A youthful but improving Three Kings United combination found the greater experience of Ellerslie the telling factor in the clubs’ Uncle Toby’s Women’s Knockout Cup second round tie at Keith Hay Park on July 6, as the "home" team - the match was transferred from Michaels Avenue - scored a 5-0 win to advance to the quarter-finals once again. Inspired by strong performances from Vicki Rainbow and Maia Jackman - despite the latter being flu-ridden, Ellerslie endured a couple of close calls and an injury scare to artful midfielder Rebecca Sowden before they got into their stride. Sarah Ropati’s fine fifth minute run sprung Ellerslie’s offside trap, but a superb covering tackle by Dana Humby thwarted the danger on this occasion, the 2001 cup winners eventually clearing the resulting corner, before which Sowden’s part in the contest had come to an end, the playmaker wisely opting to take no chances with a hamstring twinge. Her replacement, Leah Tagaloa, was quickly into the action, hitting the crossbar in the eighth minute after a measured through ball from Jackman. Vicky Butterworth went close soon after for Ellerslie, before United’s goalkeeper Puatata Savage, deputising for the injured Wendy Horneman, produced a fine diving save to her right to thwart Jackman, after the SWANZ international had raced past Renee Dale. A minute later, Ellerslie opened the scoring. Humby’s clipped pass down the right released Tagaloa, who rounded the advancing Savage before steering the ball towards the near post from the byline. Margot Bowker deftly directed the sphere into the net, and last season’s beaten cup finalists were on their way. After Bowker and Jackman had linked to create a headed chance for Tagaloa which the youngster directed at Savage, United’s goalkeeper produced a fine save to thwart the same player in the 22nd minute. Jackman secured possession on the right, evaded Dale’s clutches once more and drove in a low cross which the hard-working Petria Rennie blocked. The rebound landed perfectly for Tagaloa, who was denied a goal by the reflex save of Savage. The goalkeeper was expecting a busy ninety minutes, and she wasn’t disappointed, as further Jackman creativity culminated in an opening for Butterworth seconds later. Savage saved at the striker’s feet on this occasion. Rainbow’s influence on the game was growing by this stage, and her 27th minute pass to pick out Jackman was inch-perfect. Two United defenders were left trailing in the speedster’s wake before the subsequent cross from the byline zoomed across the face of goal, with both Bowker and Tagaloa a yard shy of making the most of the opportunity to double Ellerslie’s lead. They had but six minutes to wait for this to eventuate, however, and the former Three Kings number seven was again the catalyst. Intercepting a throw-in, she headed the ball into the path of another former United star, Bowker. Her cross was flicked on by Tagaloa to Butterworth, who swept the ball home from ten yards - 2-0. Three minutes later, a crunching block tackle by Butterworth left the similarly fearless Rennie wincing with pain - both youngsters impressed with their committed performances. The Ellerslie player was quick to recover her footing, and slipped the ball to Jackman, who, in turn,  rewarded Bowker’s run into space.

The striker’s twenty-yard drive fizzed over the crossbar. Bowker and Butterworth were in again just before half-time, the former pouncing on a poor goal-kick and supplying the latter with a shooting chance which Savage turned over the crossbar. The goalkeeper thwarted a twenty-yard effort from Jackman seconds after the resumption, before the game was put beyond doubt by two stunning goals, both of which came inside the first seven minutes of the second spell. The first was Rainbow at her very best, scything her way through three challenges before planting a peach of a twenty-yarder into the roof of the net in the 48th minute for what would easily be one of the best goals this writer has seen this season. Not far behind it was a goal which Jackman’s hard-working display fully merited. Intercepting a clearance from the spirited Ann Ormrod - by far the best performer in United’s gallant effort, the wide midfielder came through a fifty-fifty challenge with Dale unscathed before playing a one-two with Butterworth. Latching onto the return, Jackman unleashed a swerving fifteen-yarder which arrowed into the top left-hand-corner of Savage’s net - 4-0. With this goal, Ellerslie eased the pressure somewhat, their place in the quarter-finals of the Uncle Toby’s-sponsored competition all but assured. And after Savage had survived fumbling a Butterworth cross - Bowker just failed to capitalise on the error - it was United’s turn to give their rivals cause for concern, as Ormrod pounced on a defensive blunder. The "visitor’s" star performer threaded a pass through for Lacey Parsons, who bore down on goal with just Stephanie Puckrin to beat. The goalkeeper stood her ground well, and saved at the substitute’s feet, with Kristy Hill closing fast to assist her team-mate if required. Nineteen minutes from time, Bowker wrapped up the scoring with a goal which had a strong hint of offside about it. In the absence of committed linespersons, stand-in referee Karl Phipps - who did a fine job stepping into the breach in the absence of the appointed official - didn’t blow his whistle. United stopped, Bowker didn’t, and ran on to fire past Savage at the second attempt, squeezing the ball home from a tight angle after her first effort hit the post. A final attacking flourish from Ellerslie saw their most influential trio of performers, Jackman, Rainbow and Bowker, combining on the right to present an opening for Humby, whose twenty-yard drive was thwarted by Savage at the second attempt. In the dying seconds, United had a chance to get on the scoresheet through Parsons, who again found herself clear of the defence with just Puckrin to beat. Once again, however, the goalkeeper prevailed, with Hill ensuring that the pacy Parsons would be thwarted once more, and confirm the final 5-0 scoreline in Ellerslie’s favour. Ellerslie:    Puckrin; Humby, Hill, Albon; Jackman, Rainbow, Sowden (Tagaloa, 5 (J. Puckrin (84))), Bullen, Rowney; Butterworth, Bowker Three Kings:    Savage; Wong, Barnett, Rennie, Dale; Erceg (Parsons, 46), Tito, Lankshear (Knowles, 68), Ormrod; Vincent, Ropati Referee:    Karl Phipps