Birkenhead's Sean Green; Connor Felstead and Mitchell Watts celebrate after scoring the only goal of the game. Photo / Duncan Brown
Birkenhead's Sean Green; Connor Felstead and Mitchell Watts celebrate after scoring the only goal of the game. Photo / Duncan Brown
While a win would have been the icing on the cake, there was still plenty to celebrate during Napier City Rovers' annual football tourney in Napier over the long weekend.
Lotto Under-19 Youth Tournament controller Phil Holt labelled the culmination of the three-day gathering of about 1500 people at thePark Island fields "superb", sharing in the delight of Birkenhead United retaining the championship section silverware as well as satellite section champions Manurewa and finalists Forrest Hill Milford gaining promotion to the main section next year.
Cody Doherty, Birkenhead, and Dylan Bull, Western Springs.
Enticing 48 teams here for the two-tiered event every year "has never been an issue".
Holt singled out the gaggle of referees which offered three-point control every day.
"We had additional refs and there weren't so many injuries to them, so they were able to rest between games and made the tournament a huge success."
Birkenhead goalie Charlie Morris (in red), saves a goal attempt from a corner and bumps into Elliott Munford, the Western Springs goalkeeper.
The impact of the elements, of course, is just as imperative.
"Once the sun comes out it makes everybody happy," a grinning Holt said although the heat got to Waitakere City and Ellerslie in Saturday's quarter-final when a brawl broke out but the adept officials took control.
Even Neil Emblen, coach of losing finalists Western Springs in the main draw, gave the province a thumbs-up.
