Football: Rotorua United quick on the draw

If there is one thing Rotorua United knows more about than any other team in the Waibop Federation League, it is how to draw a match.

Of the 20 matches they've played, the lakesiders have drawn seven times. They racked up number seven against their city rivals Ngongotaha on Neil Hunt Park at the weekend.

With Rotorua United desperate for a win to ease their relegation worries, and Ngongotaha wanting three points to keep up their challenge for third place, there was plenty of anticipation among the supporters of both teams.

But while there was plenty of end to end action there were no goals to excite the sizeable crowd.

Neither coach would have been happy with the outcome. Apart from a handful of good saves from goalkeepers Shaquille Graham and Andy Gibbs, there was little to get enthused about.

Ngongotaha were unlucky when a shot bounced down off the crossbar but was adjudged not to have crossed the line and then Shadley Petersen should have put United ahead but with only the keeper to beat, he couldn't find the back of the net. Ngongotaha had the ball in the net early in the second spell but it was disallowed for offside. The teams cancelled each other out on attack, although Petersen was denied by a good save from Graham, while at the other end Gibbs did well to keep the Villagers scoreless.

So the teams finished as they started and the spectators drifted off feeling they had been short-changed.

Claudelands Rovers kept up their challenge for the title with an emphatic 8-0 win over bottom-of-the-table Otorohanga but Taupo retained their four-point lead in an exhilarating 6-4 win over Waikato Unicol.

Taupo, with a double from Ben Thessman and a goal to Jesse Smith, had a 3-1 lead at the break. In the second half, Unicol put up a spirited performance to score three goals but two goals from Dave Stewart and one from Chris Roberts maintained Taupo's two-goal margin.

Whakatane Town went to Southey Field in search of three points from their game against Tauranga Boys' College and came away with a 4-2 win.

Melville United were untroubled to win their away game to AFC Fury 6-1.

Taupo are still title favourites with Claudelands a clear second. Otorohanga are assured of relegation but the question of who will join them is yet to be decided.