Reigning Lotto Northern Premier Women's League champions Auckland United and West Coast Rangers have surged clear at the top of the competition at the one-third stage of the season (yes, already!) after both recorded hard-fought wins in a closely contested round of action in the best league in the country. Table-toppers United had to work all the way for their 1-0 win at Western Springs, Chloe Knott pouncing with four minutes to go at Seddon Fields to reward Alexis Cook's good work, the speedster having earlier hit the crossbar with a free-kick. A point behind the leaders lie Rangers, who had new signing Bree Johnson to thank for their 2-1 win over Eastern Suburbs at Fred Taylor Park, the speedster's brace on debut clinching the points with twenty minutes remaining, although the league's leading markswoman, Sofia Garcia, halved the deficit for "The Lilywhites" ten minutes from time. Completing the action on Friday evening - the first time in the league's 52-season history that so many matches in a round have taken place on a Friday night - was the clash of Hibiscus Coast and Fencibles United on the North Harbour Stadium Tigerturf, a match which featured a twelve-minute delay due to floodlight failure during the second half. First half goals from Rosie Missen and Millie Loxton put "Fencies" in charge on the scoreboard inside the opening half-hour of a well-contested affair, with Danica Urlich-Beech halving the deficit late in the piece for "The Coasters", who remain five points off the bottom of the table after this 2-1 loss. That rung on the league ladder is occupied by Hamilton Wanderers, who have yet to record a point from the first seven rounds of action after going down 4-3 to Ellerslie in a lively affair at Michaels Avenue. "The Ponies" got off to a flying start, Lyric Davison opening the scoring after just nine minutes before

Freya Harris turned a Hollie Leona corner into her own net just three minutes later. Lily Brazendale scored at the right end for "The Blue Army" on the half-hour, but a match which the visitors needed to win got away from them in the second spell. Kimberley Oosterbeek restored Ellerslie's two-goal advantage before Abby Wright's first goal at this level made it 4-1 halfway through the second spell. Captain Maddi Ollington reduced the deficit fifteen minutes from time, while Brazendale struck again as the setting sun dropped behind the houses overlooking the ground, but it was too little, too late for Hamilton, who may well be staring into the abyss if they don't get some points on the board in fairly short order. Their next chance to do so comes on Sunday, when another trip up the Southern Motorway is made, this time to Eastern Suburbs' Madills Farm home. At the same time, Auckland head over the Harbour Bridge to "The Coasters"' Stanmore Bay Reserve base, while later in the afternoon, Ellerslie and third-placed Fencibles lock horns in an East Auckland derby at Michaels Avenue. The round kicks off on Friday evening with wild west bragging rights up for grabs as "The Hoops" and Rangers tango at Seddon Fields, a contest which the fifth-placed home team will be eager to win given they are already eight points behind their guests and in a three-way tussle with "The Lilywhites" and league newcomers "Fencies" as the race for the top four starts to take shape. Details: Ellerslie 4 (L. Davison (9), "oggie" (12), K. Oosterbeek (50), A. Wright (65)), Hamilton Wanderers 3 (L. Brazendale (30, 88), M. Ollington (75))  HT 2-1 Hibiscus Coast 1 (D. Urlich-Beech (90)), Fencibles United 2 (R. Missen (20), M. Loxton (31))  HT 0-2 West Coast Rangers 2 (B. Johnson (58, 71)), Eastern Suburbs 1 (S. Garcia (80))  HT 0-0 Western Springs 0, Auckland United 1 (C. Knott (86))  HT 0-0