Manawatu

SOCCER
With teams from the other side of the Gorge in their own competition, there will be little travel for the Manawatu teams playing the federation league, which begins tomorrow.

In fact, the longest journey will be a two-hour return trip twice a season to Wanganui. The other sides in the eight-team competition all come from the Manawatu. There looks to be little between the sides and the competition is expected to be fiercely fought out. The winner will face the victor from the East Coast, with the winner of that game joining the bottom central league side and the Wellington premier winner for a place in the 2008 central league.

Last season's underachiever North End will be out to get the season off to a good start, as it did last season, but won't want to fall away badly late in the season again. Tomorrow north End should get off to a winning start at Skoglund Park, when it meets Massey University, which didn't win a game last season, but without the Hawke's Bay, Gisborne and Taranaki sides in the league, the students hope to do much better.

With the benefit of heavy training with the YoungHeart academy squad, Palmerston North Boys' High should be the fittest side in the league and with a lot of talented youngsters will be near the top. Tomorrow though it faces a tricky away trip to Big Kick tournament winner Wanganui Athletic at Wembley Park.

Another side that was awful last season, Linton Army, meets Palmerston North Marist Reserves in a game that could feature at the wrong end of the competition. However, it's reputed Linton has had quite a few of its better players return from service overseas and will be as strong as two seasons ago, when it featured in mid-central one.

Stewarts Powerbase Red Sox Manawatu may have struggled in the central league for the past two seasons, but with quite a few quality experienced players back and in a competition nowhere as strong as the central league, it should be near the top. Yet, tomorrow at Skoglund Park it has a tough opener against Wanganui City, which is believed to have made a couple of imports.

After a pass mark in its first two games, which it drew then lost the next 1-0, Carpet Court Marist will be confident about its prospects in the league. In a strange draw it plays its third consecutive game at the outstanding newly renovated Memorial Park, this time facing early leader Miramar Rangers.

The Massey University women's side faces the toughest of opponents first up when it meets Seatoun on Sunday at Palmerston North Teacher's College. The two sides have shared the competition over the past two seasons and made the national knockout cup semifinals.