News

Cow bingo as a fundraiser?
Yup it isn’t as crazy as it sounds. The Maramarua Rugby Club have come up with a novel idea as a fundraiser – cow bingo.
Their number one field will be split by GPS into squares and they will let a cow loose to do its business. Whichever square gets the deposit, wins the ticket holder a $2,5000 prize.
Speak to a club member to get yourself a ticket.
Meanwhile the club will hold its muster on Wednesday February at 6.30pm.

Te Kohanga to return
A local group has started the groundwork to return Te Kohanga to senior club rugby in the Counties Manukau region in 2021.
The small township, on the main road between the Tuakau Bridge and Port Waikato, has not entered a team in senior grades since 2017 but is aiming to have a team contest the Championship grade this year.
Organisers will need to re-join the CMRFU as per the Constitution but that is expected to be a formality.

CMRFU team-building runs
It was refreshing to see the entire Counties Manukau Rugby office staff out for a midday jog together during the week.
It is an initiative to help with team building and will only make the close-knit group tighter.
Chief executive Aaron Lawton may need to update his Warriors singlet however and a couple of other members could use a slightly bigger size shirt for next time.
They might also want to take PIC Steelers trainer Jed along to help whip them into shape.

Wilkinson shows off cricket skills
Patumahoe premier player Jonny Wilkinson showcased his all-round sporting skills when he took five wickets for the Pukekohe Metro premiers in their cricket match against Papakura last week.
Wilkinson topped the bowling Honours Board in the process.
Fellow Patumahoe teammate Aue Parima has enjoyed a strong season with the Pukekohe Metro cricket outfit as well.

Chiefs v Blues U20 match in need of a venue
The Chiefs U20 team will be playing a pre-tournament game against the Blues U20 on Saturday 3rd of April (Easter Weekend).
They would like to host this game at a Counties Manukau Rugby Club.
Interested clubs would need to ensure the fields are marked, changing rooms available and good parking facilities are available.
Interested clubs should contact annette.tossell@steelers.co.nz to find out more.

Kingi signing hailed
Counties Manukau Rugby has pulled off a coup in signing schoolboy star Jadin Kingi to their academy.
The talented ex-Sacred Heart College student is the son of former Steeler Dion Kingi and the grandson of Counties Manukau and All Blacks legend Bruce Robertson.
He is tipped for a massive future in the sport and is being hailed as the best addition to the academy in years.

Chiefs Cups game date confirmed
Counties Manukau will play Bay of Plenty in a Chiefs Cup game on Friday March 5 on the same night the Chiefs host the Highlanders.
At this stage the game is set to be played at Beetham Park in Hamilton but that could change to FMG Stadium to be a curtain-raiser.
They will then play a second game, with opponent yet to be determined, on March 20 in Hautapu.

Got news to share? Spill the beans over at dale@countiessportshub.co.nz

The Around the Grounds feature will be published each week to spotlight community rugby news. We will give you the latest from the rumour mill as well as breaking stories and things that may be missed by traditional news outlets. The column is supported by Counties Manukau Rugby but the individual stories are not official communication from the union and remain the responsibility of the author.