Football
The green light has been given to Palmerston North Marist and Napier City Rovers to go ahead with their Chatham Cup fourth round football match at Palmerston North tomorrow, despite Wairarapa United appealing their disqualification from the competition.
And that's music to the ears of Wairarapa United coach Phil Keinzley.
He will be an interested spectator at the match, taking notes which could give his team an advantage if their move to overturn their axing for allegedly breaking the player eligibility rules in their 2-1 third round victory over Napier City Rovers is successful.
"Obviously we are proceeding as if we will be playing Palmerston North Marist in the next week or two and so it will be useful to have a good look at them," Keinzley said.
"It's always helpful to know what you are up against."
It is unclear when Wairarapa United will formally lodge their appeal with Keinzley simply saying it would be in the hands of New Zealand Football before the allotted seven-day window expires on Monday.
The appeal will likely be based around the fact the national body was to blame for Wairarapa United allowing Vanuatu international Brian Kaltack to take the field because they had declared him eligible.
Even if the appeal was lodged before the weekend, however, the process would not have left enough time to come up with a decision before tomorrow and so New Zealand Football gave permission for Palmerston North Marist and Napier City Rovers to play.
NZF competition manager Chris Kemp said: "Palmerston North Marist and Napier City Rovers have informed us they would prefer to go ahead with the match as part of this weekend's fourth round activity, acknowledging that if Wairarapa United are successful with their legal challenge the result could be annulled and a new fourth round match played.
"We are confident that we have taken the right action in terms of the original protest against Wairarapa United but we defend the club's right to appeal and our appeals committee will hear their case when lodged irrespective of what happens on the field this Saturday.
"At this stage of the season, having already experienced unprecedented disruptions to weather, we feel it is in the best interests of the Chatham Cup to forge ahead and deal with the appeal as a separate process."
The Chatham Cup was won by Wairarapa United in 2011. They beat Napier City Rovers 2-1 in the grand final then; the exact same result as this year's third round fixture.
With no Central League fixture for Wairarapa United premiers tomorrow, the main interest for the local football fraternity will centre on the teams contesting Capital Football competitions.
Douglas Villa will confront Upper Hitt City in a second division fixture on the artificial turf at Maidstone Park.
The third division draw sees leaders Wairarapa United seconds playing second-placed Victoria University at Wakefield Park, Gardner Electrical Masterton meeting Wainuiomata at Wainuiomata and White Swan Greytown at home to NW INglorious White Socks at Greytown's Memorial Park.