Mason drives hopes

It will be a case of fingers crossed for the Wairarapa sporting fraternity this weekend.

Aiming for his fourth New Zealand Rally Championship title will be Richard Mason. He needs to pick up just 5 points when the 2012 edition wraps up at the Rally of Gisborne tomorrow and Sunday.

While he is taking nothing for granted, Mason does look as close as you can get to a sure thing.

There is only one other driver, Emma Gilmour, who can head him off and for that to happen she would need to take the overall honours in Gisborne and Mason would have to crash out or have serious mechanical hassles.

The fact Gilmour has never won a round of the national championship doesn't exactly bode well for her and while rallying can throw up all sorts of unpleasant surprises because of the complexities of road conditions and weather, you have to back Mason's experience and skill to be the deciding factor.

Interestingly, while the pressure is still on Richard Mason, his wife Sara can bask in the glow of taking out the national co-driver's championship for the third time. She will again be seated alongside her husband in Gisborne.

FootballFor the Wairarapa United football team, success against Napier City Rovers in Napier on Sunday will see the the Nathan Cooksley-skippered side complete their 2012 Central League programme at the top of the points table for the first time.

And it would very probably leave only one other side, defending champions Miramar Rangers, with any chance of joining them. They play Maycenvale United this weekend and if they pick up the maximum points they will still have three games to play - and win - if they are to draw level with Wairarapa United. If they do, the title will be decided on goal differential.

RugbyBig wins in lead-up games against Poverty Bay and Horowhenua-Kapiti have rugby fans buzzing about the prospect of the Kurt Simmonds-led Wairarapa-Bush making a bold showing in this season's Heartland rugby championship.

Well, tomorrow the serious business begins when they take on South Canterbury at Memorial Park and with the southerners having beaten Nelson Bays and North Otago recently, they also begin their campaign in a confident frame of mind.

Heartland rugby and Central football previews, p26 and p27.