STRIKER Josh Blair scored a second-half hat-trick in Gisborne Boys’ High School’s 7-0 win against QRS Wairoa Athletic in Eastern League football at the Rectory field on Saturday.
Meanwhile, player-coach Stu Cranswick scored four goals as Heavy Equipment Services United beat Sunshine Brewery Wainui Sharks 7-2 at Wainui.
The results leave United seven points clear of second-placed Carpet Court Thistle Massive at the top of the table.
Thistle have a game in hand, as they did not play at the weekend, but these teams clash in the early game at Harry Barker Reserve on Saturday. It will be the last time they meet in the league this season, and a United win would be a huge step towards their retention of the title.
Blair’s hat-trick against Wairoa was complemented by two goals from strike partner Alex Larkins.
Coach Richard Mulligan, although he wasn’t at the game, had asked manager Darren Larkins to play son Alex up front with Blair.
Mulligan had been impressed with a 20-minute spell Alex Larkins had put in as striker the week before, and wanted to try the Blair-Larkins pairing for a full game.
The experiment was timely. Boys’ High travel to Hamilton on Sunday for the Super 8 football tournament. They will play five games — two on Monday, two on Tuesday and one on Wednesday.
Consequently, their scheduled game against Lytton on Saturday has been deferred.
That will be Lytton’s second deferred game in two weeks. They’ll be champing at the bit when they get back on the school field against United on July 7.
Boys’ High opened the scoring against Wairoa after nine minutes, when central midfielder Brad Clark ran on to a through ball and finished tidily.
Five minutes later, Larkins dived in among a goalmouth crowd to head home a free-kick that leftback Ollie Aldridge had swung in from near the right-wing corner-flag.
After 31 minutes, Aldridge took another free-kick, this time from wide on the left. It beat everyone and drifted in at the far post for a 3-0 halftime scoreline.
Blair scored his first goal in the 57th minute, collecting the ball about the middle of Wairoa’s half and taking a few strides to set up his shot — a 30-metre screamer that went in at the top right corner.
His second came eight minutes later, following some nice possession football from the school side. When the chance came his way, Blair put it away coolly from 12 metres.
His third, on 80 minutes, was similar to his first. He received the ball well out, took a couple of touches and let fly from 30 metres with the same result . . . top right corner.
Aldridge also had a hand in the seventh goal. His free-kick from the left flank found Larkins in the goalmouth, and he scored with a side-foot half-volley from eight metres.
Boys’ High won both previous games between the sides this season, with a 4-3 scoreline each time.
Manager Larkins said the absence of former Fijian international Eliki Ravosai — now with Gisborne Thistle — might have had something to do with the bigger margin. But Wairoa had also struck Boys’ High on a day when everything seemed to click.
“It was our best performance of the season,” Larkins said.
“The two early goals helped, and the boys played calm, confident possession football.”
He gave player-of-the-day honours to the team as a whole, but said eye-catching performances came from Clark in midfield, Aldridge at leftback, Connor Putnam at centreback and Regan Cameron in goal. And the success of the Blair-Larkins partnership up front was a bonus.
United flew out of the blocks against Wainui, led 6-0 at halftime and then 7-0, before Wainui scored their two goals.
Cranswick’s goals came in the eighth, 12th, 29th and 33rd minutes; strike partner Aubrey Yates scored in the 28th and 49th; and midfielder Jack Feyen scored in the 14th.
Wainui’s goals came from Matt Smith, pushed up front for the second half, when he won the ball, took it into the box and placed it past the keeper in the 59th minute.
Striker Ricky Boyd added the second in the 88th minute, running on to a pass and guiding the ball beyond the keeper.
United had good returns in the first half from attacks down the flanks and balls cut back into the goalmouth.
At halftime, Wainui made a few changes. Jeff Allen, in goal for the first half, went to centreback, allowing Matt Smith to move forward. Player-coach Michael Smith — usually an attacking force for Wainui — was out of action with a thumb injury that could require surgery.
Korbi Schallinger, in his first game back after two months out with an ankle injury, went into goal after playing the first half at leftback. Ron Potter went from midfield to leftback, with no drop-off in performance.
Manaaki Terekia also answered the call for Wainui, coming on for the last 20 minutes, having played half a game in goal and half a game in the outfield for Wainui Demons.
For United, rightback Matt McFatter, centrebacks Jonathan Purcell and Kim Perano, and leftback Dan Torrie were solid. Craig Christophers and Aaron Graham ran the show in midfield, and Damon Husband and Feyen were dangerous out wide.
Yates and Cranswick always threatened. One observer — asked how Wainui did so much better in the second half — said Cranswick was subbed in the second spell. That’s a bit hard on Wainui.