A wrap of Whanganui sport for the week and a glimpse of what's to come

Wanganui City's Anthony Bell heads one past Athletic Reserves keeper Logan Tutty during last week's local derby won by City 5-1. Photo / Lewis Gardner

The first weekend of spring is a significant date for Whanganui lawn bowlers.

Lawn bowlers compete for the Peter Belliss Cup in a tournament to be played at Laird Park Bowling Club today with a 9.30am start. The event is a fours tournament open to all clubs and composite teams.

The cup celebrating Whanganui former world champion has been competed for since 1988 and won for the first time by the man himself last year.

Belliss skipped a team that included his partner Reen Stratford and John and Margaret Messent. The foursome are all members of the Aramoho Bowling Club.

Saturday also marks the opening of the Bowls Wanganui season while the 2019/2020 season is acknowledged with the annual prize-giving celebrated at Laird Park following the Peter Bellis Cup Tournament.

Sunday marks the opening of the Wanganui Bowling Club season, a day members also usually spend reflecting on last season.

GJ Gardner Homes Whanganui Athletic and Versatile Wanganui City continue to lead their respective football competitions by relatively small margins.

Both teams, however, are in rare winning form and look likely to hold rivals at bay as the season progresses.

Athletic lead the Lotto Federation competition on 33 points, two ahead of Peggy Gordons New Plymouth Rangers on 31 after beating Breakers Red Sox Manawatu 2-1 in an away fixture last week. They have the bye this weekend.

City lead their Yorb Horizons League with 31 points ahead of Placemakers Palmerston North Boys High School 1st X1 on 29, while the GJ Gardner Homes Whanganui Athletic Reserves are third on 27.

In a local derby at home on Wembley Park City trounced Athletic 5-1 to cement their dominance at the top of the table.

City play Chillax Takaro 1st X1 this weekend, while Athletic face TeamLewis Remax Feilding.

The Wanganui hockey men are working themselves into a corner and will need to win at least of their next four games in the Manawatū Premier competition.

Player/coach Craig Ritani said many matches this season had been frustratingly close, with scorelines not accurately reflecting the play on the day, including last week's 8-3 beating by the Massey Prem side.

"It was 3-0 to them early on, the close at 4-2 when we fought back," Ritani said.

"We were in the game for quite a while before they took it out to 6-3 before scoring another couple late. We can still make the play-offs although we need to win at least two of our next four games.

"We play Sharp As Marist Wolverines this weekend and they are on the up beating a couple of strong sides lately, including Massey Prem, but we did draw 2-all with them last time we met."

Meanwhile, netball action on Monday night at Springvale Stadium will be hot when Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau A1 take on competition newcomers Whanganui High School Old Girls in the final of the Netball Whanganui Premier championships.

Kaiwhaiki A1 tackle the improving Whanganui High School A1 student team in the play-off for third and fourth.