Kings United eased past Taieri 4-0 in the only premier men’s match this weekend.
It was a scrappy affair where neither side seemed able to keep full sides on the park, and the whistle came into play more than anyone would like.
Despite this, the more experienced Kings United side managed to put together some particularly good sequences and looked the better of the teams throughout.
Former Black Stick James Nation had his usual influence and his defensive partner Hitaua Doyle was equally impressive.
The scoring started with striker Zach Mason, whose reverse shot could have been described as somewhat speculative, but also spectacular.
Taieri was able to put together patches where it looked like it would break back into the match, but scoring eluded it. Young pairing Finn Ward and Zeke Buschl continued their good seasons for the Tuataras but only one side was able to make the most of its chances.
In the end the fourth goal on fulltime put an exclamation point on a strong performance and meant Kings had added two in each half to slide up past its opponents on the points table.
• At the national under-21 tournament in Hamilton, Southern finished fifth as a Dylan Thomas hat-trick helped it beat Central 3-1 on Saturday.
- Matthew West
