The top four teams all recorded wins in the Lotto Northern Women's Championship on August 3, but leaders Melville United had to come from behind to do so, as they overcame Northern Rovers 2-1 at McFetridge Park. Orla Chambers gave the home team the early advantage before Nyah Nikau notched an equaliser in the shadows of the half-time whistle. Parity prevailed until eight minutes from time, when a Laura Bennett penalty maintained Melville's eight-point advantage at the top of the table. Onehunga Sports lead the pursuit of "The Unicorns", their 2-0 defeat of Cambridge coming about thanks to a seventh minute "oggie" from Zoe Thomas, an advantage which Kate Inwood doubled on the half-hour to secure the points for "The Green Machine". A second half hat-trick from Grace Chitty earned Birkenhead United a 3-0 win over Onehunga-Mangere United at Mangere Domain, a result which keeps "The Scarlets" ahead of Central United on goal difference in their bottom-of-the-table battle. That's because Central copped a 9-0 hiding from Franklin United at the Drury Sports Complex, where Chloe Marthe was at her prolific best, bagging a hat-trick on a day Becky Hawker and Britney Cunningham-Lee both struck twice. Maureen Fitzpatrick marked her return with a goal, while Zoe Kucija had the misfortune to put through her own net. "BCL"'s brace brings her up to 22 goals for the season, three ahead of both Bennett and Chitty in the Golden Boot race. Cunningham-Lee has the chance to increase her lead when Franklin play "The Scarlets" in their rescheduled clash on Wednesday evening at Pukekohe's Bledisloe Park. All teams will have played sixteen games following that encounter, setting things up nicely for the run-in. The clash of Birkenhead and "The Green Machine" at Shepherds Park on Friday night kicks off this weekend's action, which sees Melville welcoming OMU to Gower Park, Cambridge entertaining Franklin at John Kerkhof Park, and Central and Northern meeting at Kiwitea Street. Details: Franklin United 9 (C. Marthe (5, 19, 51), B. Cunningham-Lee (7, 33), M. Fitzpatrick (26), "oggie" (45), B. Hawker (56, 65)), Central United 0  HT 6-0 Northern Rovers 1 (O. Chambers (3)), Melville United 2 (N. Nikau (42), L. Bennett (82 pen))  HT 1-1 Onehunga-Mangere United 0, Birkenhead United 3 (G. Chitty (68, 77, 79))  HT 0-0 Onehunga Sports 2 ("oggie" (7), K. Inwood (31)), Cambridge 0  HT 2-0