Kerikeri teams in fine fettle

READY TO SHOOT: Kaitaia's Kalani Walters Hewson (white) gets past the Kamo defence in this Northland Women's Premier Division clash at Kaitaia College on Sunday.

Kerikeri Prems 7 Bream Bay United 1 (ht 6-1): The home team got off to a strong start in this clash from Round 7 Northland Premier Division Waipapa and were soon several goals up courtesy of strikes from Timo Obrez, Robbie Kingman and a brace from Rodrigo Sala. A great 30-metre drive saw Bream Bay reply, but Kerikeri soon settled and scored two more before half-time through Jeremey Rintoul and Kingman again.

Kerikeri eased off in the second half, but still missed a host of chances with Sala securing his hat trick. The match report noted Keri's Player of the Day award went to veteran Mark Roberts (the match report noting he "keeps turning the clock back with solid performances week in week out") and that Bream Bay "battled really well and will take points off some teams this season".

The result completed a clean sweep for all three Kerikeri men's teams on Saturday, all playing at home.

Kaitaia United 1 Onerahi 3 (ht 1-0): Kaitaia Justa Plumber scored first thanks to a well taken penalty from Shane "Pika" McDonald, but Onerahi came out after the break to secure the result with three well-taken goals. Kaitaia player manager Riki Green admitted some of the visitors allowed their heads to drop once a comeback was always out of reach.

"I thought we played pretty well in the first half, but we needed to score that second goal in the second. They were a pretty good footballing side, pretty tough," he said, noting Kaitaia's standout was midfielder Braden Carruthers.

Kerikeri Reserves 2 Bream Bay United 0: The Keri Reserves turning in a good performance at home against a strong Bream Bay unit, and were on top for most of the game although two yellow cards that saw Drew Young sent off allowed the visitors to put the home side under pressure for periods of the game. Goals to Young and Max Mackrel with the POTD award going to Sam Carpenter.

- NMP & NM1 STANDINGS: Full results from the weekend remained incomplete at time of going to press (see Thursday's edition for an update).

Kerikeri Masters 7 Madhatters Black 0: Madhatters Black's second trip to the Far North in as many weeks, this time saw them heading to Waipapa to take on the current Northland 2nd Division champions. Kerikeri Siteworx Masters' spokesman Graeme Sharp said the margin of the final scoreline was tribute to a great effort from the homeside playing some flowing football. Goals by Matt Cook 3, Aaron Windle 2, and strikes for Jack Williams and Elliot Drummond with RJ Wharewaka claiming Keri's man of the match award.

Kaeo Inter 2 Madhatters Green 4 (ht 2-0): Despite leading by two goals at half time, Kaeo Inter Petricevich Transport were unable to garner the same returns against the second Madhatters team it has hosted in the two consecutive weeks (although Green apparently regarded as superior to their Black NM2 stablemates). Kaeo player coach Stefano Virgili scored both of the homeside's goals and just missed out on his hat-trick by missing one from the spot. He said the hosts were guilty of letting the result slip through their fingers by letting in some soft goals.

"We just got exposed, everybody's limping today, most of the team will be on ice [on Sunday]," he said in reference to the visitor's physical approach ("agricultural" was the term used).

He reminded Kaeo's biggest problems was being able to field the same team week after week. Notable was French import, Mougan Saoul.

- NM2 STANDINGS: Madhatters Green (played 2, 13/2) 6 points, Kerikeri Masters (2, 7/2) 3, Northern Wairoa (1, 2/0) 3, Kaeo Inter (2, 5/7) 1, Madhatters Black (2, 3/10) 1, Central Brown (1, 0/9) 0.

Kaikohe 3 Onerahi 1 (ht 0-0): Kaikohe sharing top of the Northland 3rd Division table with Kamo (only a slight alphabetical difference separating the two sides) following this emphatic win at Lindvart Park on Saturday.

Kaikohe player spokesman Sean White noted the side went out to a 3-nil lead at one point by playing some "classy football" - with goals for Paddy Bohane 2, and Dwayne Beazley - before the visitors scored with a late consolation goal. Kaikohe player of the day was right back Troy Manning.

The senior game concluded "another great day of football" at Lindvart Park for the Kaikohe sides, with the 10 grade team losing, 12th graders drawing 3-3 and the club's 15th grade side winning 6-0.

- NM3 STANDINGS, all played 2: Kaikohe (6/2) 6, Kamo (6/2) 6, Tikipunga Bake Cafe (11/4) 3, Onerahi (6/5) 3, Tikipunga Coastline (1/6) 0, FC Whangarei (3/14) 0.

Sunday womenBay Cosmos 1 Kerikeri High 2 (ht 0-0): Kerikeri High staying in touch with the competition frontrunner (champions Kamo) by winning the Far North derby from round 7 of the Northland Women's Premier Division in fine late autumn conditions at Kawakawa on Sunday afternoon.

The result was secured thanks to a Finella O'Leary brace while Cosmos goal from Argentinian import Indi, could best be described as a consolation, coming as it did in the last minute of the game, albeit from great build up.

Cosmos coach Jeff May was pragmatic in defeat, noted his side was still not at full strength with several key players unavailable through injury. Despite this, he felt Cosmos girls put together one of their better performances of the season to date.

"We can only get better. We had our chances." Cosmos standouts included Te Arahi Carrington and Robin Bristowe at centre and right back respectively.

Keri High coach Russell McCabe was pleased his girls claimed all three points on offer. He described the clash as "hard out, physical [and] well contested" and played in "super hot" conditions resembling a summer's day.

Kaitaia 3 Kamo 9 (ht 1-3): A daunting prospect for the homeside, hosting the runaway champions for the past two seasons only a week after taking a nine-goal hammering from Kerikeri High. No surprise that some Kaitaia supporters were tempted to watch this match, played on the college bottom fields, through their fingers.

But, then refusing to lie down and play according to the script, the Kaitaia girls actually pulled back a two goal deficit at halftime and made it 3-3 early in the second half, the equaliser coming from a great long range strike from Kalani Walters Hewson. Which simply seemed to inspire the champions to put their foot down. The visitors scored straight from the resultant kick off (a cruel reminder for the hosts that a team is often at their weakest straight after scoring) then adding another two goals in the blink of an eye effectively ending any hopes of seeing a remarkable upset.

Kaikohe vs Central Brown: POSTPONED.

- NWP STANDINGS: Kamo (played 6, 53/6) 18 points, Kerikeri High School (6, 25/11) 13, Bay Cosmos (6, 23/14) 12, Central Brown (5, 18/9) 10, Kaikohe (5, 17/11) 10, Kaitaia (6, 20/29) 7, Bream Bay United (5, 11/29) 3, Onerahi (7, 10/43) 3, Hora Hora (6, 8/33) 0.