Near-perfect day for GMC and YMP A

GMC Green, aka “The Green Machine”, lived up to their nickname as they completed an unbeaten 2023 Poverty Bay club hockey season with a 2-1 win over defending champions YMP A in the Prem 1 women’s final on the turf at Harry Barker Reserve on Saturday. The final reflected the closeness of these teams throughout the competition. In the four times they met over the season, they drew twice and GMC won the other two clashes by just one goal. The Green Machine won their 12 other Round 1 and crossover games and their semifinal (6-1 over Gisborne Girls’ High 1st XI). They scored 69 goals and conceded 10 — five of those to YMP A. The champion GMC team are, back row (from left): Gareth Knox (who co-coaches the side with Brendan Lennane), Jordan McGregor, Cate Hills, Jessie Kapene, Julia Edwards, Noeline Smith, Johanna Becco Cortez, Michelle Hills, Charlie Brown, Amie Waiwai and Rebecca Pepere (manager). Front: Caroline Maclaurin, Amy England, Bree-Luite Thompson, Heni-Kamaia Thompson, Caitlin Candy, Jade Stafford, Nellie Brown and Tori Wharepapa. Picture by Paul Rickard

The Green Machine hoisted the Prem 1 womens’ hockey trophy on Saturday in what was a huge finals day for the GMC club, while YMP A took the honours in the Prem 1 men’s showdown.

GMC Kowhai won the Prem 2 women’s title and Gisborne Boys’ High School 1st XI are the Prem 2 men’s champions.

GMC Green defeated YMP A 2-1 in the main women’s event on the Hain Farming Turf at Harry Barker Reserve.

“It was nil-all at half time and it was a battle to see which team would break first in defence,” hockey commentator Tony Scragg said.

“Once the Green Machine scored their first goal you saw the intensity lift in their side.

“They took a two-nil lead (Jessie Kapene and Caroline Maclaurin the scorers) into the final quarter but YMP pegged it back with a goal (to Maia Rickard) that put the GMC supporters on edge. In the end, though, GMC held them out to win.”

GMC captain Jade Stafford said it was an “amazing win”.

“I’m so happy, ecstatic for our team. Our mindset was to not worry about mistakes in the game, but to stay positive about everything”.

The Green Machine finished the season unbeaten, sharing two draws with YMP A, but beating them twice.

“We had no losses all through the season and I feel we really deserved to win the women’s championship,” Stafford said. “This has been a big day for our club with Kowhai winning as well.”

GMC Kowhai defeated PGG Wrightson Ngatapa 3-2 in a hard-fought Prem 2 women’s decider.

“Kowhai cruised out to an early 2-nil lead and then seemed to put the brakes on themselves,” Scragg said. “Ngatapa caught them napping a bit in the dying stages of the game.

“An extra couple of minutes could easily have changed that result, but congratulations to Kowhai, they thoroughly deserved it.”

In the Prem 1 men’s final, defending champions YMP A were too good for Waituhi, who tried hard but were always behind on the scoreboard. YMP A won 4-1.

Tamanay Tuhou scored twice and Michael Bond and Chris Fox one apiece.

“To start the game, the Waituhi haka got the biggest cheer of the day from the crowd,” Scragg said. “They made YMP really work hard for the four goals they scored.

“That’s a fair result I feel because YMP A were contenders for the championship right through the season.”

YMP skipper Kohere Tupara said it was a tough final.

“We were expecting that after watching them play against Lytton Old Boys Traktion last weekend (a shootout victory to Waituhi).

“Even though we’d had some good wins over Waituhi in the season, finals is a different story. It was one of those games where you never knew right to the end.

“It’s been a big year for the club, marking 100 years, so we felt glad to get the job done for the club today.”

Boys’ High won the Premier 2 men’s title with a 3-0 win over LOB Resene Masters.

“The Masters put up a good fight,” Scragg said.

“It took Boys’ High a while to get their first goal, even though they threw everything at the Masters, whose defence really showed up.

“It was 2-nil to the students at halftime. They put the game beyond doubt in the final period of the game.”

Ollie Egan scored all three goals for the students and was only just short of being the top men’s goalscorer — that honour going to LOB Traktion’s Patrick Ferry on 18.

Scragg said the Masters wished the students all the best in their upcoming secondary school tournament in Napier.

In Friday games, Paikea beat Gisborne Girls’ High School 1st XI 1-0 in the Prem 1 playoff for third while YMP B won by default over Te Aowera in the Prem 2 playoff for third.

Poverty Bay Hockey Association prize-giving results to follow