Cross strike seals sixth title

Tikipunga's plan to spoil Kamo's five-year winning stronghold as Northland's premier football team came to nought as the champion team again reigned supreme.

A 15th-minute goal to striker Paul Cross was enough to secure Kamo its sixth title in the Stafford Choat final at the Kamo Sports' Park on Saturday.

At 40, Cross is the second oldest player in the squad and has scored in every winning final since 2006.

He is also the director of football for North Force.

Stafford Choat Cup is Northland's premier football trophy and and has been competed for since the 1970s.

Kamo team spokesman Brad Flower said Saturday's win was special in that no team had won back-to- back titles for more than four years.

He said the closest any team had come to matching Kamo's feat was Tikipunga, with three consecutive wins in the 1990s.

"We consider it [trophy] the most important because he [Stafford Choat] was a Kamo lad and our guys put in a lot of effort to win it."

Mr Flower said each year, Kamo picked 18 to 20 best players at the start of the season, and prepared them for the cup.

Tikipunga has adopted a similar approach which was reflected in the close match between the two sides, he said.

Flower said three players - Cross, defender Nathan Steel and central midfielder Steve Schimmel - featured prominently for Kamo in the crowning match.

"It was a good, solid final and the referee had a good control of the match. This year's final was a close encounter compared to three or four goals that we had won by in previous games." Kamo won by five goals last year.

The trophy was presented by Stafford Choat's younger brother Leon.

Kamo will celebrate the win at its annual prizegiving ceremony in about a month's time.