Tu¯rangi teams travel to play against Taupo¯
On a bitterly cold Saturday morning, two teams from the Tu¯rangi Wanderers Football Club travelled to a packed Crown Park, Taupo¯ to play Grade 8 and Grade 10 games.
The Tu¯rangi Tigers played without substitutes against one of the top grade 8 teams, the Taupo¯ Ospreys. Coach Peter Mansell, who refereed the full game, was proud of the pressure his team put on the Ospreys right until the final whistle. But the Ospreys managed to catch the Tu¯rangi defensive line off guard to make a quick attack and score the winning goal. Player of the day, selected by coach, went to Kahlo Cockburn, 8, of Kuratau School while the opposition team awarded his older brother Kadan Cockburn player of the day for his close-cutting attempts at goal. The game was closely contested but Tu¯rangi Tigers lost 0-1 to the Taupo¯ Ospreys in the final 10 minutes.
The Tu¯rangi Hurricanes played grade 10 team, Taupo¯ Nottingham. Coach Mark Allen, who refereed the second half of the game, was extremely proud of the defensive performance his team put in. Despite being heavily under pressure for the majority of the game, Tu¯rangi never gave up and made Taupo¯ Nottingham work extra hard for their goals. Defensively, this game was the Tu¯rangi Hurricanes’ best performance of the year, conceding its lowest number of goals to date. Player of the day, awarded by coach, went to Michelle Hendry of Kuratau School for her strong defensive game in the back line up, while the opposition team selected Eruwera Allen of Tongariro School player of the day. Tu¯rangi Hurricanes lost 0-2 to Taupo¯ Nottingham.
The Tu¯rangi Wanderers Football Club would like to thank both Taupo¯ teams, parents and supporters for the well-played games and awesome sportsmanship on and off the field.