Two Wairarapa families had divided loyalties when the national men's and women's hockey leagues got under way over the weekend but, for a third, it was a case of being 100 per cent behind the one side.
The first-round fixtures between Capital and Central at the National Hockey Stadium on Saturday saw bragging rights squarely on the line for the Andersons and the Van Woerkoms.
In the Capital women's team was Jenna Anderson and wearing the Central colours was her twin sister Kristy. They are daughters of Masterton couple Graeme "Bunter" and Mary Anderson.
Playing for the Capital men's line-up was Benedict van Woerkom and opposing him for Central was brother Daniel. They are sons of Mike and Carol van Woerkom of Greytown.
For Carterton sporting identities Bernie and Karen Lett, the choice of who to support was not so difficult. Their two sons, Dane and Trent, were part of the Capital men's squad.
Both games were closely contested but, on each occasion, it was Capital who took the honours; the men by 4-2 and the women by 3-2. Another former Wairarapa player in Tara Hall scored two of the Capital goals in the women's fixture.
Second round matches in the national league were played on Sunday with the Capital women having a battle royal against Southern in Dunedin. They were all locked up at 1-1 at the end of regulation time and Capital finally grabbed the win in a penalty shoot-out, 3-2. The Central women's team went down 3-0 to Canterbury in Levin.
The Capital and Southern men's teams also played in Dunedin and that too was a thriller, with Southern winning 4-3.
Rounds three to seven of the national league plus the semifinals and final will all be played at Lloyd Elsmore Stadium in Auckland from August 25 to September 2.
