Big weekend for Marist Thistle

SOCIAL WINNERS: Members of the Marist Thistle team with their medals, the cup for the Marist football tournament social competition and the shield for being most social team. They are (from left) Britta Carroll, Bridget Sunshine, Mandy Owen, Mandy Harbottle, Michelle Elliott, Melissa Jones, Stevie Clarke and Hollie Murrell. Picture supplied

GISBORNE had a successful Marist football tournament in Birkenhead, Auckland, at the weekend.

Tatapouri Marist Thistle won the cup for the social competition and a shield for being “most social team”, Hollie Murrell and Kerry Tomlinson were selected for the tournament team, and — on the basis of voting by match referees — Michelle Elliott was named player of the tournament.

Murrell and Tomlinson were given a New Zealand Marist shirt, and Elliott, an iPhone 7.

Gisborne women’s league winners Marist Thistle won the social league trophy after an “American shoot-out”.

They beat Birkenhead United 3-0 in the shoot-out, after the teams finished regulation time level at 1-1. Tomlinson scored Thistle’s goal with a powerful volley.

Under the rules of the American shoot-out, players have a time limit to take the ball from halfway and beat the goalkeeper, who is allowed to come out and either make a save or make the attacker miss the goal. If the game is not decided after five attempts each, the shoot-out goes to sudden-death, but that was not required, as Marist Thistle took an unassailable 3-0 lead.

Those who scored in the shoot-out were midfielder Stevie Clarke, left-winger Murrell and striker Holly Scott.

Marist Thistle’s only loss over the two days was to the eventual winners of the “serious” league, Palmerson North Misfits, 3-0. That was in their third game of the first day, when they had injury problems and no substitutes.

Thistle Marist beat a Birkenhead social team 3-0 and Palmerston North Emeralds 3-1 on Saturday.

On Sunday they beat Hastings Hibernian 4-0 and Birkenhead United in the social competition final.

Play was in two pools on Saturday, and then teams were split into serious and social competitions.

Apart from Murrell, midfielder Tomlinson and striker Elliott, outstanding players were goalkeeper Mandy Owen, defenders Mandy Harbottle, Bridget Sunshine and Britta Carroll, Clarke, right-winger Melissa Jones and Scott.

Although Tomlinson is based in Hamilton, she is still registered with Marist Thistle, while Scott joined the team from Auckland, where she is in her final year at university.