Police and civilian receive bravery awards for their - New Zealand ...

New Zealand Police Associationfor them to prove they are capable of runninga bona fide competition. Further expansionplans will see teams from the west coast jointhe USARL for the 2012 season.In the final the NZ Police team showedtheir class as they dominated in the earlyexchanges. Asked by their coach to come outhard and fast and be aggressive in defence,they rose to the coach’s challenge and therewere a number of bone-jarring tackles byworkhorse Bryan Laumatia and no nonsenseforward Tyrell Green, allowing the backline torun freely.Strong runningOn several occasions the Warriors hadtheir line broken with some strong runningfrom rangy forward Mark Simonsen, whomanaged a number of offloads to hissupporting players resulting in a two-try haulfor Francisco Collado. Not to be outdone, hisyounger brother Ricardo also featured withseveral strong runs and was rewarded with atry under the posts. Tyrell Green managed tocross the line and celebrated his efforts witha strange funky chicken dance that earnedhim a warning from the match officials.The final whistle blew and the celebrationsbegan as The Fencibles AucklandMetropolitan Police Rugby League Team wascrowned the USARL 9s champions.The semi-final had obviously taken its toll35th anniversaryreunion of Peter MurphyRecruit Wing set downfor January 2012The 67 (Peter Murphy) Recruit Wing (Jan-April 1977) will hold their 35th anniversaryreunion in Wellington over the period20-22 January 2012.As there are only seven current staffserving from the 81 who were attestedin 1977, many addresses of formermembers are unknown.Can former members who are interestedin attending please contact the organisingcommittee via the following emailaddresses: don.lee@police.govt.nz orjohn.winter@police.govt.nzDon or John will be happy to provideinterested members with further details.The organisers would be especially keento hear from any members of the lateConstable Peter Murphy’s family, inwhose memory the 67 Wing was named.Mr Murphy, aged 21, was shot dead onSeptember 25, 1976 when he attended abreak-in at a sports shop in Invercargill.on the New Haven Warriors as they had noanswer to the Kiwi team’s continual barrages,eventually succumbing 24-0.Final Score: NZ Police 24 (F Collado 2, RCollado, Green, Lomi; tries) versus NewHaven Warriors: 0PraiseUSARL Chairman Peter Illfield was delightedwith the New Zealanders, praising them formaking the long trip to attend the tournament.Illfield said more exposure to internationalteams was needed if the USA players are tobecome competitive on the world stage.The team had completed some warm-upgames for the USARL tournament with victoriesover the local boys from Washington beforetravelling down to Jacksonville, Florida to facethe Jacksonville Axemen - the current USARLchampions. Rugby league is making hugegains in Florida thanks to our hosts SpinnerHowland and Drew Slover who were fantasticat making the team so welcome. The localsknew who we were and why we were thereand more importantly all about the game.Extreme conditionsKick off saw the temperature reach 100degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 Celsius). To ensurethe safety of the players it was decided toplay the game in four quarters. As quick asthe ice towels and drinks were handed out,they were also drying out. It was a hard,physical encounter with both teams playingsome entertaining rugby league and showingsome outstanding defence none more sothan Bryan Laumatia for the Kiwis.Jacksonville once again proved to besomewhat of a jinxed venue for us withanother serious injury - this time to thetireless forward Tyrell Green who managed to“pop” his knee cap. On our last tour Ron Ramsuffered a nasty break to his ankle. The scoreline see-sawed backwards and forwards withthe Auckland Police team eventually winning32-30 in a nail biter.Firearms range visitIt was time for some R&R in New York andas always this involved stopping in at thefirearms range with Tech Ops Internationaland our host Jerry Plum. Jerry and his teamwere outstanding hosts. They provided10,000 rounds of ammunition and an array ofweaponry to shoot from with the day finishingwith a spit roast and a few beers.On behalf of the team and the managementgroup The Fencibles would like to thankthe NZ Police Association and its President,Greg O’Connor, for their support. Air TahitiNui (NZ), the Rugby League DevelopmentFoundation & Selwyn Pearson, Sir PeterLeitch (aka The Mad Butcher), Tim Connellyfrom SAS Sportswear, and Mike and BrentNolan were also generous sponsors. Withoutour sponsors’ support none of what weexperienced would have been possible.Snowboarding nationals startat Tekapo on 31 AugustThe 13th Annual NZ Police Association and Council of Sport Snowboarding Nationals will beheld in Tekapo from 31 August-3 September 2011. Events will consist of the rolling brawlknown as the Cardrona Cannonball, as well as Slopestyle, Boardercross and Giant Slalom, withevents to be held at Mt Dobson, Ohau and Round Hill ski fields.All snowboarders are welcome.Anyone interested should contact: Greg Murton on extension 37555, or by email:Gregory.Murton@police.govt.nzAugust 2011207