Glenmark victors in epic Luisetti Seeds Alf Hunnibell Memorial Cup battle

It was another epic battle for the Luisetti Seeds Alf Hunnibell Memorial Cup with Kaiapoi and Glenmark
once again going head-to-head in the North Canterbury Sub Union final.

Luisetti Seeds’ Operation Manager Mark Frampton, says the game was a rematch of last year’s final, with Kaiapoi showing dominance up to half-time, but Glenmark just kept coming back and took the lead with ten minutes to play.
The game, which was held on August 15, was played under Covid-19 restrictions so there were only a handful of spectators there to appreciate the “dingdong” battle.

“It was a crying shame. It was a magnificent day, a really good game of rugby and only about 20 people watching,” says Mark.

He says both teams had established themselves early in the competition as being the team to beat and both had a good balance of youth and experience. But it was Glenmark, led by Ben Anderson, who took the trophy with a 32-24 win.

Luisetti Seeds has had a long association with this trophy as Alf Hunnibell was Richard and Max Luisetti’s grandfather. A boot maker, Alf operated from a shop in High Street, Rangiora (now Capones Restaurant). He was
Secretary and Treasurer of the North Canterbury Rugby Union and managed the senior team for 25 years (1925 to 1950). The Alf Hunnibell Memorial Trophy has been presented in North Canterbury since 1960.

Methven break eight-year Luisetti Seeds Watters Cup drought

MidCanterbury’s Luisetti Seeds Watters Cup was contested by Rakaia and Methven at Methven on 8 August and this year the hosts were the victors, winning by 22-9.

Methven had not won the Luisetti Seeds Watters Cup since 2012, so it was a great win for the team in front of a crowd of around 1000 spectators.

Luisetti Seeds’ agronomist Simon Fleetwood coaches the Methven side and says it was a very even first half but in the second half, Methven broke away with a couple of good tries and a penalty.

Simon, who has played in a number of finals against Rakaia, says Rakaia is notoriously hard to beat, which
made the win even sweeter.

He says he is enjoying coaching, especially when the competition is being sponsored by his employers.

“That really makes it, the fact that they share the same passion for Canterbury rugby that I do.”

It has been a great season for the Methven club, topped off with the Senior B’s winning their Division two final, something they have not done since 2008.