Two Far North soccer teams have won a rare chance to play on the hallowed rugby turf of Toll Stadium this weekend as cup football fever takes hold of Whangarei with six men's and women's cups being finalised.
First up are the Kawakawa Cosmos men, who will play in the day's curtain-raising Stafford Choat plate final this Saturday at 11am and will be followed by the Stafford Choat bowl and cup finals. On Sunday, the Kerikeri High girls play in the final of the Northland Women's Premier Knockout Cup.
The two sides' path to their respective finals, along with other football results of Far North relevance from the weekend, feature below.
Sunday women
Kerikeri High 4 Bay Cosmos 1 (ht 1-0): Blonde terror wreaks hat-trick havoc in Sunday football! Or so a more space-restricted tabloid-styled headline might tend to have claimed.
Truth was, pint-sized Emma Richards was in absolutely unstoppable form in this Northland women's premier division Knockout Cup semifinal at Kerikeri High School on Sunday.
Beside Richard's three sweetly struck goals in a dynamic performance, there was much to admire about the homeside's instinctive passing and aggressive counter attacking game.
Kerikeri were looking sharp, having just returned from a secondary schoolgirls tournament in Papamoa where they finished 7th overall out of 24 teams. Also notable were tenacious midfielders Lili Molloy Wolt and Grace Bentley, and Sam Scahill adding the other goal, albeit a tad luckily from a deflection which gave the Cosmos 'keeper no chance.
As well, a busy defensive effort nullified Cosmos' best attacking options, reducing Sharna May (in her first game of the season) and Jazmine Beazley to taking potshots from the edge of the area.
Cosmos coach Jeff May conceded his side was pretty much outclassed.
Right-back Te Arahi Carrington, who scored with a long distance lob which fell in under the cross bar late in the stage, was named as the visitors' standout. The match was played in mostly moderate spring conditions on a firm pitch in remarkably good condition following a relatively wet winter season.
The other semifinal between FC Whangarei premiers and Kamo (2012 Northland women's prem/first division champions) may take place tomorrow.
Saturday men
FC Whangarei Reserves 1 Kaitaia Wayfarer Motel 3 (ht 0-1): Kaitaia Wayfarer Motel finally completed a drawn out season by winning its last game of the year, a catch up from Northland men's first division fixture, at William Fraser Park on Saturday.
Manager Dave Armistead said the result was an appropriate finish for what had become a 35-week campaign for his side since training began at the end of last summer.
"We needed to win to gain promotion to the prem div next season," said Armistead. He noted the visitors dominated a very entertaining game for the best part of the 90 minutes. Andrew Booth opened the scoring, veteran Paul Andrew struck twice, and standout was keeper Ciaran Mannix.
"Overall a rewarding season with the team getting to the Stafford Choat semis and also finishing clear runnersup [in the NM1] only one point behind Bream Bay. Well done lads!"
In other NM1 news, the Kerikeri Mark III (social team) defaulted its final game of the season in order to avoid travelling to play Onerahi.
Onerahi 4 Bay Cosmos 5 (1-1 ht and ft): Bay Cosmos advancing to the Northland men's second division KO Cup final after winning the semifinal at Onerahi's airport ground.
Equal at full time and with no extra time option, the match went directly to the dreaded penalty shootout. Both sides were still drawn after the first five penalties making each kick thereafter sudden death.
Player/ coach Jeff May slotted his, as did the next opposition player, then Cosmos' James Bower scored his under the immense pressure. But it was Cosmos' keeper Owen 'Cooky' Cookson who provided the match winning moment stopping the next Onerahi spot kick to send his side into their second final this season. The Cosmos players were now looking forward to playing on the well-manicured surface of Toll Stadium in the Stafford Choat bowl final this Saturday.
Kerikeri Bay Builders 0 Tikipunga 1 (ht 0-1): Kerikeri unable to progress to its second cup final - having also qualified the previous week for the Fed One Cup final (on September 22) - after losing a tense Stafford Choat Cup semifinal against prem div stablemates at Waipap.
The game was an even contest throughout, both midfields cancelling each other out but Tiki snatching the decisive goal late in the first spell when the striker met a long cross and steered in from close range at the back post. Kerikeri POTD was James Daly.