Christchurch United and Cashmere Technical lead the Southern League points table after three rounds of the competition.
Last season’s National League qualifiers are the only teams to win all three games as the 10-team competition heads into the fourth round this weekend.
Christchurch United will take on Selwyn United at Foster Park on Friday. Selwyn United bounced back from a heavy loss against Dunedin City Royals to beat FC Twenty 11 1-0 on Good Friday.
Selwyn had two goals ruled out for offside in the match against the Southern League newcomers.
Christchurch will be after two consistent halves tomorrow night after their dominant start against Dunedin last weekend. Leading 4-1 at halftime, Christchurch were unable to make the most of Dunedin being a player down due to a red card. It wasn’t until the 82nd minute when Sam Philip found the net for a second goal in the match to make it 5-1.
FC Twenty 11 and Nomads will be after their first wins of the season when they meet at Tulett Park on Saturday.
Nomads got off to a strong start against Cashmere last week, with Caleb Johnson scoring in the third minute before Cashmere levelled the game four minutes later. Although it was close at halftime, with Cashmere leading 3-2, Nomads wasted chances in the first half and couldn’t gain back control of the match until a goal by Jacob Killick in the 85th-minute. But it was too late, with Cashmere winning 7-3, led by a Garbhan Coughlan hat-trick.
On Sunday Cashmere play Coastal Spirit. Coastal managed their first win of the campaign against Green Island last week. It was a scoreless second half, with Liam Cotter netting the only goal of the match for Coastal in the 38th-minute.
Ferrymead Bays will be looking to extend their unbeaten start to the season when they face Dunedin City Royals in Dunedin on Saturday. Ferrymead Bays played out a draw against Nelson on Good Friday.
Coey Turipa will be a key player for Ferrymead Bays on Saturday after saving two penalties against Nelson. However, the team will need to convert their chances against a strong Dunedin side. Ferrymead Bays were unable to score against Nelson until the 83rd minute, although they had plenty of opportunities.
After two rounds of the women’s South Island Qualifying League, Nelson Suburbs sits at the top of the table with two wins in as many games.
Coastal Spirit kicked off their season with a 3-0 win over University of Canterbury after they had a bye in the first round. Up 2-0 at halftime with goals to Melanie Cameron and Lauren Dabner, Coastal’s third was an own goal by UC captain Jasmine Ball.
Coastal, along with Cashmere Technical, are the only Christchurch teams yet to lose a game, although both have played just once due to having byes already.
The newly-merged Halswell-Christchurch side are still searching for their first win following a draw against University of Canterbury and their 4-0 loss against FC Nomads last Friday.
They take on a struggling Selwyn United at Halswell Domain on Saturday. Selwyn United suffered their second loss in successive games against Nelson last week.
Coastal Spirit will have a challenging task ahead of them on Saturday when they play Nelson at Saxton Oval, while FC Nomads host Cashmere Technical at Garrick Memorial Park.
The Canterbury Premier League will return on Saturday with plenty of squad and coaching changes.
The women’s and men’s competitions will play two round-robins starting this weekend, with Carlton Redcliffs set to defend the Hinemoa Cup and Marist looking to retain the Presidents Shield following their dominance last season.
Canterbury Hockey competition and events manager Sam Grimshaw said the men’s league may be one of the most competitive he’s seen in recent years.
“The Black Sticks programme was previously centralised (all players had to move to Auckland) but they have decentralised, so all Canterbury Hockey Association Black Sticks have moved back and are playing in Christchurch,” Grimshaw said.
New Zealand representatives, such as Joey Morrison (Marist), David Brydon (HSOB Burnside), George Enersen (Carlton Redcliffs) and Simon Yorston (Hornby), will all be playing in the men’s competition.
The men’s league also sees a large number of coaching changes, with last season’s assistant coaches at Carlton and Marist stepping up to the head coaching roles. Former Black Sticks captain John Radovonivch will take over from Matt Walcott as Avon’s head coach.
In the women’s competition, Marist will be looking to continue their pre-season form into the regular season following their Porritt Cup win. Former Black Stick and Canterbury Cat, Kate Trolove, is the only coaching change to the seven women’s teams, leading HSOB Burnside this season.
Harewood (below) are set to defend the finals trophy after they won three consecutive play-off games in a week last year to take out the women’s competition.
- All games will be played at Nunweek Park, Nga Puna Wai, and Marist Park on Saturday.
Weekend match-ups
Southern League
•Selwyn United v Christchurch United at Foster Park on Friday 7pm.
•Dunedin City Royals v Ferrymead Bays at Logan Park (Dunedin) on Saturday noon.
•Green Island v Nelson Suburbs at Sunnyvale Park (Dunedin) on Saturday 12.30pm.
•Nomads v FC Twenty 11 at Tulett Park on Saturday 2.45pm.
•Coastal Spirit v Cashmere Technical at Linfield Park on Sunday noon.
Women’s South Island Qualifying League
•Nelson Suburbs v Coastal Spirit at Saxton Oval (Nelson) on Saturday noon.
•Cashmere Technical v FC Nomads at Garrick Memorial Park on Saturday 2.45pm.
•Halswell-Christchurch v Selwyn United at Halswell Domain on Saturday 2.45pm.
•University of Canterbury – bye.
Canterbury Premier League women
•Avon v Carlton Redcliffs at Nunweek Park on Saturday at noon.
•Marist v Southern at Marist Park on Saturday at 3pm.
•Harewood v Hornby at Nga Puna Wai on Saturday at 4.30pm.
•HSOB Burnside – bye.
Canterbury Premier League men
•Harewood v Hornby at Nga Puna Wai on Saturday 1.30pm.
•Marist v Southern at Marist Park on Saturday 1.30pm.
•Avon v Carlton Redcliffs at Nunweek Park on Saturday 1.30pm.
•HSOB Burnside v University at Nga Puna Wai on Saturday 3pm.
Canterbury Rugby League premier
•Hornby Panthers v Riccarton Knights at Leslie Park on Saturday 2.45pm.
•Linwood Keas v Halswell Hornets at Nga Puna Wai on Saturday 2.45pm.
•Northern Bulldogs v Eastern Eagles at Murphy Park on Saturday 2.45pm.
Points:
•Southern League: Cashmere Technical 9, Christchurch United 9, Ferrymead Bays 7, Dunedin City Royals 6, Selwyn United 6, Green Island 3, Coastal Spirit 3, Nelson Suburbs 1, Nomads 0, FC Twenty 11 0.
•Canterbury Rugby League premier men’s: Linwood Keas 4, Hornby Panthers 4, Halswell Hornets 2, Northern Bulldogs 2, Eastern Eagles 0, Riccarton Knights 0.
