Champions fall in ASB Chatham Cup final rematch

The ASB Chatham Cup reign of Wairarapa United is over after Napier City Rovers exacted revenge for last year’s final loss with a 1-0 win in their third round clash in Napier today.

Emilano Tade scored twice in Central United's win. Photosport.co.nz

June 24, 2012

AUCKLAND – The ASB Chatham Cup reign of Wairarapa United is over after Napier City Rovers exacted revenge for last year’s final loss with a 1-0 win in their third round clash in Napier today.

Wairarapa claimed their maiden Chatham Cup title with a 3-1 win over Rovers in Palmerston North last August but couldn’t repeat the effort as Napier won through to the last 16 thanks to a 57th minute goal from former All White Jarred Smith.

In a round of few surprises Papatoetoe claimed the weekend’s biggest upset with the Northern League first division side knocking out 10 man Onehunga Sports with late goals to Gerjeet Singh and Daniel Frank.

Manukau City, Lower Hutt’s Stop Out and Birkenhead United are the only other non-Premier League sides left in the hat for Tuesday’s fourth round draw after Manukau and Stop Out posted wins against teams from their own divisions and Birkenhead ended the run of Westlake Boys High School with a 2-0 win on Auckland’s North Shore.

Stop Out, whose run through to this weekend’s third round included two upsets over Central League opposition, faced fellow Capital League side Upper Hutt and claimed an enthralling 4-2 derby win largely thanks to a first half goal rush.

A frantic opening five minutes saw Upper Hutt’s Javier Montalba and Stop Out’s Fisum Aden trade goals with the visitors taking the lead through 14-year-old Cherbel Kouchaba midway through the half.

An Alistair Yates brace in the last five minutes of the first spell had the 1956 Chatham Cup winners 4-1 up at the break but Luke Grindlay struck nine minutes before fulltime as the home side threatened to claw their way back into the tie.

Manukau City are a far as they been in the Chatham Cup since a semi final loss in 1987 thanks to Rhys Ruka’s 82nd minute winner against fellow Northern League second division club Mangere United in a tense South Auckland battle.
Hamilton’s Northern Premier League pair Melville and Hamilton Wanderers were pushed hard by teams three divisions below before claiming 1-0 wins.

Wanderers prevailed over Waitemata with a seventh minute Mark Jones penalty and Melville edged their tie away to Oratia with Gavin Douglas’s second half strike.

In Whanganui, Wellington’s Miramar Rangers breezed past Wanganui City with a four goal haul to Sam Mason Smith leading a 6-0 rout while a double to Emiliano Tade at Kiwitea Street in Auckland helped Central United post an easier than expected 3-0 win over Waitakere City.

Dunedin’s big two are both among the South Island’s final four teams with Caversham shading Roslyn by the odd goal in five goal the Caledonian and Dunedin Technical bucking the trend of home team wins in the South by knocking out Coastal Spirit with two second half goals in Christchurch.

The garden city was not a happy hunting ground for others as Dunedin’s University fell 1-0 to Western and Nelson Suburbs were beaten 2-0 by Cashmere Technical.

The ASB Chatham Cup’s fourth round on the weekend on July 7 and 8 will be the final regional round before the competition becomes national at the quarterfinal stage.

View all the third round results