Match ends in scoreless draw

Competition leaders Chilltech Old Girls were held to a scoreless draw by second-placed Gilmore Brown Springfield in the only women's premier grade hockey game to be played over the weekend.
The result was a victory of sorts for Elley Miller and her mother Mandy, who played in the Old Girls defence against Elley's sister Georgia, who was an attacker for Springfield. The mother and daughter pairing earned family bragging rights at the dinner table by keeping Springfield scoreless.
Old Girls coach Alan Lints said Elley Miller, a member of the New Zealand Youth squad who will play in the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in August, was his best defender.
The result almost assures Springfield of taking top position for the playoffs, putting them 10 points clear  on the ladder, with four games remaining in the round robin competition.
 Lints said despite the final score, neither side employed overly defensive tactics.
"It was really a good contest, it wasn't a mad scramble, both teams tried to play good tactical hockey and there were opportunities to win it right until the end which kept the crowd involved - it certainly wasn't a dour spectacle.
"It's the first nil-all draw we've had this year and it was an odd result because both teams just went for it. They both were aggressive and attacking and wanted to win but it was a matter of both goalies doing what they had to do," he said.
Springfield coach Angeline Waetford  is hopeful of retaining second place in the competition in the run-in to the playoffs.
They are now five points clear of third-placed Maungakaramea, who have a game in hand after not playing over the weekend.
"The team's going all right and if you finish in the top two in this competition you certainly give yourself an extra chance of making the semifinal at least - so that's where we want to be at the end of the competition," she said.
Waetford said Aleyse Emiraldi and Leah Dunn were the pick of her defenders in Saturday's game.
The men's competition has entered its Super-eight stage for the school holiday period with Maungakaramea defeating Springfield 15-3 and Bream Bay drawing with Maungapai 15-15 in a tight match.
Field goals are worth three goals in the competition to encourage attacking play, with penalty corners worth a single goal.