Whites lift Vodafone Club Shield

The Queanbeyan Whites have won the annual Vodafone Club Shield for 2008.

The Whites, who also claimed last year’s John I Dent Cup premiership during the regular season, took out the pre-season competition ahead of last year’s Champions, the Tuggeranong Vikings.

The Vodafone Club Shield, now into its third year, features all seven clubs from the ACT’s Premier Division. The clubs are divided into two pools with First, Reserve, Colts and Third Grade results combined to provide a points ratio across the four grades.

The Whites finished on top of Pool A with the First, Second and Colts remaining undefeated through the three-week competition.

Vodafone State Sales Manager NSW/ACT Sandy Soames presented Whites club captain Daniel Hawke with the Vodafone Club Shield prior to the CA Brumbies clash against the Lions at Canberra Stadium.

Soames says Vodafone pleased to be involved with the tournament.
  
“On behalf of Vodafone I’d like to congratulate the Queanbeyan Whites and all the clubs who took part in this year’s competition,” she said. “We’re very proud that the Vodafone Club Shield has developed into such a key event in the ACT local rugby calendar.

“Vodafone sees this competition as an excellent opportunity to not only put something back into our community, but to also support and promote rugby at a grass roots level.”

One player from each of the seven competing clubs was selected as the Vodafone Club Player of the Series.

The winners, who were each presented with a BlackBerry Pearl 8100 handset courtesy of Vodafone were:

• Eddie Waddington (Easts – Colts)
• Anthony Dawson (Gungahlin – First Grade)
• Robbie Lavery (Uni-Norths – Colts)
• Sokai Tai (Royals – First Grade)
• Matt Sillis (Queanbeyan – Second Grade)
• Jesse Parrahi (Tuggeranong – First Grade)
• Matt Pankhurst (Wests – Colts)

The overall Vodafone Club Shield Player of the Series will be announced at the annual Macdougal Medal Presentation Dinner in

The Tooheys New John I Dent Cup kicks off next weekend (Saturday, 3 May) with Tuggeranong hosting Wests, Easts taking on Gungahlin at Griffith Oval and Royals traveling to Queanbeyan to face the Whites.