Aroma Coast win maiden league title

 AROMA Coast are the inaugural Central Premier League champions after an 11-4 win over the Goilala Karukas in the cup final at Maopa village yesterday.

Goilala scored the first try through prop Nick Dom to take an early 4-0 lead before Aroma Coast No. 8 Arava Manuma got his name in the scorebook, with a bullocking effort close to the Karukas’ line. 

Aroma Coast hooker Wari Manu kicked a vital conversion for his side to take a 6-4 lead into halftime at Wagula Park.

The second stanza saw both sides ramp up the pressure with hard runs and equally stinging defence.

But it was the cool and collected centre Rex Hura, who provided the game-breaking play. 

Hura, the brother of Gulf Isapea star Makara Hura, showed deft evasive skills to score a try to extend his side’s lead to 10-4 and then slotted a field goal to lend them a seven-point buffer and give the Goilala side the challenge of scoring twice to have any chance of stealing the 2014 Central Premier League Cup.

In the other results, the Koiari Nagavas edged out Hiri West 6-4 in the third-place final, while the rampaging Magi Highway Rebels kept the Mekeo Hawks scoreless (6-0) in the fifth-place playoff.