All Whites shine for juniors

Douglas Villa AFC junior players received a special surprise when they attended the club's wind-up in the MIS hall last Saturday.
When the time came to award the certificates, just retired All Whites midfielder Andy Barron and goalkeeper James Bannatyne stepped forward.
"You should have seen the looks on the kids' faces. They could hardly believe it," event organiser Dave Wright said. "The two guys did it very well. They had their All White shirts on underneath their tops. It was the icing on the cake. The whole event went off like a rocket."
Barron and Bannatyne, who featured in the All Whites World Cup campaign in South Africa, were only too pleased to come over the hill and present the prizes to the youngsters.
It is all part of their commitment to spread the impact of "the beautiful game" to as many people as possible.
To that end, Barron is a director of Little Dribblers, a Wellington organisation which encourages children up to the age of 7 to get out and kick footballs. He is looking to franchise the concept throughout New Zealand.
Wairarapa has played a notable part in Barron's involvement in the sport. He well remembers playing for Petone as a 9-year-old in a Douglas Villa junior tournament staged at the Park Sportsground.
Barron and Bannatyne emphasised to the 140 parents and youngsters attending the function that the dream of becoming an All White started at junior level.
"It all starts at your age. Pursue that dream," the young players were told before the star guests began signing certificates.