FC Tauranga Moana extended their advantage at the top of the Lotto Northern Women's Championship to nine points on 4 August as they won the "Battle of the Kaimais" while nearest challengers Onehunga Sports continued to stumble at the worst possible time in the title race. As they did earlier in the season, "The Green Machine" slumped to a 1-0 loss at Birkenhead United, Jaime Govind scoring the only goal at Shepherds Park to all but end Onehunga's title challenge, a result of picking up just five points from a possible fifteen since the start of July. Tauranga took full advantage of Melville United's progress to a play-off in the National Youth League qualifying series, prevailing 3-0 at Links Avenue over a team denied the use of a fair chunk of its young talent because of sports science requirements. A Grace Duncan double-strike either side of the half-time whistle, supplementing Briana Osborne's deadlock breaker nine minutes before the interval, earned the league leaders the chocolates and left them potentially just three wins away from the title and promotion to next season's Lotto Northern Premier Women's League. As an aside, wouldn't it have been smarter, logical and more sensible to have played the NYL qualifiers as a tournament during the recent school holidays, rather than disrupt long-scheduled league fixtures and force clubs to juggle their playing resources for a number of weeks at a key stage of the season while endeavouring to satisfy all their objectives? Northern Rovers, Melville's opponents in said NYL play-off, were similarly affected for their clash with Franklin United, who prevailed 2-0 at McFetridge Park to close to within a point of Sports with two games in hand. Britney Cunningham-Lee and Sarah Carpenter - a penalty - struck in each half to send the South Aucklanders home in a happy mood. It was another tough day at the office for the league's other contenders from south of Mangere Bridge, with Manukau United suffering a 4-1 loss to Central United at Walter Massey Park, where Anita Gross and Robyn Wilkinson both netting twice for the victors on a day Teretia Teinaki netted a consolation goal for Manukau, who are just one defeat away from being condemned to the wooden spoon for the season. Next Sunday's action sees the key clash between Franklin and Tauranga at the Drury Sports Complex. Elsewhere, Onehunga host Manukau at Waikaraka Park on a day Central and Northern meet at Kiwitea Street, and fourth-placed Birkenhead make the journey south to Gower Park to take on fifth-placed Melville in a match which has "mid-table tussle" written all over it! Details: Birkenhead United 1 (J. Govind (17)), Onehunga Sports 0  HT 1-0 FC Tauranga Moana 3 (B. Osborne (36), G. Duncan (42, 47)), Melville United 0  HT 2-0 Manukau United 1 (T. Teinaki (80)), Central United 4 (R. Wilkinson (27, 90), A. Gross (47, 63))  HT 0-1 Northern Rovers 0, Franklin United 2 (B. Cunningham-Lee (11), S. Carpenter 77 pen))  HT 0-1