FOOTBALL
GISBORNE United Thirds reckon they’ve found their lucky strip, and they can thank a forgetful player for it. He had taken the team shirts home for washing and, somewhere along the way, it slipped his mind.
He was in a car on his way to Saturday’s game in Wairoa when the penny dropped. Fortunately, he had got no further than the Wharerata Hills, so the car was turned around and a clean strip was provided by United’s Eastern League Division 2 team, who had no game at the weekend.
Player and borrowed strip arrived in Wairoa just in time for the 12 midday kick-off.
Third-team player-coach Laurence Fleming said their usual playing attire was a former first-team strip that was perfectly acceptable.
But the strip from the Division 2 team was “flash”.
“We want it for the final,” he said.
Heavy Equipment Services United Thirds had another ding-dong battle with QRS Wairoa Athletic in Wairoa. Two weeks earlier they had fought back from 2-1 down to win 3-2 in Wairoa and clinch the third-division title.
On Saturday they got to 3-1 up against 10 men and then had to hang on for their second 3-2 win against the same opponents in 15 days.
Wairoa scored first, through a 30-metre strike by Shannon Crane five minutes into the Poverty Bay Cup semifinal. Three minutes later, Wairoa lost skipper Ben Blake to a sending-off for handball on the goal-line.
United striker and man of the match Liam Wire scored from the resultant penalty to level the scores, fellow striker Willy McClune scored with a “stunner” of a header midway through the half and, five minutes before the break, left midfielder Jarred Knight shot low and hard into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal.
Playing into the wind and sun in the second half, United came under intense pressure from 10-man Wairoa.
“They were all over us in the last 20 minutes,” Fleming said.
Ten minutes from time, Wairoa midfielder and man of the match Jonny Hardie scored, and Wairoa laid siege to the United goal until the end.
Outstanding for United were Wire, McClune, central midfielder Chris Adams, Knight, rightback and stand-in captain Josh Taylor, leftback Mark Turnbull, centreback Dylan Babbington and goalkeeper Chris Gill.
Adams had to come off at halftime to return to Gisborne to fill his role as coach of the United Eastern League Division 1 team in the Bailey Cup final against Wainui Sharks. (Wainui won 2-1 after extra time.)
For Wairoa, Hardie, Crane, strikers Luke Knight and Harry Champion, midfielder Sharn Karaitiana-Black and defender Gabriel Hernandez-Soto had their moments.
The Wairoa trip still had one wrinkle to deliver. Fleming drove the last car to leave the ground. Ten minutes’ drive out of Wairoa, it broke down and he had to get roadside assistance through his car insurer.
By the time he got to the Childers Road Reserve it was 5.15pm, the Bailey Cup final had finished and Wainui had won.
United Thirds’ opponents in the Poverty Bay Cup final will be Gizzy Bobcat Services Thistle, who beat clubmates ITM Thistle 1-0, thanks to central midfielder Andrew Brown’s 20-metre shot 10 minutes before halftime.
Coaching duo John Stirton and Steve McCarthy sang the praises of goalkeeper Peter Stewart, fullbacks Daniel Stewart and Grant Brown, centrebacks Pat Frain and Hamish Moore, midfielders Rongo Bofyam-Paea, Robin Broadstock and Ethan Gill, and strikers Geordie Henstock and Bailey Curtis.
For ITM Thistle, coach Tony Third singled out keeper Dan Crofton and outfield players Kyle Frazer, Tim Smith, Josh Lewis, Jeremy Raymond and Gordie Williamson for special mention.
The Chris Moore Cup final between Thistle Vintage and 1st Class Decorators Wainui Salty Dogs offers the possibility of the Wainui Sports Club achieving a “double double”. Wainui Sharks last week achieved the Eastern League Division 1-Bailey Cup double. Salty Dogs pipped Vintage for the Division 2 title, and a Chris Moore Cup win would be their club’s second league-and-cup double this year.
Salty Dogs reached the final by beating Coates Associates Wainui Demons 2-0, through goals to strikers Benjamin Gonzalez in the 35th minute and Marcel Campbell in the 73rd.
Gonzalez scored by way of a 20-metre free-kick up and over the defensive wall into the top right-hand corner of the goal. Campbell struck in the 73rd minute, getting to a pass into the penalty area a fraction of a second before the Demons keeper.
Campbell was the Salty Dogs player of the day, while keeper Damian Archdale pulled off some smart saves in goal.
Demons deserved more than they got out of this game, but they lacked a bit of luck where it counted.
Midfielder Yannis Kokkosis drew a good save from Archdale early in the game, striker Ben Inder hit the bar and an upright, Steve Neshausen was busy in midfield, Tom McFarlane and Manaaki Terekia were strong in defence and Byron Allen was sound in goal.
Thistle Vintage beat Tatapouri Bohemians 5-1 but the margin flattered the Jags. The Bohs started well, and Thistle keeper Charlie Kapene had to make a fine early save to keep the game scoreless.
Thistle midfielder Dave Watson opened the scoring in the 20th minute, and 10 minutes later the Bohs were 3-0 down, the margin stretching to four by halftime. An 18-metre volley by right-winger Jared Faber, from a half-cleared corner, was the pick of the goals. Faber scored two, as did striker Neil Hansen.
The Bohemians’ goal was a 25-metre strike from midfielder Hayden Donnelly to make it 4-1, but Vintage scored again, through Hansen.
Kapene, sweeper Geoff Griffin, fullbacks Jared Owen and Stefan Faber, Watson, Jared Faber and Hansen shone for Vintage.
For the Bohs, strikers Tom Paenga and Dan Watts, midfielders Ma Mahuika and Donnelly, and centreback Steve White were outstanding.
The Braybrook Cup finalists will be Bohemians and Gisborne Laundry Services Wainui Riverina.
Bohemians beat Campion 8-3, with Hollie Murrell scoring four goals and Sommer Murrell, one.
McKenzie Holmes scored a hat-trick as Wainui Riverina beat Gisborne Girls’ High School 6-0.