A wrap of Whanganui week in sport with a glimpse of what's to come

GJ Gardner Homes Whanganui Athletic Reserves play a key Horizons Premiership match against Palmerston North Boys High School at Wembley today. Photo / Lewis Gardner

Whanganui football has a huge weekend ahead with the top sides hosting home games at Wembley. GJ Gardner Homes Whanganui Athletic (33pts) have technically lost the lead in the Lotto Central Federation League to Peggy Gordons New Plymouth Rangers (34pts), but sitting out last weekend with a bye gives them a game in hand with just four games to go before the play-offs.

Athletic play Alexander Electric Napier Marist on the number 1 pitch at Wembley Park at 2.45pm today in a should-win fixture.

Versatile Wanganui City continued their dominance of the Yorb Horizons Premiership with a 5-0 drubbing of Chillmax Takaro 1sts last weekend, but will sit out this weekend after teamlewis Remax Feilding United defaulted earlier in the week.

City lead the premiership with 34 points with four games to go ahead of Placemakers Palmerston North Boys High School 1st X1 on 32 with GJ Gardner Homes Whanganui Athletic Reserves close behind on 30.

Athletic have the chance to step up the table when they take on PNBHS today on the number 2 ground at Wembley Park at 12.45pm.

City coach Kelvin Francis said the Feilding United default was not ideal, but it did give him and his team a chance to watch PNBHS in action before they take them on next week.

"I haven't had the chance to see Palmy Boys live this season, so this is a prime opportunity to work out how we can beat them," Francis said.

"I'm hoping Athletic can do us a favour and beat them this weekend to take pressure off us at the top of the table, although Athletic are not that far behind us either.

"In fact, all Whanganui teams are doing so well this season leading or near the top of our respective competitions – it would be a great result if we could all win titles."

Meanwhile, Wanganui's men's hockey team is not faring as well in their Manawatu Premier men's hockey competition with yet another loss last weekend.

Wanganui lost 2-0 to Sharp As Marist Wolverines last Saturday to put them further behind the eight ball.

Player/coach Craig Ritani said before last week's match his side needed to win at least two games of its next four to have any chance of making the play-offs.

That now means Wanganui has a must-win clash with HSHC Judd Refrigeration Premier Men in an away fixture today.

In other sport, former world champion Whanganui lawn bowler Peter Belliss lost his crown won last year in his own tournament.

The Peter Belliss Cup Tournament has been running since 1988 and the man himself won it for the first time last year.

Belliss was named to skip the team (Reen Stratford and John and Margaret Messent) to defend the fours title at Laird Park last weekend, but Belliss pulled pin on playing himself. The side failed to flatter without the master and the tile went to a four from the Wanganui Bowling Club.

Patrick Spence (s), Dianne Patterson, Lesley Bourke and Karen Hunt (Wanganui) combined to win the 2020 trophy with 3 wins and 17 points from Aramoho contenders Kevin Coombe (s), Ann Kendrick, Brendon Kenny and Chrysa Munro with 3 wins and 11 points.
In third place was the composite four of Kristin Stampa (s), Tony Waikato, Eleni Meimaris and John Kane with 2 wins and 14 points.

Whanganui's dual New Zealand Enduro champion Seth Reardon will try to add the New Zealand Extreme Off-Road Championship series title to his rapidly increasing list of motorcycling achievements.

This year's third annual edition of the four-round Yamaha-sponsored hard enduro competition kicks off at Moonshine, off Bulls Run Road, near Porirua tomorrow with round two to follow in the Taungatara Forest, not far from Whangamata, just two weeks later on September 26.

Only three of the four rounds of the NZ Extreme Off-road Championship are to be counted, with riders discarding their worst score from the three North Island rounds, while riders hoping to win the series outright should obviously factor in a trip to the Nut Buster final round in the South Island.

Cambridge's Dylan Yearbury won the inaugural the NZ Extreme Off-Road Championship series in 2018, while Wainuiomata's Jake Whitaker was top dog in this series last year, and these two men will almost certainly be among the title contenders again this time.

Reardon, however, heads a list of at least another dozen riders with talent enough to win the series.

And fresh from an upset over Kaiwhaiki A1to finish third in the Netball Whanganui Premier competition, Whanganui High School A1 aims to continue on its winning ways in the Manawatu Secondary School championships today.

The Whanganui High School A1 girls take their goal-scoring talent to the final match of round robin play in the Manawatu Secondary School championship this weekend. Photo / Bevan Conley

WHS A1 won last year's championship and lead the competition this year. They play Manukura Red in Palmerston North today and safely through that enter the play-offs on September 19.