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Show . Smake River Rugby. Side Wins"; TeMtb Annual Challenge Cup . fliiiM i nil'"" Tiii mil in m.iil """"ttiiig . N" . " -3 ' " t " w' , 1 l '- -v ,. . (..w.v. f v . :-:-:-:-k::W:-: "v:-:-:v:-?:-:'.-- . v VA " " ' i-- ' Y 5 J 1 ' by David Neu Under partly sunny skies, a stiff wind and cold drizzle, the play of the Snake River rugby football club was consistently brilliant in winning winn-ing the 1 Oth Annual Challenge Challen-ge Cup this weekend at City Park. , The host Muckers got hot too late, winning a game against a make up side Saturday after their 4-3 defeat by The Wild Oat Boys from California's Davis, and taking the match 6-4 against Belmont Shore of the Long-Beach Long-Beach area, Sunday to finish ' in fifth placer ; . ' - Meahwhilera darkhorse ' named Littleton from - the other side of the Rockies slept in during their, buy 5 Saturday over no show Bull from Pocatello and then ate up the Wild Oats 32-12, gaining their birth to Sunday's Sun-day's finals. ; ! , : The Snake River boys got 1 there the hard way but if you asied them, they'd say Vno wat,4 Destined it seemedj v were the mighty green - dtdxd athletes when they" too thbifield Saturday agdnst "the white Cats-of Provothis being thef returri cf the same: aketeam-i which batted their heads in rins3s!;isia: ; 5cft.In;476 ; and ? 77 to theCalgatiy CtnucksC: v ncrdtnj a WL4 movt& surprisingly tough Cats ..' '-i-i-l "f" 'Vl ' '': team, the Snake River Club moved on to a meeting with the Dead Goat Touring Side of Salt Lake who had demolished a slow starting Belmont shore team 22-7. It was a classic confrontation confronta-tion of a strong team in the parry, as Mucker New Zealander Hiram Ryan described des-cribed it. against a strong and past passing team. But then as Ryan said, "a good fast team will beat a strong parrying team anyday." Locking horns in a scrum against the Dead Goat, youhave no chance but when the ball Was free it belonged in the sure hands of the sure footed Snake River side. The Dead Goat scored first1 on a pass play to Randy Griffin, the conversion was good and the score 6-0 early in the half until Snake River tied it up in the next few minutes and started unleashing, unleash-ing, their speed. Even the ; foreward line of the Snake v. River is fast; They could play any position on I the team. . The', scrum half "sells . the , dummv" better than most, arid before the defense catches on the mightyM backline is moving down the , ; blind 'side like a lack hills ; tornado. Another 25 yard ;: run, and the conversion, and r another until it was run away Xv 23-6 for Sncle river. Not only was The Dead Goats back line stymed by Snake River but the bare toes of the, Goat's superb kicker, Stuart Carter were practical-Iv practical-Iv unused due to a constant wind. Yellow Slickered anchor man Jay Meehan. a great Rugby for today, looked up slightly amused at "Alamo" . Dave Mueller and Donover Symonds handling the post " game interview from the . KPCW tower and said, "They're doing areal fine job. aren't they?" t Shake River Captain Kevin Jenson sidled over to the wrapped up Mike handled, by Mueller and said his team might not be big but they were fast. Jenson also said ; "It was a longway backto Caldwell. Idaho "without the trophy" in referring to the two runnerups, the team had never forgotten. "We don't want to go back: without it this time;" he told Mueller." Jay from the: Littleton squad.' predicted a v real fast game the next day, but later that night at the City tent above the strains of the band, the Snake ' River Boys were talking about shellacking the upstart group from Littleton! . 1 J . Sunday after the" Muckers played a fine game in a cold rain and beat the respectable Belmont Shore side with two penalty kicks, the .Wild Oats went "against the' Dead Goat' for the -: consolation gahie." The fat man Troth'' the' Oats; and another heavy teammate did a sfimo wrestling act with a native : chant from his teammates, but ( they were outdone when ;,the Goats t Maui led a chant standing at t line stomping his feet, like ' an I angry bull. The Wild Oats were given a lesson in Rugby by the Dead Goat with balanced scoring from Mucker Muck-er loaned Bruce Reid, Randy 5riffen." Gary : Whitterman; and Ray Marchette producing produc-ing an 18-4 win. 5 . ; , ' , y,. , ....... ..... V , i-'. - , . v , - Then the lean green Snake , River side took the t field against the fall' colored' Littleton club ..from, the Denver suburbs. rFani were as keyed as the players. Nobody wanted to miss this,, , one and the two rteams produced the best 60 mimit-" v es pf Tugby .Tye, been : fortunate enoucH tQ Witness. Snake ilveKsTymSne-beck ilveKsTymSne-beck scored his first 3 of 10 - points on a 25 yard periaiiy kick 10 minutes into the game making it 3-0. Littleton fought fiercely in the scrums which followed but constantly constant-ly turned the ball over to y Snake's blitzing backflcld. A try from five yardJi out by Jay : Hummel followed by Sne- heck's conversion making It 9-0. U looked q runaway for Snake River, lVVIthlOinlnulefcfnn the ;;,hal!V rlemlng too ft I, , long, fast iiM doivfi (ho fMde fir Ifota's tint try; , The mvkttm fikd maMrtg MM it iU haiik hm of " 1 Sftate BfVeTr' made Jt 10-9; Littleton. , and moments v later they were . T within threatening . distance again' when Snake's. Jenson grabbed an errant Littleton pass and punted down the field. A lineout and several flawess passing kicking combinations ended with Jay ' Hummel handling to Brian Tot6rika: fof itWe try with Snebeck converting again. . With the -score 15-10. Snebeck kicked a penalty ; goal from a different angel r 25 vards out to frost the cake. : r Battling back with 10 minut- ." ' es remaining, Littleton's ; Fleming again ran it in for a f try. Once again the conver- ( sion failed and Snake River ; held out for the 18-14 victory. ; "I didn't think they'd be ? quite this, tpugh." . said a ; proud Jenson after the I " game. : Hoisting the trophy S while his teammates hoisted . I beers. Jenson said. "I want t to thank Park City and the t refs; they did a hell of a job, and so did Littleton.". : I- 4 , .' - I r - v . - Tournament Director ( Doug Shewmaker received a 't cheer from the crowd. Not J only had the tournament .. r c been successfulL bufDugr-1 by 2.' had swwf a tr in. the. Mucker' ls first:game. - The team captains of Snake River, t t and Littleton announced v Ihclr; players a SfcewmzieT. handed out the brass belt buckles. Uttlton rushed a- j way jo their csrty ifteirn;p flight The Mucicrs plAed i Ifah off the field. fvMcchan and I each pitched in a hK fU and left the Ticld VU ihlvcrln cold, Vc. shook L hund and agreed it had been more fun than. a . .. HhtMtllntt match on a nwon- v . 1 r 1 v i i ' I ii " 4M - , VV- ' , 1 ' "l- -- - . . - . . . - ; . .. |