After the conclusion of the Porritt Cup last week, the Bealey’s Ale House CPL returns with round 11 action.

The Harewood men will be looking to place one hand on the President’s Shield as they face fourth on the table Southern United. The Hunters currently sit six points clear of their old rivals Carlton Redcliffs at the top of the standings. Garren Fyfe will be a welcome return for the competition frontrunners after needing some serious dental work after taking a stray ball to the kisser in their Porritt Cup clash with Avon. Tom Mallon’s communication is expected to lift from the back of the field, his facial shave after his recent coaching success putting a stop to stray slug hairs getting in his mouth. The Southern Stingers will be desperate for points as they look to fend off Old Boys, Avon and University and clinch a top four spot. Ben Owers will be a key figure for the Stingers, and on a high after taking the U18 boys from wooden spoon position last year to national champions last week.

In the women’s fixture, it is a similar case with Harewood trying to maintain their competition lead, and the Southern Untied Stars in their way. The Huntresses currently sit five points clear of Carlton Redcliffs and will be hoping this weekend’s fixture brings nothing less than three points. Bella Ambrosius, Anne McKechnie, Sam Dalzell and Catherine Tinning have all been in fine form for Harewood recently in front of goal and will for certainly be the players to watch. For sixth place Southern United this match against the competition leaders may seem like an uphill battle, however they will look to Zoe Summers and Kirsty McCombe to provide some spark in their attacking half.

The Marist men look to defend home court this weekend against HSOB/Burnside. Everything about this fixture points to it being a doozy. Nick Harris will undoubtedly have the barbie cranking, George Connell always relishes playing his former club (as do they), Joe Bartholomew is looking trim at the back, and Old Boys have their tails up after recently being crowned Porritt Cup champions. Will Hurst was huge for Old Boys in their 3-1 Porritt Cup win over Redcliffs last week, and will again be crucial for his side as they look to reclaim their spot in the top four. The game for Kumbaroff is simple, Meates brings the muscle, Pedro brings the saves, Joe brings the goals and George brings the passion.

The women’s draw sees a classic third v fourth tussle as HSOB/Burnside face Marist. The Mermaids currently sit in 4th position, just a single point above Avon. A win would give them some breathing space, which could be crucial as we enter the business end of the season. The Mermaids have had some mixed results this season but have managed to trouble Old Boys in the past, something they will aim to replicate this weekend. Old Boys currently sit tied with Reddos in second place, but behind on goal differential. With Rose Bowl hopes not yet completely gone, the Burnside Babes will need nothing less than a convincing win. They will look to Hannah Hill to lead from the front.

The Carlton Redcliffs men will be gunning for their eighth win of the season from their weekend match against the Hornby Vipers. There may be some trouble in paradise in the Redcliffs camp as the usual well-oiled machine put out an uncharacteristic sloppy performance in their 3-1 defeat last week in the Porritt Cup final. There are some injury concerns around striker Tom Mouldey, which could see the Redcliffs possession statistic increase as well as the shots on target. More than happy to pick up this slack is captain Chris Goldsbury, who has been in rampant form in the attacking circle recently. Sunjay Ganda will welcome back his schoolboys with open arms from representative duties which will undoubtedly strengthen his side. They all tasted success with national titles at the regional and association U18 tournaments, which could put a bit of extra sting in the Vipers tail.

The Carlton Redcliffs women look to stay in touch with Harewood

at the top of the table in their match against the seventh placed Hornby. The Redcliffs Reindeer will be hoping to build some form as they head into a massive clash with the competition front runners in the coming weeks. Margot Willis and Sophie Cocks have been an integral part of their success to date and will be vital for them this weekend. The Hornby Tigers on the other hand will be after some points as they look to avoid the wooden spoon for the 2017 season. Lucy Turner will be a welcome return to the side as she makes her club comeback from representative duties where she won a silver medal with the U18 Regional girls.

The final match of the weekend sees the University boys play Avon. The Students currently sit in 7th position, three points behind Avon. They will have to play without key man Peter Anderson who is still out with injury. However they will be boosted by Bryce Smith, Amon van der Berg and Sam Mark all being recently called into the Canterbury Cavaliers trial squad to join teammate Adam Hillis. Avon welcome back Bertie Ruscoe, Joseph Yoon and Harrison Darling from representative duty as well as Joe Piggott and Ari Barrow who were coaching their respective association sides. The last time these two sides met in a CPL fixture Avon snuck a late equaliser to draw 2-2, this weekend’s match promises to be as equally exciting.

DRAW

Men
Harewood v Southern United – 1.15pm, Waimak Stadium
HSOB/Burnside v Marist – 1.45pm, Marist Park
University v Avon – 4.15pm, Waimak Stadium
Carlton Redcliffs v Hornby – 4.50pm, Marist Park

Women
HSOB/Burnside v Marist – 12.15pm, Marist Park
Harewood v Southern United – 2.45pm, Waimak Stadium
Carlton Redcliffs v Hornby – 3.20pm, Marist Park