Poverty Bay club teams set for tight tussles on the turf

Waituhi's Tegan Brown (left) and YMP A's Matty Waikari in a Poverty Bay men's club hockey game on the turf at Harry Barker Reserve. Waituhi face LPSC Traktion tomorrow while YMP take on Gisborne Boys' High tonight. Photo / Paul Rickard

Fans are spoilt for choice when it comes to thrilling Poverty Bay club hockey action this weekend.

Tonight’s top-four men’s clash between Gisborne Boys’ High School First XI and defending men’s champions YMP A could be a cracker.

Games between LPSC Emerre and Hathaway Insurance Paikea and Gisborne Girls’ High First XI, LPSC Resene Masters and YMP B, and LPSC Traktion and Waituhi will pour fuel on the competitive fire over the weekend.

The ball gets rolling at 6pm tonight when leading women’s side YMP A take on GMC Kowhai on the Hain Farming Turf at Harry Barker Reserve.

“YMP A will be looking to bounce back from their nil-all draw with GMC Green in their catch-up game on Monday night,” hockey commentator Tony Scragg said.

“They should be able to do that comfortably against Kowhai tonight.”

The shared honours were the first points YMP A women have dropped all season.

Boys’ High front up against YMP A tonight in what has the potential to be another close one.

“It’s going to be a massive test for the students after five games of Super 8 secondary school hockey in Rotorua this week,” Scragg said.

“They were able to put YMP A under a lot of pressure when they last played each other, and YMP had to work hard for the 6-4 result.

“I would expect the same sort of fight from the students tonight.”

Saturday’s programme starts at 12.30pm with GMC Green facing PGG Wrightson Ngātapa.

“The draw the other night against YMP A shows the Green Machine are definitely in the title reckoning when it comes to the end of the season,” Scragg said.

“Ngātapa can make a game of it, but they will have to be very good to be a threat to GMC.”

Paikea take on Girls’ High at 2pm.

“Paikea should be too good for the students and should maintain third spot on the table.”

The 3.30pm game sees the Masters continue their series of bottom-two men’s contests against YMP B.

“What a saga this series has turned out to be. YMP have won two and the Masters just the one, so now is the time to square the ledger,” Scragg said.

The Saturday finale features Traktion against Waituhi men at 5pm.

“A top-two finish is on the line for Traktion, so they will want to secure maximum points.”

Boys’ High and Traktion will return to the turf on Sunday (3pm) for a game postponed from last Friday - meaning the students will have played games on five days of the week.