NORTHERN LEAGUE Division 2
The Northern League gave us any number of opportunities to experience the highs and lows of soccer. Who can forget the exciting win against Ellerslie (1-0) in the Country Foods Cup Knockout and the despondency of losing to Takapuna in the dying seconds with a goal that wasn’t!
On the positive side we shared the joys of some exceptional goals – Keith Mackrell’s hat-trick against Clendon joining Nelson Grandonna’s superb long chip in the same match. Glen Gray’s habit of taking statistics that year gave us such little gems as conceding 381 free kicks (128 for offside), winning 158 corners and conceding 91 !
SENIORS’ TROPHIES
Most Improved Player – Nelson Grandonna. Team Celebrity – John McDermid. Squad Member – Ian Pretswell. Players of the Year – Jim Barry & Barclay McGhie. Team Cup – Northern League.
RESERVES
The first five games of the season were played without a coach being present!
The match results were 1-3 (Unicol). 3-3 (Melville), 0-1 (Huntly) and 0-4 (Wanderers). The fifth game away to Tokoroa saw Bernie Carmody arrive and the movement of three new players into the side – Ray Havell, Chris Spray and Grant Carlson. In torrential rain Narra won 2-1 against Tokoroa and Bernie decided to move from Melville and take over the reins. The next 14 matches saw 10 wins and two draws.
RESERVES GAMES PLAYED (Goals in brackets)
Rodney Hill 21, Eddie Callaghan 17, George Sunnex 20 (4), Bill Emmens 19 (3), Phil Gibbs 21 (5), Ken Houston 18 (6), Grant Carlson 9 (4), Chris Spray 17 (12), Martin Bell 20 (4), Ray Havell 6 (4), Bruce McIntosh 17, Peter Magee 16 (2), Billy McCaig 10, Elliot Cathro 5 (3), Ricky Duffull 4 (1), Steve Randall 3, Garron Smith 2, Phillip Bullivant 7 (1), Derek Davies 3, Malcolm Burt 5, Chris Barakat 9 (3), Steve Williams 6 (2), Ian Pretswell 1, Mike Liddle 2, Steve Graham 1 (1), Mike Heappey 1.
1983 GREEN MACHINE MAGAZINES here
RESERVES’ TROPHIES
Most Improved – Eddie Callaghan. Player of the Year – Phil Gibbs. Top Goalscorer – Chris Spray (12)
| RESERVES Howden Shield | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rotorua | 13 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 49 | 10 | 21 |
| Unicol Black | 13 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 32 | 18 | 20 |
| Te Awamutu | 13 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 37 | 16 | 19 |
| Hamilton | 13 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 31 | 12 | 18 |
| Claudlands | 13 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 27 | 24 | 16 |
| Morrinsville | 13 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 26 | 27 | 14 |
| Ngaruawahia | 13 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 27 | 25 | 12 |
| Huntly | 13 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 18 | 30 | 12 |
| Wanderers | 13 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 20 | 32 | 12 |
| Unicol Gold | 13 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 15 | 23 | 11 |
| Tokoroa | 13 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 19 | 24 | 8 |
| Melville | 13 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 19 | 31 | 8 |
| Matamata | 13 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 16 | 32 | 6 |
| Waihi | 13 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 8 | 38 | 5 |
| RESERVES Tom Wallace Trophy | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huntly | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 12 |
| Tokoroa | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 8 | 10 |
| Ngaruawahia | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 10 | 9 |
| Melville | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 9 | 9 |
| Wanderers | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 17 | 5 |
| Waihi | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 14 | 5 |
| Matamata | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 4 |
| Unicol Gold | 7 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 2 |
TEAM PHOTOS
NGARUAWAHIA HIGH SCHOOL
The girls team has a satisfying season with more wins than they had hoped for and it ended with an outing to the Golden Lotus Restaurant in Hamilton where the skills of operating chopsticks was more of a mystery than playing in pea-soup fog on Saturday mornings!
The 1st XI had a large squad to choose from and made good use of all players in the 13 matches. The Most Improved player was Wayne Vickers with Sean Miller gaining the Most Outstanding Player trophy.
v Fraser High 3-1, v Fairfield College 2-0, v Matamata College 2-4, v Otorohanga College 4-0 & 2-0, v St Pauls Collegiate 0-5, v St Peters 1-10, v Te Kuiti High 5-2 & 2-3, v Matamata College 1-1 & 2-3, v Hillcrest High 0-12, v Taupiri 1-1.
4th Form Div. A
One game was played against St Pauls in Div 4B with a 11-1 win. The team was subsequently promoted to Div 4A with the following results: v Huntly College 4-1 & 2-1, v Fairfield College 2-2 & 0-4, v Hillcrest High 3-1 & 4-0, V Fraser High 3-2 & 0-4, v Hamilton Boys High A 1-3 & 1-2, Melville High 1-0. Fourth Form Cup results: Quarter-final v Fairfield 1-0, semi-final v Hillcrest 3-1, Final v Hamilton Boys High A 1-8.
Coach: Brian Webb. Manager: G. McBurney. Blair Aberhart 17 games 12 goals, Robert McLean (Capt) 17 games 7 goals, Callum McBurney 15 games 5 goals, Brian Cathro 14 games 3 goals, Leonard Clancy 13 games 2 goals, Aaron Cryer 16 games 4 goals, Paul Henckel 17 games 2 goals, Shane Irvine 16 games 1 goal, Robbie Jeffcote 17 games, Steven Kahui 13 games 1 goal, Darren Lichtwark 17 games 2 goals, Brett McBurney 14 games, Michael Mercep 15 games, Darren Todd 12 games 1 goal, Charles Hutt 14 games 1 goal.
Taupiri Squad 4C
Pupils who lived in the Taupiri area and who were unable to attend after-school practices were formed into a Taupiri “High School” squad with the Waikato Secondary Schools competition. Although the squad was small, their understanding was great and when they ran out with only 10 players on some occasions, it did not really show.
Captain Clifford Caulfield topped the scoring with 28 goals and was the major influence on the teams win, as was the keeping of Teddy Jerome. Team Coach Tony Janssen worked well with the boys.
v Te Awamutu 3-0 & 8-2, v Te Kuiti 9-2, v Church College (win by default), v Raglan 8-0, v Hamilton Boys High A 1-6, v Hamilton Boys High C 12-2, v Otorohanga 2-0, v St Peters A 4-8, v St Peters B 15-0, v St Johns College 2-1 & 2-2, v Melville A 4-2, v Ngaruawahia Youth 1-1 & 2-2.
Played 15, won 10, drew 3, lost 2. Goals for 73, against 28.
SMART DRESSERS
The season opened with our senior side being outfitted in blazers and travelling strip – a smart green and gray combination. It certainly turned a few heads, especially early in the season in the Muir Park clubrooms after Hamilton’s 2-0 defeat of the Green Machine in an early season friendly.
PRE-SEASON
The Uncol 5-aside did not get off the ground this year, after Narra doing so well in previous years. We were not accepted into the Rotorua pre-season tournament but managed to advance as far as the second round of the Cambridge tournament.
NACHO MARCHES!
A low-light of the season was midfielder Nacho Reyes 12-day suspension but this was offset by our 9th and 11th Grades topping their competitions and Glenys Fraser representing NZ at the World Body Building Championships.
BITS & PIECES
The Borough Council started work on the “Tomato Patch” to turn it into our new No.1 pitch and Keith Mackrell and Elliot Cathro were draughted into the Waikato Rep side. Regan MacDonald attended a Soccer Clinic in Canada and sponsorship was gained from AFFCo, Radio Waikato and Hertz.
PROMOTION
The seniors gained promotion from Northern League 2nd Division to 1st Division under the direction of Dave Hall with admirable back-up from Bernie Carmody.
NO WINS
The Youth team was thrown in the deep end and gained valuable experience amongst their older opponents. Their beginnings were not helped by mismanagement but they stuck together despite no wins all year.
SUPPORTING SIDES
The 2nd Division had a hard row to hoe. They were coached by who-ever happened to be there on the night, and experienced either a feast or a famine of players each weekend. This contributed to a lack of cohesiveness and unity in the side.
The 1st Division Waikato side were often found wanting in matches when the chips were down. With a wealth of talent they either were brilliant or pathetic on the day – one of those hair-tearing experiences. Old heads like George Sunnex, Rod Hill and Bruce McIntosh were complimented with the youthful zest of Chris Spray, Grant Carlson, Elliot Cathro, Peter Magee and Eddie Callaghan Jnr, but consistency eluded the squad all year.
NORTHERN LEAGUE TABLES
NL Div Two P W D L F A GD Pts
Otara Rangers 18 14 3 1 52 12 40 31
Howick 18 14 2 2 51 16 35 30
Ngaruawahia Affco 18 10 6 2 35 16 19 26
Whangarei City 18 5 7 6 32 36 -4 17
Birkenhead United 18 7 3 8 30 34 -4 17
Glenfield Rovers 18 6 3 9 21 33 -12 15
Manukau City 18 3 6 9 16 38 -22 12
Pakuranga Town 18 4 3 11 16 24 -8 11
Clendon United 18 4 3 11 18 34 -16 11
Mt Albert-Ponsonby 18 1 8 9 11 39 -28 10
Senior Competition Venue Opponent Result Goalscorers
2-Apr-83 A Pakuranga Town Won 3 1 Cargo 2, Tozer
9-Apr-83 H Clendon United Won 2 0 Mackrell, Grandonna
16-Apr-83 A Mount Albert-Ponsonby Won 1 0 Cargo
23-Apr-83 H Otara Rangers Drew 1 1 Tozer
7-May-83 A Whangarei City Drew 1 1 Tozer
21-May-83 A Glenfield Rovers Won 2 0 Mackrell, Carlson
28-May-83 H Howick Won 3 2 McGhie, Fleming, McDermid
4-Jun-83 A Manukau City Drew 2 2 McGhie, Cargo
11-Jun-83 H Birkenhead United Lost 1 2 Mackrell
18-Jun-83 H Pakuranga Town Won 1 0 Fleming
25-Jun-83 A Clendon United Won 4 0 Mackrell 3, Grandonna
2-Jul-83 H Mount Albert-Ponsonby Won 4 0 Grandonna 2, I Reyes, Mackrell
9-Jul-83 A Otara Rangers Drew 1 1 Fleming
16-Jul-83 H Whangarei City Won 2 0 Fleming, Tozer
23-Jul-83 H Manukau City Won 4 1 Fleming 2, Tozer 2
30-Jul-83 A Birkenhead United Lost 1 3 McDermid
6-Aug-83 H Glenfield Rovers Drew 1 1 S Williams
13-Aug-83 A Howick Drew 1 1 Fleming
35 16
CHATHAM CUP
30-Apr-83 A Huntly Thistle Won 2 1 S Williams, McDermid
14-May-83 A Hamilton Lost 0 2
COUNTRY FOODS CUP
12-Mar-83 H Huntly Thistle Won 4 0 Grandonna 2, Tozer, I Reyes
25-Mar-83 A Taupo Drew 2 2 Mackrell 2
4-Apr-83 H Ellerslie Won 1 0 Tozer
25-Apr-83 Takapuna Lost 0 1
1983 NL Appearances Starts Sub Goals
Graeme Fleming 18 0 7
Nelson Grandona 18 0 4
Jim Barry 17 1 0
Barclay McGhie 17 0 2
Ian Pretswell 16 1 0
Jason Cargo 16 0 4
John McDermid 15 0 2
Ignacio Reyes 15 0 1
Steve Williams 13 2 1
Jeff Tozer 12 1 6
Richard Plume 12 0 0
Keith Mackrell 11 4 7
John Mohn 10 2 0
Chris Barakat 7 1 0
Grant Carlson 1 2 1
Mike Heappey 0 2 0
Charlie Gorman 0 1 0
198 17 35
Chatham Cup Appearances Starts Sub Goals
Nelson Grandona 2 0 0
Jim Barry 2 0 0
Barclay McGhie 2 0 0
Ian Pretswell 2 0 0
Jason Cargo 2 0 0
John McDermid 2 0 1
Keith Mackrell 2 0 0
John Mohn 2 0 0
Ignacio Reyes 1 0 0
Steve Williams 1 1 1
Jeff Tozer 1 0 0
Richard Plume 1 0 0
Chris Barakat 1 1 0
Steve Graham 1 0 0
22 2 2
Country Foods Cup Appearances Starts Sub Goals
Keith Mackrell 4 0 2
Ian Pretswell 3 1 0
Nelson Grandona 3 0 2
Jim Barry 3 0 0
Barclay McGhie 3 0 0
Jason Cargo 3 0 0
Steve Williams 3 0 0
Jeff Tozer 3 0 2
Chris Barakat 3 0 0
Ignacio Reyes 2 0 1
Richard Plume 2 0 0
Mike Heappey 2 0 0
John Mohn 1 1 0
Ken Houston 1 1 0
Martin Bell 1 0 0
Elliot Cathro 1 0 0
Bill Emmenns 1 0 0
Phil Gibbs 1 0 0
Rodney Hill 1 0 0
Barclay McGhie 1 0 0
Bruce McIntosh 1 0 0
Steve Randall 1 0 0
Charlie Gorman 0 1 0
44 4 7