Moorwood, Heiford And Ray Shine In Lynn-Avon Romp by Jeremy Ruane Lynn-Avon United romped to a 9-0 win over Waitakere City in their catch-up Northern Premier Women’s League match at Albie Turner Field on August 7, Dana Heiford leading the way with the second hat-trick of her career. While the combative midfielder led the scoring, it was Melissa Ray - an outstanding defensive performance - and the imperious Hayley Moorwood who were Lynn-Avon’s leading lights on a night when Waitakere came a poor second to the defending champions. But for the tireless efforts of Elina Tito and the ageless Gillian Thurlow, the West Aucklanders would have copped an even bigger hiding from the new league leaders, for whom Ray opened the scoring in the eleventh minute, her first goal at senior level somewhat gifted to her by City goalkeeper Lisa Welfare, who let the ball through her legs. It was a horror night for the custodian, who, after tipping a Rachel Doody drive over the crossbar, could only look on as Heiford hammered home a twenty-five yard rocket into the top corner of the net in the 28th minute, after City failed to clear the resulting corner. After Melita Harrison hit the crossbar with a looping header four minutes later, the floodgates opened six minutes before half-time, Amanda Crawford providing an elegant curling finish for her fifteenth league goal of the season, one engineered by the rampaging Ray. Two minutes before the interval, Sara Clapham and Kirsty Yallop combined to present Heiford with a twenty-yard shooting chance, which the midfielder finished off in unerring fashion, a swerving shot with which Welfare stood not a prayer of stopping. Seven minutes into the second spell, Doody joined in the fun, setting sail from half-way on a mazy run past two opponents before blasting home her first league goal of the season from twenty-five yards on the angle. On the hour, Heiford completed her hat-trick from the penalty spot after Clapham had been scythed down by a mistimed Olivia Johnson challenge. This made the score 6-0, and goals seven and eight followed within the next four minutes. The first of them, in the 63rd minute, owed much to a horrible blunder by Welfare, but would not have come about but for Harrison’s fine work on the right. Teaming up with Moorwood after getting the better of Thurlow in the air, the defender whipped in a fine cross from the right which Welfare dropped - right onto the foot of Clapham. The goal of the night followed sixty seconds later, and was due reward for a fine night’s work by Moorwood. Clapham gathered the ball on the right as the lively midfielder set off on a run through the middle of the park which drew three defenders, and provided Crawford space aplenty in which to capitalise on Clapham’s crossfield ball. Having beaten an opponent, Crawford unselfishly slipped the ball into Moorwood’s path, and the youngster coolly slipped the ball past Welfare to leave City staring down the barrel of a good old-fashioned thumping. That Lynn-Avon had added just one more goal to their tally come the final whistle was something of a relief to the mid-table combination, who themselves twice tested Yvonne Vale in the final stages, Tito and Petrina Mayo the players to force saves from the custodian. The last goal, however, was an absolute softie!! Welfare will not appreciate being reminded of it, but she allowed a cross from Amber Hearn to bounce over her head in the 71st minute, and the ball’s next port of call was the netting just inside the far post - 9-0. It’s a result which fires Lynn-Avon to the top of the table for the first time this season, and which leaves them well on course to clinch the Northern Premier Women’s League championship for the third year in a row. Lynn-Avon:     Vale; Harrison, McCahill, Ray; Doody, Moorwood, Heiford, Hearn, Yallop; Crawford, Clapham          Sub:     Vincent Waitakere:     Welfare; Johnson, J. Hendriks, Plummer, M. Hendriks; Mayo, Tito, Roti, Oldfield; Thurlow, Parkinson     Subs:     Erlbeck, Masila Referee:            Sam Tompsett