Dalefield the giant killers once again

Dalefield may not be the most consistent team in the Wellington premier division men's hockey competition but they can be the most lethal.
Competition leaders Indians would certainly testify to that statement after being on the end of a 4-2 beating by Dalefield in Wellington on Saturday.
It was the second time in four games this season that the powerful Indians combination have tasted defeat at the hands of Dalefield despite the latter being at the opposite end of the points table.
And what made this latest victory even more notable was the fact Dalefield were without as many as five of their regular first string players,
Dalefield coach Laurie Juno said the win was a classic illustration of Dalefield's ability to play their best hockey when they had their backs to the ball.
"We had only had the bare 11 players and I wouldn't think anybody gave us any real show of winning," he said. " But we went out there determined to give it everything we had and they couldn't handle the pressure, it was as simple as that."
Dalefield's defensive work has been sound through most of the season but they have often lacked accuracy in their attack.
Not on this occasion, however, with all four of their goals coming from field play.
"Our attack really got going in this game," Juno said. "We created chances and we took them, that was the important thing."
Goal scorers for Dalefield were Mark Scully, Toby White, Andy Ewington and Jesse Workman.
Coach Juno was loathe to single out any of his players for special mention., describing the win as a "true team effort"
The Dalefield women's team also played Indians in a Wellington premier division match in Wellington on Saturday, winning 4-1.
But despite his team collecting maximum points Dalefield coach Andy Wilson was not overly enthused by their effort.
"It wasn't anything to write home about," Wilson said of the game. "We got the win and a bonus point but it was pretty ordinary stuff."
Wilson conceded some "interesting" refereeing decisions did make life diufficult for the two teams, but he said Dalefield lacked any spark in their play and struggled to gain ascendancy over their opponents.
"Quite honestly it was a game to forget," he said. "We battled to get any flow into our game and made hard work of it."
Rachel Dent scored two of the Dalefield goals with others going to Elizabeth Perry and Ana Playle.