What promised to be a showpiece became another mud scramble as the weather deteriorated shortly after kickoff following torrential rain throughout the morning.
After Cromwell, in search of their 12th straight victory, scored a stunning try in the third minute, courtesy of a scorching break by replacement captain Hayden Todd, Upper Clutha took control.
Despite most of the players becoming coated in mud, Upper Clutha turned on an exemplary display of quality rugby.
Coach Mark Evans was amazed at how well his team handled the conditions.
‘‘It was probably our best performance to date in the worst of conditions,’’ he said.
He lauded powerhouse forwards Andrew Horne and Rhys Hughes for their performances.
‘‘I was delighted with the overall performance. It was wet-weather footy at its best.’’
Upper Clutha finished with six tries, only one of which co-captain Oliver Stirling managed to convert with the greasy ball. However, he scored one of the tries, his 11th for the season.
Cromwell manager Russell Decke conceded his team were outplayed in conditions that were so challenging.
‘‘We didn’t reclaim the trophy, but when you consider where we were 12 months ago, losing our final match to Wakatipu 52-0 after winning only two games all season, we can be pretty pleased with our achievements this season.’’
Cromwell seriously missed their injured captain, Stefan Blakeborough, being outgunned in the lineouts, where Lachie Garrick, Samuel Masterton and Horne took control.
Upper Clutha are now just one point behind Cromwell, who have the bye next weekend. If they beat Wakatipu in Queenstown they will finish top and claim a home semifinal.
The crunch game next Saturday features Maniototo against Alexandra at Molyneux Park with the winner claiming the fourth semifinal spot. At the moment they are equal fourth on 21 points. — Bob Howitt
