Dalefield 'too much' for Hutt

Dalefield signalled their intentions of being a force to be reckoned with in this season's Wellington premier men's hockey competition with a stunning 5-2 win over Hutt at Clareville on Saturday.
It was the manner of victory more than the final scoreline which impressed most about the Dalefield performance.
Up against a Hutt side renowned for their attacking capabilities Dalefield were intent on shutting them down through sticking to a game plan based on maintaining a structured approach, both on attack and defence.
And while there were occasions - particularly in the first half - when Hutt's penchant for the long pass did see them troubling Dalefield's defensive line they were generally well contained.
Dalefield went to the halftime break with a 2-1 advantage, a lead which was a fair enough reflection of the merits of the two sides over that period of play. The home team had a slight edge in both territory and possession and always looked the more likely to turn their scoring chances into goals.
The second spell started well for Dalefield and two more goals gave them a handy 4-1 lead but memories of their 5-3 defeat at the hands of University the week before when they conceded a flurry of goals in the closing stages meant nothing could be taken for granted.
However, there were to be no repeats of that situation for while Hutt did make a token comeback to reduce the leeway to 2-4 it was Dalefield who finished the stronger of the two teams, adding another goal to their tally and thoroughly deserving their three-goal winning margin.
Outstanding for Dalefield was Wellington national league player Dane Lett, who was a huge factor in them having the better of the vital midfield battle. He was an astute and accurate distributor of ball on attack and a tenacious defender, often intercepting Hutt passes through his clever reading of play.
Also getting through a mountain of work on defence was player-coach Willie Schaefer, whose ability to be in the right place at the right time was always apparent while Greg Mason's commitment on the tackle could never be questioned, and Jackson Kibblewhite never wavered under pressure.
There was plenty of sting too in the Dalefield attack with newcomer Todd Gould often posing big problems for the Hutt defence through his ability to make room for himself in a confined space.
His ball control and stick work was very impressive. Jesse Workman was also at his elusive best and youngster Hugh Taylor seldom failed to make valuable ground whenever possession came his way.