Hockey: Hopping shows his class with late, title-winning strike

North Harbour celebrated a fourth men's championship - for the Challenge Shield - and Central the K Cup for a second women's title after two gripping National League finals at Porritt Park yesterday.

Both winning teams had to come from behind to tie their matches 3-3 in the dying stages of ordinary time before going on to win 4-3 with penalty corners in extra time.

Wellington took an early lead in the men's final when Stephen Jenness capitalised on some poor Harbour defensive play but North Harbour hit back to equalise in the 18th minute with a well-taken opportunist goal from Nick Wilson.

Harbour then fell 1-3 behind as Gareth Brooks instigated and then finished a superb second goal for the Wellington team he co-coaches and Matt L'Hullier ripped a trademark drag flick into the top of the goal for a handy two-goal lead with 23 minutes to play.

They held that advantage until the 63rd minute when Blair Hopping dragged out a penalty corner and was on hand to provide the final touch from a well-worked variation.

Five minutes later it was tied up when Joseph Bartholomew played in a superb ball which David Green managed to deflect from close range to beat impressive Wellington goalkeeper Kyle Pontifex. Wellington were made to pay for going a man down when Sam Miskimmin was yellow-carded with 13 minutes to play. In the 10 minutes he was cooling off, North Harbour scored twice to snatch a chance in extra time.

Five minutes into the first period of six minutes, they forced a penalty corner. Green had the initial shot and Hopping - later named as the tournament MVP - was on hand to provide the finish after they had come up empty from their first six such attempts.

It was a solid finish to the tournament for the star-studded Harbour side who started slowly but eventually came to grips with the game plan devised by new coach Greg Fritelli to regain the title they won two years ago.

Central ended a five-year wait for their second title but needed extra time and two late penalty corner strikes from the irrepressible Kayla Sharland to do it.

Former international Piki Hamahoma gave Central the start they wanted with a well-taken field goal after six minutes. Play then swung back and forth but without producing any further scoring in the first half.

Midlands wasted little time in storming back to draw level and then surge 2-1 ahead - both goals from Clarissa Eshuis penalty corners as she took her tournament tally to seven. She was later named player of the tournament.

Sharland, from open play, got Central back to 2-2 with 19 minutes to play. That joy short-lived however as Midlands, who had lost 2-1 to Central in round-robin play 24 hours earlier, retook the lead within two minutes when Gemma Flynn scored her eighth goal of the week.

Played continued to see-saw back and forth but with Midlands holding the lead as dreams of a first title lived on. That dream turned to nightmare with seconds remaining when they conceded a penalty corner.

Sharland wasted no time in converting to send the game into extra time ...

The first period failed to produce a golden goal winner but two minutes into the second, with teams further reduced to seven players a side, Central won a penalty corner which Sharland smashed home to claim her eighth of the tournament and a share of the top goalscoring award.

Simon Child (Auckland) and Hugo Inglis (Midlands) were the leading men's scorers with nine each.