Pāpāmoa out of Chatham Cup after thriller plus Miller Cup and league round-up
It was a contentious fixture but Pāpāmoa will not progress to the next round of the Chatham Cup in it's centenary year.
Three red cards, extra time and five goals later and Pāpāmoa FC’s Chatham Cup journey for 2023 came to an end at the prelim stage following a contentious 3-2 loss to Northern United.
Pap were in action on Anzac Day, hoping to follow in the footsteps of Te Puke United and Waipuna Rangers by booking a place in the draw for the competition’s first round.
Things started perfectly, with Colm Kenny giving Pap a half-time lead but Jayden Murray-Borman levelled things up just after the hour mark.
Both sides then traded dismissals with Connor Irvine and Sean Sullivan both seeing red with the score remaining level after 90 minutes.
Matthew Kilpatrick gave the home side an early lead in extra time but Brett Kennedy equalised before Pap were reduced to nine - Wads Nelson joining Irvine in the locker room.
With penalties on the horizon, Kennedy secured his brace to cement the home side’s exit.
Pāpāmoa, therefore, fall short of joining Tauranga City AFC, Otūmoetai FC, Te Puke United and Waipuna Rangers as the Bay of Plenty’s remaining representatives in the First Round draw.
Weekend Round-up
Otūmoetai appear to have their feet firmly under the table in the NRFL Women’s Championship as they made it three wins on the spin with a hard-fought triumph over Central United.
Three goals in the opening 33 minutes from Niamh Carter, Miah Smith and Grace Duncan proved pivotal in a 3-2 win over the visitors.
The result moves Oats into fourth, just two points behind league leaders Fencibles United.
There was no such luck for Tauranga City, who went down 2-0 at Franklin United.
Tauranga City’s men’s first team saw their recent winning form come to an end this weekend, losing on the road at East Coast Bays.
Dylan Stansfield scored the only goal in a 1-0 loss which moved the home side to the top of the league, retaining their 100 per cent start to the NRFL Championship campaign.
After a couple of weeks out of action Tauranga City’s WaiBOP League One side got back on the turf over the weekend. Quinten Stegeman’s second-half goal gave them the lead over Otorohanga but Jamie Walker struck late to ensure the points were shared.
Tauranga Blue Rovers began their WaiBOP W-League season this weekend with a loss to Lakes FC in Rotorua.
Sinead Doherty’s double either side of Holly Fausett’s finish did the trick for the Central Bay side in a 2-1 victory.
While the Chatham Cup may have taken much of the attention this weekend the Baywide league’s Miller Cup competition also got underway this weekend.
Reigning champions Otūmoetai Special Reserve will not retain their title from last year, following a 3-1 loss to Katikati in Round One.
Tauranga City New Blues, Waiariki FC, Taupo Lakers and Omokoroa Fury are among the other teams to have successfully advanced to Round Two.