Clutha Valley jumped to the top of the Southern Region table momentarily with a 46-21 win over Crescent at Clydevale on Saturday.
Crescent started well with an early double to prop Setu Enoka to lead 14-10 midway through the first half.
A late Valley converted try saw the home side head into the halftime break 17-14 ahead.
The opening stages of the second half were controlled by Valley, who scored three unanswered tries to build a sizable lead.
Crescent hit back but then began to tire as Valley scored two more tries to extend the lead and seal the win in front of its home crowd.
Valley locked away the John Cross Cup for the season and retained the Speight’s Jug and McIntosh Cup for another week.
Toko rebounded strongly from its loss last week with a 38-7 win over Clinton at Milton.
A determined Toko side played with a chip on its shoulder for most of the game.
A try inside the first minute to skipper Dylan Greer set the tone as Toko raced to a 24-0 lead at halftime.
Clinton responded early in the second half and managed to finally hold the ball for periods of time.
But once Toko woke up in the second half, it ran in two more tries to take maximum points.
Clutha survived a large scare to beat Owaka 31-22 after being down 22-7 at one stage at Swamp Hen Park.
Owaka flew out of the blocks in the first half and put together a near-perfect 40 minutes.
After conceding the first try, the home side found its structure and managed to hold on to possession for phase after phase and make solid metres up the field.
Owaka’s forwards put in the hard yards and the outside backs found holes in the defence to build a 19-7 lead at halftime.
A penalty early in the second half extended the lead for the home side before Clutha found its way to the line and momentum shifted.
As the game progressed, Owaka began to tire, and Clutha ran in four unanswered tries to lock up the Art Bloxham Cup for the season.
Heriot secured the West Otago Shield for the year with a commanding 43-13 win over Lawrence at Heriot.
The home side controlled large portions of the game and was occasionally deadly with ball in hand.
Heriot’s determined forward pack controlled the contact areas and the wingers thrived in open space on the outsides.
Lawrence played well in patches but ran out of steam, and with only four reserves, could not muster any kind of second-half fightback.
Alhambra-Union beat Big River Country 26-15 in the women’s game at the North Ground.
A dominant first half from the home side set up the win as it led 17-5 at the break. Alhambra-Union was more committed on attack and caused BRC plenty of headaches.
Alhambra-Union now sits on top of the table while BRC is fighting for a semifinal spot.
— Francis Parker
