Swifts score but leave defeated
If you want to see goals in this season’s Loaded WaiBOP Premiership you’d better make sure you follow Matamata Swifts.
Their second round match, at Hamilton’s Melville United, saw the teams trade eight goals.
This followed 10 goals in their season opener.
This time the Swifts didn’t find themselves on the right side of the score line, losing 5-3.
They gave Melville a three-goal lead in the first half, including two own-goals, before the twin threat of Chris Walker and Dayne Willemsen hauled the margin back to one by the break.
A similarly open second half saw Melville score again, but the Swifts created enough to win it.
Walker made it 4-3 with 12 minutes to go but the equaliser wouldn’t come and Melville sealed it right on time.
More precision up top and pragmatism at the back would have seen quite a different result for a Swifts side that was missing several senior players.
The young Richardson Racing Stables Swifts reserves fell to a 4-1 WaiBOP Championship defeat at promotion favourites Tokoroa.
The team played some good football.
But the team wasn’t quite consistent enough to put enough pressure on their more experienced opponents.
A Tokoroa own-goal was all Matamata had to show for a performance that deserved a little bit more.
The Swifts A team made no mistakes this week as they romped to a 7-0 win at Cambridge.
They were up 4-0 at the break but, with memories of their opening fixture still present, made no mistake this week.
Serial goal scorer, Jamie Cox, scored a double and was joined on the score sheet by Fenerbache’s own, Hayri Cihan, Rob Cox, Jason Lawrence, Kyle van Waveren and Ronan Costello.
On Sunday, the Challenge Matamata Swifts Ladies put up another promising showing in Waikato Ladies Division A.
Elevated to the top flight a week before the start before the season, Matamata has been forced to adjust their goals for 2017.
Their 5-0 defeat at the hands of Melville United, a leading side in the 2016 WaiBOP Ladies Premier League, was a battling effort against the sort of players the team didn’t expect to be playing.
Championship games have been finalised. For the men’s singles after six rounds, champion was George Theobald with runner-up Ken Barlow.
The following games were run as tournaments: mixed champion fours champions were Ada Steverson with Mark Patterson, Bob Squibbs and Brian Jonasson with three wins, 16 ends and 35 points.
Runners-up were Tony Donderwinkel with Jane Bartelink, Ian Lyons and Bruce Stewart also with three wins, 15 ends and 35 points.
Mixed champion triples champions were George Theobald with Lyn Lopez and Bob Squibbs. Runners-up were Doug Caird with Beth Vosper and Tibor Kocsis.
Under five years mixed champion singles winner Lyn Lopez with four wins, 21 ends and 47 points. Runner-up Frances Canty with three wins, 21 ends and 30 points,
Third place went to John Best with three wins, 14 ends and 28 points.