YMP, Gisborne Boys’ High First XI to contest Poverty Bay men’s club hockey final

Waituhi's Matthew Pepere-Le Bas hassles YMP A's Hamish Swann in their Poverty Bay club hockey semifinal on the turf at Harry Barker Reserve on Saturday. YMP won 9-0 and face Gisborne Boys' High First XI in the grand final this weekend. Photo / Tony Scragg

Gisborne Boys’ High School First XI are into the grand final of the Poverty Bay men’s club hockey competition for the first time in 14 years after a nail-biting shootout semifinal win over Lytton Paikea Sports Club Traktion at Harry Barker Reserve on Friday night.

The students will face defending champions YMP A in Saturday’s title decider after they eased to a 9-0 whitewash of Waituhi in their semi.

In a high-stakes clash, Traktion were unable to convert chances late in the game, while Gisborne Boys’ High could not score from a multitude of penalty corners throughout and missed a penalty stroke.

The Friday night game on the Hain Farming Turf was a tense affair from the outset, with both sides desperate for a win to secure their place in the final.

Boys’ High had the chance of an early strike when awarded a penalty stroke only for usually deadly goalscorer Ollie Egan to miss his attempt.

Traktion demonstrated plenty of defensive resilience as they weathered a storm of penalty corners from the school side.

Despite enjoying more sustained periods of possession as the clock ticked down, Traktion could not find a breakthrough, sending the match into a nerve-wracking shootout for players and spectators alike.

Up stepped Boys’ High’s South African goalkeeper Francois Louw, who had made some brilliant saves during the game and was the hero of the shootout as Traktion scored from their first attempt but were denied in the next four.

Harry Hayward and Egan netted for Boys’ High and that was good enough for victory, much to the delight of coach Wade Manson, supporters and a group of YMP A players cheering them on from the carpark.

That YMP crew were back at the turf the next day where they maintained their unbeaten record for the season with a comprehensive victory over Waituhi.

However, the scoreline belies what was a much closer contest in the first half, with YMP holding a narrow 2-0 lead at the break.

A turning point came when a yellow card was issued to the Waituhi goalkeeper, opening the floodgates for YMP to pile on the goals.

Despite the convincing win, YMP know they face a sterner test this weekend against a Boys’ High side eager for glory before they head to their winter tournament in Wellington.

It was a memorable weekend of hockey for schools as Gisborne Girls’ High First XI continued their impressive development with a hard-fought 2-all draw with unbeaten YMP A in the last games of the women’s points competition.

The result is testament to the students’ growth and commitment throughout the season, building on their strong win over Paikea last week.

Girls’ High coach Henry Mulligan would have had a smile a mile wide while YMP no doubt welcomed the stern defensive test as they prepare for a grand final showdown this weekend against arch-rivals Gisborne Denture Clinic GMC Green.

Defending champions GMC continued their strong form with a 7-1 victory over LPSC Emerre and Hathaway Paikea.

The Green Machine dominated from start to finish although Paikea’s goal denied them a perfect performance.

Paikea will be looking to bounce back with a closer contest against PGG Wrightson Ngātapa this weekend, while GMC Green will be out to elevate the intensity for what is shaping up to be a titanic title tussle with YMP.

Ngātapa returned to winning ways with a convincing 6-0 victory over GMC Kowhai.

Both teams started slowly but once the deadlock broke, goals flowed.

Kowhai’s defence dug deep in the second half to prevent an embarrassing scoreline.