Wairarapa placed a creditable ninth equal out of 16 teams at the national under-18 men's hockey tournament played in Napier earlier this month, thereby retaining their place in the premier section for next season.
With teams the strength of Waikato and Canterbury in their pool the threat of relegation was always likely to hang over Wairarapa but they responded positively to the challenge and, in the end, that prospect was comfortably avoided.
MATCH DETAILS:-
Waikato 7, Wairarapa 2: Wairarapa competed strongly in the first half, creating a number of scoring opportunities and trailing by just 3-2 at halftime. In the second spell too they had their chances but failed to capitalise while, on the other hand, Waikato punished some sloppy defensive work. They went on to eventually finish runners-up for the tournament title. Goal scorers for Wairarapa were Adam Birchall and Nick Finlayson.
Canterbury 7, Wairarapa 1: There were no excuses for Wairarapa here with Canterbury simply outplaying them. Bryden Henson scored the sole Wairarapa goal.
Mid-South Canterbury 2, Wairarapa 1: Wairarapa dominated possession and territory but some poor discipline, combined with some equally poor umpiring decisions, saw them lose three players to the sin bin and they were always in catch up mode. It was an improved overall effort, however, with Adam Birchall scoring their goal.
Wairarapa 4, Bay of Plenty 2: This was the first of the crossover games for Wairarapa and a must win if they were to avoid any chance of relegation. They played exceptionally well against skilful opposition and thoroughly deserved their two goal victory. Benedict van Woerkom scored a hat-trick and Aaron Oakley also netted.
Wairarapa 2, Manawatu 2 (10-9 to Wairarapa on sudden death strokes): Wairarapa turned on a solid first half effort and went to halftime with a 2-0 advantage. However, some sloppy defence enabled Manawatu to strike back in the second spell and even things up. The 2-2 draw meant a stroke off and it was again level pegging at 5-5 after regulation strokes, meaning the sudden death ruling came into play. Goalkeeper Hayden Stuart made a great save there and with Benedict van Woerkom, Trent Lett, Sean Needham, Bryden Hansen and Jono Sloan all converting their strokes Wairarapa took the honours. Goal scorers in normal time were Trent Lett and Benedict van Woerkom.
Wairarapa 1, Otago 1. This was the playoff for ninth and 10th positions and a somewhat tired Wairarapa team trailed 1-0 at halftime. However, they rallied well in the second half to draw level at 1-1, thanks to a goal by Aaron Oakley. Trent Lett was an inspirational skipper, playing the match despite battling a back injury.
The Wairarapa squad was:
Hayden Stuart, Jono Sloan, Adam Birchall (Rathkeale); Matt Crawford, Aidan Crimp (Kuranui); Dion Field, Reuben Molnar (Chanel); Trent Lett, Benedict van Woerkom, Bryden Henson, Sean Needham, Hayden Sargeant, Nick Finlayson, Aaron Oakley (Wairarapa College); Sam Hull (Dalefield).
