 Referee: Jeff Richmond
Referee Coach: Chris Tucker
Heavy rain in the morning relented for the afternoon and made for a nice, soft pitch that held up well through the action. PITS came out strong and grabbed an early lead from CB. PITS controlled the ball well in the wet conditions, running several phases of forward play before slinging it out to their backs. The PITS defense gave CB a number of opportunities with senseless offside at the ruck. CB woke up in the second half, scoring three tries including a poached pass out of the PITS backfield, taking it 50m for the score. PITS scored their final try in the last 3 minutes but were unable to gain back their momentum.

The match had an unusual amount of game ending injuries, attesting to the vigorous play. A CB player had his head split open at minute 65 and an ambulance was called. I appreciated the conduct of both sides through the match and Chris Tucker's input.

THIS WEEK’S PHOTO
Falling Water
Actually, another of Last Week’s Photos: Chris Tucker, Richard Parrish, Ray Schwartz, Aruna Ranaweera, Bruce Carter and Eric Rauscher are halfway to the top of Yosemite Falls at this point on the trail.

Max Barnard took the picture and Ron DeCausemaker stayed below.

HAIL, PELICUS!

For the Senate
Pelicus Scriptoris