Kerikeri have won Northland’s Stafford Choat Cup, beating Tikipunga 2-1 in a final that burst into life with 10 minutes to go.
With the sides scoreless after 80 minutes, Paulo Montino put Kerikeri ahead against the Northland first division rivals.
With two minutes to go, Oliver Huett added a second goal to give Kerikeri a 2-0 lead to the delight of their supporters at Whangarei’s Trigg Arena.
Tikipunga had one last throw of the dice, with Darren Brandso pulling back a goal two minutes into stoppage time.
However, Kerikeri hung on for the win to make up for last season’s final in which they lost 3-2 to Onerahi.
READ MORE: Last year’s Stafford Choat finals >>>>
In a day of finals at Trigg Arena, here’s how the other Stafford Choat games went:
Plate
Ankit Verma’s second-half goal gave Central Brown Pasifika a 2-1 win against Central Brown in the Plate final.
The game was close, as expected, with the two teams fourth and fifth on Northland’s fourth division table this year, and drawing two of their three encounters.
Karan Thakur had given Pasifika the lead midway through the first half but Ajani Powell levelled in added time before the interval.
Verma scored the winner in the 73rd minute to clinch the trophy.
Bowl
Dominic Mills scored the only goal of the game to get Onerahi home against Mangawhai in the Bowl final.
Onerahi, Northland’s third division champions this year, went into the game as slight underdogs as Mangawhai were runners-up in division two.
Main photo: Onerahi celebrate winning the bowl. Source: Onerahi FC Facebook page.
Results
Games played on Saturday September 10, 2022
Stafford Choat Plate
Central Brown 1 (Ajani Powell 45+1′)
Central Brown Pasifika 2 (Karan Thakur 24′, Ankit Verma 73′)
Stafford Choat Bowl
Mangawhai 0
Onerahi 1 (Dominic Mills 34′)
Stafford Choat Cup
Kerikeri 2 (Paulo Montino 80′, Oliver Huett 88′)
Tikipunga 1 (Darren Brandso 90+2′)
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