It may not have been quite the result of which everyone dreamed, but a young Hawke's Bay futsal squad handled itself more than capably in getting one win and featuring a startling but unsuccessful comeback during it national league Northern Travel Series in the Pettigrew Green Arena in Taradale during the weekend.
The mainly teenage Bay squad were 4-0 down against Northern on Saturday, in the second of their four games, but struck back to make it 4-all before conceding two late goals.
It was a different story as the sides met again late yesterday morning, Hawke's Bay beating Northern 4-3, the second win in the series after a win and a loss against Waikato Bay of Plenty a fortnight earlier.
Coach Mark Cozens said that, in the fastest growing sport in New Zealand, Hawke's Bay fields one of the youngest sides, traditionally using older teenagers and young adults to the university centres in a continual cycle of rebuilding.
It's highlighted by the variation from competition rules, which state each of the 14-player squads must have at least three under 19 players.