Soccer: Cup heavyweight out of contention

One Chatham Cup soccer heavyweight has gone, another needed extra time to survive and an unheralded Wellington side made the last 16 for the first time with their upset away win as third round action brought some life to the knockout competition this weekend.

University Mt Wellington's name will not be in the hat when the fourth round draw is made today.

In a huge upset, the one-time cup dominators were eliminated when losing 2-5 at home by Papakura.

A Dirk Oostdam hat-trick led the way as Papakura scored one of the biggest wins in the club's history.

Shaun Irvine and Nick Buitendyk added the others while the home side's solitary reply came from Stu Roberts.

A 50th-minute Sam Jasper penalty broke the deadlock at Allen Hill Stadium here as North Shore United struggled for any ascendancy against a committed Albany United.

Shane Campbell equalised in the 83rd minute to send the game into extra time before goals to Jasper and Daniel Ellensohn threw North Shore their lifeline in the competition.

Eastern Suburbs, on the back of a Nathan Robertson hat-trick, and East Coast Bays, despite being reduced to 10 men for the last hour, restored sanity with 3-0 wins over Onehunga Sports and Three Kings United respectively.

In Wellington, Naenae beat North Wellington 1-0 away. One round earlier, North Wellington had tipped out cup holders Miramar Rangers.

Kevin Fallon-coached Gisborne City came from 0-1 at halftime to beat Napier City Rovers 3-1 in Napier with Lance Eeson scoring twice.

* Cup history

The Chatham Cup is New Zealand's equivalent of the English FA Cup and is similarly steeped in history and tradition. It has become the most prestigious and sought after trophy in New Zealand Soccer.

The Cup was gifted to New Zealand Soccer (to the then NZ Football Association) in 1922 by the crew of English naval vessel HMS Chatham as a token of appreciation for the kindness and goodwill shown them during the period of the ship's sojourn.

The cup, valued then at 150 pound sterling and modeled on the English FA Cup, was handed over by Captain Picket to Sir Charles Skerret.

Rules were drafted on similar lines to England's own FA Cup competition and New Zealand Football had it's own blue riband event.

The Chatham Cup was first contested in 1923 when Seacliff (Otago) defeated YMCA of Wellington 4-0.

The format of the Chatham Cup competition has varied over the years with the North Island winner and the South Island winner playing off in a final up until 1969. That system was changed with the advent of the National Soccer League in 1970, and the subsequent wider interest in the sport. SOURCE: SOCCER NZ

- NZPA