| Sports |
Bulldogs' growl too strong for
Bombers
By MUSARIKE ANANGAI
The Brian Bell Bulldogs held off a strong second half surge by the
LBC Bombers to register a narrow 24-20 victory at the Lloyd Robson
Oval in Port Moresby yesterday.
The Bulldogs led 10-0 in the first half before the Bombers staged
a four try second half onslaught that tied the scores 20-20 at one
stage, before Bulldogs fullback Joshua Poria broke the deadlock.
In the other matches, the Lahanis have reclaimed the competition
lead by thrashing the Raiders 40-22 (Goroka), the Warriors and
Eagles fought out an 18-18 all draw (Kundiawa) while the Mioks
beat the Gurias 26-12 (Wabag).
In Port Moresby, the excitement evolved in the second half after a
dull, mistake riddled first forty minutes.
Bulldogs prop Aaron Mulunga opened the scoring off a bomb shortly
after kickoff then replacement forward Kelly Tambua provided a
clever offload winger Joshua Lapa's runaway try seconds before
halftime.
In between, both teams failed to mount any real pressure by
continuously handing over possession and taking bad kick options.
Bombers hardman Cedric Belo was placed on report for a late tackle
on Bulldogs five eight Jessie Joe.
The Bombers had the perfect start to the second half when centre
Leonard Otmar straightened onto a short Randall Kaupa pass close
to the line to trail 4-10.
Centre Kevin Frank's strong tackle on Sape Jobi jolted the ball
free in the 47th minute which resulted in Joe's try a few tackles
later.
The Bombers' paid dearly for gambling on a short kick off as
Charles Onguglo trapped the ball with his foot, picked it up and
raced away for a 20-4 lead.
With the match looking beyond reach, the Bombers staged a
remarkable comeback scoring three tries to lock the match at 20-20
with twenty minutes remaining.
Quick hands created an overlap for fullback Benson Joel to score
in the corner (53rd), captain John Milba collected a bomb tap back
from winger Samson Ninge for the next try (58th) before Joel
chipped, regathered and sent Kaupa over to draw the match.
Bombers Andrew Sam missed a field goal attempt from close range in
the 26th minute before Poria broke the deadlock close to fulltime
backing up a centre field bust initiated by Geno Kima and Mulunga.
After round five the Lahanis lead on 9 points, Raiders (8),
Bulldogs (7), Muruks (6), Warriors (5), Bombers, Eagles, Gurias
(4) and Mioks (3).
 
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