Race for semi berths heats up

The battle for semifinal spots in the Wairarapa-Bush premier division rugby competition looks down to five teams with still four series of preliminary round matches to be played.
Carterton heads the points table with 54, followed by Eketahuna 49, Marist and Masterton Red Star both 45, East Coast 43, Martinborough 35, Gladstone 25, Greytown 20, Puketoi 14 and Pioneer 1.
Carterton already seem a near certainty for the semis. They won't have it easy against second-placed Eketahuna at Carterton on Saturday but their following three games are against Greytown, Puketoi and Pioneer and comfortable wins to the maroons seem likely in each case.
Eketahuna will follow this weekend's clash with Carterton with matches against Gladstone, Martinborough and Masterton Red Star. They will be strongly favoured to win the first two of those and will book a semifinal berth by doing so.
Marist won't get everything their own way against Gladstone at Memorial Park this Saturday and their season could well depend on the result there. They should beat Pioneer the following weekend but they don't have the easiest of finishes, with East Coast and Martinborough their next two opponents.
Defending champions Masterton Red Star play three teams placed below them over the next three weekends, Puketoi this Saturday followed by Martinborough and Greytown. They will want to win all three to guarantee a semifinal position though as they have Eketahuna last up and anything could happen there.
East Coast, the beaten finalists in 2009, are by no means out of semis reckoning, with the draw for the next month pitting them against Martinborough this Saturday and then, in order, Puketoi, Marist and Greytown. If the form book counts for anything it will be their match with Marist which will go a long way towards deciding their fate.
Of the other five premier division sides only Martinborough seem to have any chance of reaching the semis but the draw suggests they have their backs firmly against the wall. Their opposition to come is East Coast this weekend, followed by Masterton Red Star, Eketahuna and Marist, and they will be the underdogs in all of those games.
Three of the five premier-division games on Saturday will be played in Masterton, two of them at Memorial Park but, remarkably, that doesn't mean any greater fare for spectators as all three are scheduled to kick off at the same time of 2.30pm. Masterton Red Star and Puketoi will be on No1 and Marist and Gladstone on No2 while Pioneer and Greytown will to battle at the Park Sportsground.
The full draw for Saturday is:
Premier division: Masterton Red Star v Puketoi, Memorial Park No 1 at 2.30pm (G. Reisima; D. Goodin and K. Lochhead); Marist v Gladstone, Memorial Park No 2 at 2.30pm (A. Stringer; A. Payne and G. Moorcock); Pioneer v Greytown, Park Sportsground at 2.30pm (M. Porter; G. Hall and B. Whale); Carterton v Eketahuna, Carterton at 2.30pm (T. Roseingrave; J. Devine and T. Porter); Martinborough v East Coast, Martinborough at 2.30pm (C. Jefferies; T. Lyford and P. Weeks).
Senior reserves: Eketahuna v Tuhirangi, Eketahuna at 1pm (S. Andrew); Masterton Red Star v Carterton, Memorial Park at 1pm (D. Goodin); Marist v Gladstone, Memorial Park No 2 at 1pm (A. Payne); Greytown v Featherston, Greytown at 1pm (V. Peterson); Pioneer v Martinborough, Park Sportsground at 1pm (G. Hall); East Coast a bye.
Secondary schools _ Premier first XV: Rathkeale first XV v Feilding first XV, Rathkeale at 11.45am (S. O'Gorman); Wairarapa College first XV v Waiopehu first XV, Wairarapa College at 12.30pm (G. Moorcock). Open grade: Chanel first XV v Rathkeale 2nd XV, Chanel College at 11.15am (E. Wallace); Makoura College first XV v Wairarapa College second XV, Makoura College at 11.15am (T. Lyford); Wairarapa College third XV a bye. Junior: Chanel second XV v Wairarapa College Gold, Chanel College at 10am (B. Whale); Rathkeale White v Kuranui College second XV, Rathkeale College at 10am (T. Porter); Rathkeale Green v Makoura College second XV, Rathkeale at 10am (A. Mortenson).