Ok Tedi schoolboys come third

 THE OTML Schoolboys from Western finished third in the Schoolboy 7s in Sydney over the weekend. 

The team was sponsored by Ok Tedi Mining Ltd.

The tournament was staged at The Scots College on Saturday.

For the boys from Papua New Guinea coming in third place overall was an unexpected but welcome outcome as this was the first competition that most of the boys had ever played in. 

OTML managing director Nigel Parker, who was in Sydney to cheer on the OTML Schoolboys, applauded the team’s performance.

“The day clearly demonstrated the ‘raw talent’ that in is PNG and the challenge for us to harness that talent,” Parker said.

The OTML side arrived in Sydney last Friday and returned to Tabubil on Monday.  The team thanked Dr Ian Lambert, the principal of the host school, for the opportunity to compete and Parker for funding.

The Lloyd McDermott development team, an Aboriginal team, de­fended the title they won last year finishing, beating Scots College.

Teams that took part were Scots Col­lege, Aranmore Catholic College (WA), Brisbane State High, Canberra Grammar, Cranbrook School (Sydney), Erindale College of ACT (Australian Capital Territory), Lloyd McDermott development team, OTML, Palmerston North (NZ), St. Ignatius College (Sydney), St. Stanislaus College (NSW) and Westfields Sports High (Sydney).