Despite the
inclement weather conditions Queens Park and Southend United kept the small
crowd in attendance well entertained in their Southland Finance premier league
game at O’Rorke Park on Saturday.
The McLellan Motors sponsored Queens Park unit won the encounter by a slender 1-nil margin courtesy of a fine second half strike from James Hargest College youngster Mark Pearson.
Pearson’s
well-struck finish followed some good build up work and assist by one of
Park’s Spirit FC players Billy Haslam.
With Spirit
FC’s Soccersouth premier league game being postponed due to hazardous road
conditions Queens Park fielded no less than ten current or former Spirit FC
players in its starting 11 line-up.
However with
the exception of its one goal it had no answer in the main to the experience and
strong play of Southend defenders Ian Watson and Russell Taylor, and, the
determination of the rest of the Southend team to hold out its more illustrious
opponent.
Southend also
suffered an early setback at the fifteen minute mark when full back Reon Calder
failed to rise from an innocuous tackle with an opponent and was taken from the
field to hospital with what was later diagnosed as a broken leg.
As well as
the three valuable win points from the game Queens Park claimed the Larry
O’Rorke challenge cup from Southend.
Southend had
repelled 11 consecutive challenges before relinquishing the trophy on Saturday.
At Surrey Park Old Boys went a goal down early in its game against Waihopai when Quinton Wicks scored within five minutes of the start of play.
Old Boys then showed championship character when thanks to goals from Scott Morton and Nick Redwood it grabbed a 2-1 lead before the half time break.
Waihopai
tightened up its defensive play in the second half and kept Old Boys scoreless
for the remainder of the game but was unable to close the gap.