Crunch clash for United seconds

Wairarapa United have the day off in the Central League football competition tomorrow with their scheduled opponents Napier City Rovers having a Chatham Cup commitment.

The match has now been deferred until later in the season and with Wairarapa United heading the points table and Napier City Rovers sitting third, it could eventually have a huge bearing on whether Wairarapa United takes out the Central League title for the first time.

Tomorrow will, however, be an important day for the Wairarapa United seconds team. They lie second in the Capital fourth division, two points behind Waterside-Karori Magpies, and their clash at Karori tomorrow could go a long way towards deciding the fate of the two teams this season.

Being able to call on up to three members of their club's Central League line-up is a big plus for Wairarapa United and could be enough to give them a winning edge.

The two other Wairarapa teams playing in Capital competitions, Douglas Villa and Gardner Electrical Masterton, will also have crucial games tomorrow as they battle to get themselves out of the relegation zone.

Douglas Villa play Tawa Bulldogs at the Park Sportsground in Masterton in a division two match.

The visitors are six points ahead of them on the competition table but the impressive 6-3 win secured by Douglas Villa over Waikanae last weekend will have given them a welcome confidence boost

Gardner Electrical Masterton take on Petone Armanis at Hullena Park and with Petone second on the points table with 20 points and Masterton eighth with 12 points this will a tough - but not impossible - assignment for the home side.

Local league standings

Division one: Greytown White Swan 21, Douglas Villa Good Beginnings 18, Masterton Trevs Sports Athletic 15, Masterton Lions 10, Masterton McAuleys 8, Greytown A1 Homes 7, Carterton Skulls 4, Carterton Redbacks 4.

Division two: Douglas Villa Laser Electrical 22, Douglas Villa Wairarapa Funeral Services 19, Douglas Villa Hasbeens 12, Featherston United 11, Greytown Turkey Red 10, Wairarapa Evergreens 9, Masterton Pacific United 8, Masterton Farmlands Presidents 7, Carterton Shoe Clinic Social 4.