Twenty-five players and five coaching staff travelled to New Zealand on July 4th returning on the 20th. They played four games and were victorious in all four. The first game and first win of the tour was against Auckland Marist by 36 points to 10. The second game and another victory against Oriental Rongotai, nickname Ories, a club formed in 1888 and the score here was 39 10.
Their next game was against Geraldine, a club formed in 1887 and based in the Raukapuka reserve between the Rakaia and Waitaki rivers in Geraldine. This was another victory for the Kent squad winning 29 10. The Final game of the tour was against North Otago RFU based in Oamaru and founded in 1927. This was possibly Kent’s closest encounter and it was not until the last minute that our own Toby May crossed the line to give Kent a clean sweep winning 30 29.
The Kent squad were very well treated staying with families in some locations, a traditional Marae, which is a sacred open meeting area and communal meeting house, and finally, the boys must have thought that they were going to heaven, as they were put up in a girls boarding school in Oamaru, but I understand that they were some distance apart, shame. There was of course bungy jumping for the intrepid together with some hunting. Our own Dan Buckland was on the coaching team and three Westcombe Park members were also on the tour, Charles Edwards, Toby May and Jon West. One disappointed Combe member will be Kieran Leeper who was selected but broke his ankle playing seven’s just before they were due to leave. Well done to the touring team.