Franklin United's Britney Cunningham-Lee is on course to win a third consecutive Golden Boot in Lotto Northern Women's League competitions, after her double-strike inspired her team's 3-1 win at Onehunga-Mangere United on August 31. The top markswoman in the Premier League with Ellerslie in 2023, she claimed the individual crown with Franklin last season, and with 25 goals to her name with a game still to play, is on course to be "Capocannonieri" once more in the Lotto Northern Women's Championship. Team-mate Georgia Irvine doubled Franklin's advantage at Mangere Domain before Alia Smith dragged "The Scarlets" back into the contest, but "BCL"'s second goal of the game, three minutes from time, sealed the win for the South Aucklanders, who played all but the first thirteen minutes with ten players following the sending-off of Michelle Oostdam. Cunningham-Lee's nearest rivals for the Golden Boot, Melville United's Laura Bennett and Birkenhead United's Grace Chitty, were both on target as the newly crowned champions prevailed 3-1 at Gower Park, and celebrated with the silverware after the final whistle. It was a come-from-behind win for Melville, for whom Nyah Nikau and Holly Quin scored in the last ten minutes of the first half before Bennett sealed the deal three minutes after half-time, Chitty having broken the deadlock after twenty minutes. Third place looks like being Onehunga Sports' lot for the second successive season after they saw off Northern Rovers 2-1 at McFetridge Park, where Lily Noll's stoppage time goal for the home team was of

consolation value only, Amy Wells having done the damage for "The Green Machine" with a goal in each half. Central United's survival hopes look bleak after they succumbed 3-1 at Cambridge's hands at Kiwitea Street, where Emma Sherburn gave the visitors a dream start inside the opening sixty seconds. Anita Gross replied in kind for the bottom-placed side at the start of the second spell, but Caitlin Harries restored Cambridge's advantage within five minutes, and substitute Caitlyn Varcoe sealed the deal in the dying minutes, and may well have sealed Central's fate in doing so. Because Shepherds Park is not the sort of venue you want to go to on the final day of the season needing to win to have a chance of retaining your league position. While Birkenhead are entertaining Central next Sunday, Sports and Melville meet at Waikaraka Park. Cambridge entertain OMU at St Peter's School - note the change of venue - while Franklin head to Northern's McFetridge Park home with a striker in Golden Boot-winning mode. Details: Central United 1 (A. Gross (46)), Cambridge 3 (E. Sherburn (1), C. Harries (51), C. Varcoe (89))  HT 0-1 Melville United 3 (N. Nikau (36), H. Quin (40), L. Bennett (48)), Birkenhead United 1 (G. Chitty (21))  HT 2-1 Northern Rovers 1 (L. Noll (90)), Onehunga Sports 2 (A. Wells (36, 82))  HT 0-1 Onehunga-Mangere United 1 (A. Smith (24)), Franklin United 3 (B. Cunningham-Lee (10, 87), G. Irvine (16))  HT 1-2