Wanganui girls make final

The Wanganui under-13 girls in blue - Charlotte Baker (left), goal keep Victoria Whibley, Emily Sorensen and Joria Manville - scramble for supremacy during their 4-0 win over Manawatu in pool play. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Top performances on home turf during the week have propelled the Wanganui girls into the final of the Rawleighs Under-13 Regional Championship.

The Reid Grazing-sponsored team were to meet Wellington in the final at 12.30pm today at Gonville Domain after an unbeaten run in pool play earlier in the week where they claimed the scalps of Wairarapa (6-0), Poverty Bay (5-1) and Manawatu (4-0). Those wins shunted Wanganui into the quarter-finals yesterday where they first met Hawke's Bay, who finished second behind Wellington in Pool B. That morning clash yesterday ended in a 0-0 draw.

Wellington had topped Pool B with wins over Hawke's Bay (1-0), Rangitikei (3-1) and Taranaki (2-0) before taking Poverty Bay 3-2 late in the quarter-final match yesterday.

Wanganui and Wellington were to clash early evening yesterday (after the Chronicle deadline) in what effectively was a dead rubber, although it would have allowed the sides to assess each other for today's final.

An even later game between Hawke's Bay and Poverty Bay had the chance to put the spanner in the works had the Bay won. However, Wanganui had by far the greater goal difference.

Meanwhile, Wanganui also fielded teams in the under-13 boys' Curtis Cup in Stratford and the Hatch Cup in Palmerston North.

This season was the first time in eight years Wanganui had fielded a side in the Hatch Cup, but early losses in the competition, including a 7-0 thrashing by Auckland, put them out of contention. The boys, however, did go close when going down 2-1 to one of the tournament favourites Horowhenua during pool play.

In Stratford, play on day one on Monday was in driving rain many of the boys had not experienced before. They subsequently lost 1-6 to Manawatu, 0-3 to Wellington and 0-2 to Horowhenua.

Wanganui put their fighting armour on yesterday to go down narrowly (1-0) to Wairarapa before drawing 0-0 with home side Taranaki. The game went to penalty strokes and Wanganui emerged winners 6-5.

Later games yesterday would determine whether Wanganui played off for fifth and sixth in the Curtis Cup or seventh and eighth today.