Shawnigan Lake School - Yearbook (Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia Canada)

Page 28 text:

Standing: (L. to R.) Mr. D. Hyde-Lay, D. Gough, P. LeBlanc, B. Cough, A. Harke, C. Costello, D. Merry, Mr. J. Davies Seated: (L. to R.) M. Akiyama, M. Kobus, I. McPherson, D. Swanson, B. Patel, R. Brakop, C. Sigfstead Fron .- (L. to R.J R. Schmitt, P. Robinson 24

Page 27 text:

eorge ' s 23-16, and also on return fixture Brentwood where the fired up home taken eked out a narrow, hard fought 10-8 win. Drew Swanson proved to be a fine Captain, enthusiastic off the field and energetic and hard- driving on it. He played lock and was the anchor that solidified the pack in the sets. He was committed and uncompromising in both the tight and loose play and never shirked his duty in any situation. He was sorely missed when injury prevented him from playing in the final three matches of the season. His fellow lock, Brent Gough, also enjoyed a fine season too, and was probably one of the most improved forwards on the team. He was our best lineout jumper. The front row was solid with props, Dave Merry and Paul LeBlanc being very steady. Mike Kobus as hooker was also one of the most mobile of the pack and was always to the fore in all loose play. The back row had some excellent games and flankers, Mashi Akiyama and Roland Brakop, were very quick to the point of breakdown, with number 8, Curt Sigfstead never far behind. Curt, Uke Drew, missed the final 3 matches through injury which weakened our pack co nsiderably. The backs developed well as a unit and their positional play, especially in attack and coun- terattack improved greatly. Roger Schmitt, while

Page 29 text:

mmm - T3 ' :ja«r-! ■ S ■..■ he played some fine games at scrum-half, was not consistent enough. His fellow half-back our exchange student from New Zealand, Chris Costello, proved to be a very steady fly-back and imparted confidence to the other backs through his sound play in this most difficult of positions to play well. The other backs all ran strongly and defended well, especially Ian McPherson in the centre, while Damian Gough ' s play became consistently reliable by the end of the season. The wings scored some fine tries, particularly Matt Atkinson and Andrew Harke, both of whom are difficult to stop when in full flight. Bud Patel was very steady at full-back, sound under the high punt and ever ready to start a counterattack. This team, therefore, after our unimpressive record of the past two years, played with the style and discipline of some of the more entertaining Shawnigan sides of the past, making all the hard work just that much more worthwhile. D.W. Hyde-Lay 25