Old Girls stick six past Maungakaramea

Chilltech Old Girls put in their best performance this season against a flat Maungakaramea side, establishing their dominance in Northland Hockey's Premier Women's division.
Old Girls dominated a depleted Maungakaramea unit, who were missing Black Sticks Anna Thorpe and Ella Gunson, along with Jane Thompson, from start to finish.
While it took some time for Old Girls to score during Saturday's match, they were hard to stop once they started. Melissa Simpson scored the first goal, 15 minutes before half time.
Old Girls kept the pressure on Maungakaramea for the rest of the first half, which led to a second goal from Black Stick Laura Douglas, who dribbled around the goalie to slot the ball home. Jess McAlister extended her team's first half lead to 3-0, capitalising on an empty Maungakaramea goal area.
Last year's champions continued their onslaught in the second half, with Julie Crumb, Nicola Kelly and Rana Vette adding their contribution to the 6-0 victory, which coach Alan Lints rated as their best yet in the 2011 club competition.
"We played with emphasis on passing and an emphasis on goal scoring, it was critical we worked off the ball and we did that. We worked tirelessly for each other. It was a complete team performance," he said.
He also commended Old Girls' striker Caitlin Gravatt for her attacking game, as well as left half Georgia Miller, who supported her well.
The win put Old Girls ahead of Maungakaramea on the table, but still a point below an ever-improving Gilmore Brown Springfield, who defeated Kamo High School 7-0.
Black Stick Alana Millington scored two goals, as did Jade McLeod and Jodie Nicol, while Jacinda McLeod, who has returned home to Northland to spend her university summer break here, has just finished her second year studying and playing hockey at Boston University in the United States and will trial for the Northland National Hockey League team, as she is not due back at university until after the tournament finishes in mid-August.
Meanwhile, Hikurangi and Whangarei Girls High School, were both on three points on the table heading into Saturday's round five match, and their 1-1 draw prevented any movement on the table. Girls High's Arnica Palmer scored the first goal before Hikurangi's Courtney Phillips equalised in the first half.
They lie tied for fourth with four points each, while Kamo High School props up the ladder.
In the Northland premier men's competition, it was a close tussle between table leaders Bream Bay United and Dempster and Hill Electrical Maungakaramea, who were tied for second with Mangapai heading into the round five match.
Bream Bay's Mike Scott got the first half scoring under way before Maungakaramea's Graeme Bint equalised off a penalty corner lay-off. Maungakaramea dominated the first half, and had several scoring opportunities which they could not capitalise on, nor infiltrate Bream Bay's composed defence, with goalie James Bailey doing a solid job in goal. In the second half, Scott put another goal away to put Bream Bay in front again, to which Sam Webb replied with a successful conversion. But Bream Bay fought back, and Dayne Williams delivered the winning goal with 10 minutes to go.
Bream Bay stay on top of the table with their 3-2 victory, while Maungakaramea slip into third place behind Mangapai, who had a comfortable win over the fourth placed Springfield.
The Black Sticks Development team, containing Northland's Anna Thorpe, Kelsey Dunn, Laura Douglas, Carli Michelsen, Jan Burrows and Jasmin McQuinn left for Japan yesterday to play four games against Japan in Gifu, later this week.
Black Stick and Northland midfielder Ella Gunson was also meant to travel and play, for extra game time but she has a bruised ankle, and has been instructed to rest it ahead of the Champions Trophy's squad's trip to Europe for practice matches against Germany, China and Holland.
The Black Sticks will then have a short time before the week-long Champions Trophy starts on June 25, in Amsterdam.