Lesser lights push guns

Water flies as Waituhi player Ethan Rogers sweeps his stick across the turf while Lytton Old Boys Traktion’s Sam Middleton reaches across. An entertaining Poverty Bay men’s club hockey game at Harry Barker Reserve resulted in a 5-2 win to LOB. Picture by Paul Rickard

Solid but not startling wins for the front-runners marked the weekend round of the Poverty Bay hockey competition, while there were some good efforts by the lower-ranked teams.

Ngatapa women got the ball rolling on Thursday night on the Hain Farming Turf with a three-goal win over a battling Te Aowera side, who got on the board themselves in an entertaining 4-1 result.

“Ngatapa struggled to capitalise on the big amount of possesion they enjoyed and Te Aowera took advantage,” said hockey commentator Tony Scragg.

“It would be one of the better early-season performances from TA, and it highlights what a tight competition we are seeing in the womens’ division this year.”

GMC Green defeated YMP B 5-1 in another game Scragg said “took the Green Machine a long time to get into their groove”.

The score was locked at 1-all until the second quarter.

“GMC ran away with it after halftime when the score had been 2-1.”

Defending women’s champions YMP A were 5-1 winn0ers over GMC Kowhai, with Maia Rickard netting a hat-trick.

“That was another game where the front-runners took a while to capitalise on possession.

“Certainly some of the lower-ranked teams look capable of spoiling proceedings for teams above them.”

The Paikea-Gisborne Girls’ High School clash has been postponed to a yet-to-be-confirmed date.

In men’s games, Lytton Old Boys Traktion had to work hard to overcome a spirited Waituhi 5-2. Anthony Boyder (LOB) and George Whitehead (Waituhi) scored doubles.

“The game was paused at 3-2 for a while at the back end of it,” Scragg said.

“It was feisty game between two teams who obviously bring out the best and worst in each other.

“The result adds excitement to what what we might see develop in the men’s competition.”

Gisborne Boys’ High School 1st XI also had to work hard for their 3-0 result over an LOB Resene Masters side  decades older than their youthful counterparts.

“The Masters played like schoolboys — young and enthusiastic — and they were well pleased to hold the students to three-nil,” said Scragg, a Masters team member himself.

“I would love to be a fly on the wall at Boys’ High’s training this week. They have some work to do.”

Reigning champions YMP A belted home 15 goals without reply against their B team, including a double hat-trick to James Torrie and four goals to Tamanay Tuhou.

“It was always going to be a totally dominant performance by the top YMP side,” Scragg said.

“It was a team effort from the back right through to the front . . . YMP A will be a tough proposition for anyone this season.”

• Women’s results —

Ngatapa 4 (Lulu Parker 2, Mollie Clarke, Bree Munro goals) Te Aowera 1 (Lillian Hema)

GMC Green 5 (Jade Stafford 2, Caroline Maclaurin, Jess Kapene, Tori Wharepapa) YMP B 1 (Toni Halley)

YMP A 5 (Maia Rickard 3, Moelani Tureia-Siataga, Phoebe Bint) GMC Kowhai 1 (Arna Searle).

• Men’s results —

Gisborne Boys’ High 1st XI 3 (Ollie Egan 2, Jack Fletcher) LOB Resene Masters 0

LOB Traktion 5 (Anthony Boyder 2, Neal Ebbett, Oliver Shivnan, Josh Lardelli) Waituhi 2 (George Whitehead 2)

YMP A 15 (James Torrie 6, Tamanay Tuhou 4, Matty Waikari  2, Gareth Knox 2, Winiata Tarawa)  YMP B 0.