Jack Norman scored the opening goal in Whanganui's crucial away win over Palmerston North Boys High to set up promotion back into Premier next season.
Jack Norman scored the opening goal in Whanganui's crucial away win over Palmerston North Boys High to set up promotion back into Premier next season.
It is likely to be the last clean sweep weekend for the Whanganui teams in their Hockey Manawatu matches at the Twin Turfs on Saturday.
The Whanganui men were able to correct what they felt was a wrong done to them for 2019, as they picked up a 2-1 winover Palmerston North Boys High for their second victory over the schoolboys in Premier Group B.
"Let's put it this way, there were some very happy faces when we came off on Saturday afternoon," said senior player Calum Wilbur.
At the start of the season, despite building a playing roster with depth, Whanganui were relegated from the initial six-team Premier grade, with Manawatu officials giving PNBHS the last berth in the top tier, after the original plan for a qualifying game between the sides fell through.
Whanganui went on to win their first season trophy by sweeping all before them in Premier Reserve, while PNBHS lost all ten Premier games before the teams met in the middle four-team Group B, made up of promoted/relegated sides from both grades.
Therefore, Saturday's matchup would decide whether Whanganui (3-0-2) or PNBHS (2-0-3) would likely finish in second place on the table to make the championship final with High School Hockey Club A (4-0-1), while also receiving automatic promotion back into Premier next year.
The schoolboys had come into some form – upsetting HSHC A 2-1 and then beating College B 3-1 in their previous games – while Whanganui were missing Josh McDonnell (hamstring injury) and Matt Forward (unavailable).
However, the visitor's eventually got a brace of goals coming into the final quarter.
"Just a really good team effort, for a change," said Wilbur.
"We had probably the better of 60-65 minutes of it. Took us a while to score."
Whanganui finally broke the deadlock just before halftime, as Jack Norman forced his way into the shooting circle while the ball was ricocheting like a ping-pong between defenders.
Norman pushed them aside to claim the ball and bully it over the goal line.
Then in the third quarter, Travis Bayler got the crucial buffer goal with a slap shot, getting it in at the back post.
"They scored with five minutes to go in the game, off a short corner," said Wilbur.
"I don't think they had another shot on goal after that, but it made it a little bit nervous, with tired legs on the pitch."
HSHC A confirmed they will finish top of the table with one round remaining before the final, after an 8-1 hammering of College B.
Whanganui will now play College B in their last round robin game, having already beaten them three times this year across Premier Reserve and Group B, although Wilbur was a little uneasy as a number of players intend to be away in Wellington for the 'Beervana' festival this weekend.
Sophie Redmayne and her Whanganui team got a confidence-boosting win heading into this weekend's Hockey Manawatu Premier semifinals.
Meanwhile, the Whanganui women (3-2-7) can go into their Premier semifinal with a little confidence after a comfortable 5-2 win over the bottom-table Massey Premiers.
Whanganui defaulted their previous Premier game through lack of numbers, but were able to take a squad of 12 to Palmerston North on Saturday.
"It was a lot of fun, we just [wanted] to have a bit of fun on the field," said captain Colleen Baylis.
Taking a 3-0 lead into halftime, Whanganui conceded an early goal at the start of the third quarter, but then went goal-for-goal with the home side to maintain their comfortable buffer for the duration.
Having made a welcome return to the team in recent weeks, Haley Mallinder scored a hat trick of goals, while it was eventually confirmed that Nicky Skedgwell had also got a double.
"I had it evenly spread [in the forwards], thought Nicky scored and then Kirsty Parsons got one off a nice penalty corner," said Baylis
"Apparently, Nicky pinched it."
Lucy Tui also had a strong game at the back, cutting down Massey's attacking opportunities.
It will now be a very tough ask going into the 1st vs 4th semifinal against the undefeated College (10-2-0), but Baylis said they will just play in the moment.
"Definitely go there, and the thing on Saturday was having a bit of fun, so that's probably going to be the thing this weekend – there's nothing to lose."
