Twin titles for Keri FC
Kerikeri FC brought more silverware back to the Far North by winning two of the five cup finals played at Semenoff Park over the weekend.
The Kerikeri Siteworx men’s thumped Central Brown 5-nil in the Stafford Choat Plate final on Saturday, while Kerikeri Fairview picked up the Northland Women’s KO Cup after beating Madhatters Stonehaven by the same margin on Sunday.
The two trophies add to the Prem and 3rd Div league championship claimed by Far North stablemates, Kaeo Inter and Stonecraft Kaitaia United respectively last month. The following is a report from finals weekend.
Saturday men —
KERIKERI SITEWORX NM2 5 CENTRAL BROWN NM3 0
The Keri 2nd Divvers comfortably beat their 3rd Div rivals to round off the winter campaign with the Stafford Choat Plate.
Kerikeri spokesman Simon Hart confirmed the veteran team celebrated in style afterwards.
“It was a beautiful day, ground was pretty wet, like any other pitch in the north, windy too. We won the toss played into the wind. We just played really
well, just kept passing it out of the backs until we saw opportunities to score.”
The breakthrough goal came in the 25th minute, the second five minutes later, followed by two more back-to-back goals shortly after the start of the second half including a “beautiful header” by the team’s oldest player, 59-year-old Andy Lapper.
The fifth and final strike came in the “last kick” of the game and was, fittingly, scored by another veteran, Phil Olyott, his first and only goal of the year in his last game with the team before moving to Hamilton.
Other goals by George Graham 2, and Nathan Dodds 1, while overall standout was Possum Simmons in defence: “He had a blinder,” Hart noted, adding the team dedicated the plate win to Simmons’ dad who had passed away the week before, all wearing black armbands as a mark of respect.
The side made the most of being part of Northland football’s finals day occasion, heading south in force on board a bus full of players and supporters.
“We said, ‘Let’s make it a big day,’ [so it was a] quiet ride down with everyone focused on the game.”
Hart said finals day was run in a “very professional” manner which included players for all teams in all three games walking out of the tunnel beside each other and escorted out on to the pitch by children.
Siteworx’s trophy win capped off an otherwise forgettable campaign although the side finished the season strongly by winning the last six games.
“We had a tough season, we finished second-to-last [on the NM2 table], drew quite a few games, lost a few close ones by only one goal kind-of-thing,” Hart said, noting the Siteworx line-up was mainly made up of “older guys . . . past their best” along with a handful of teenage players.
Siteworx was one of four men’s teams fielded by the Kerikeri FC club this season, one in each of the four Northland competitions, prems, 1st, 2nd and 3rd divisions. The club will hold its end-ofseason prizegiving on September 20.
■ The plate final was the third and lowest tier of a triple bill of Stafford Choat finals played at Semenoff Stadium (formerly Toll Stadium/ Okara Park) on Saturday, a day traditional designed to wrap up senior men’s football in Northland for the season.
Other results saw Ngunguru NM3 lose the Stafford Choat Bowl final by 6-1 to Central Brown NM2 in the day’s second game, while Tikipunga Pet Essentials mounted a successful defence of the Stafford Choat Cup in beating NMP stablemates Onerahi Duder Construction 1-0 in extra time in the main event. Sunday women —
KERIKERI FAIRVIEW 5 MADHATTERS STONEHAVEN 0
Fairview added a second trophy to the Kerikeri FC cabinet with this win over Madhatters in the Northland Women’s KO Cup final, the main event of Sunday’s double header at Semenoff Stadium.
Keri went in to the final as favourites having finished runners-up to Onerahi in the Northland Women’s Premier Division this year, but coach Russell McCabe said nobody was prepared to take anything for granted.
“Everybody put their all for this as they do,” he said, noting Keri took an early lead around the seven minute mark but Madhatters continued to threaten throughout the opening 45 minutes. The Bay side slowly but surely began to establish its dominance in the second spell.
With goals by Holly Inwood 2, Kelly Skippage, Sam Knight and an O.G, Sunday’s victory was especially celebrated by McCabe; he has coached bridesmaids, the Keri High School girls team, to the runners-up spot in this final for the previous five years.
It was also gratifying for the side to have knocked over the 2019 NWP champions Onerahi in the semifinal of the KO Cup tournament earlier this month. McCabe noted Keri have one more game to play against Kamo this Sunday to complete its 2019 NWP league campaign. ■ The other match in the finals double header at Semenoff Stadium on Sunday saw Bream Bay United beat Central Brown 2-nil to pick up the Northland Women’s KO Plate.