Whanganui's White Lightning are back-to-back U14 national rink hockey champions

Back-to-back under-14 national rink hockey champions Wanganui Lightning (from back left): Mika Groves, Siobhan Pitkethley, Charlie Teager, Michaela Ross, Henry White,(front) William Newell and Isabel Ross.

For the second consecutive year, the Whanganui under-14 rink hockey team has brought home gold after winning their division at the 2020 Rink Hockey Nationals in New Plymouth at the weekend.

The team, Wanganui Lightning, went through the tournament undefeated.

"All the children have trained very hard throughout the year in anticipation of defending their title at the nationals," under-14 manager Andrea Ross said.

"To successfully achieve back-to-back titles is a testament to the commitment and perseverance the children have given to their chosen sport, none of which would have been possible without the unwavering dedication of their stalwart coach, David Dench, along with assistant coach Dean Fitness."

The final was against Taranaki who played a strong competitive game. It was a fast-paced 30 minutes, with both teams giving their all, Ross said.

Wanganui Lightning won convincingly, 15 goals to Taranaki's 2.

Wanganui also entered a second under-14s team, the Wanganui Raptors, who finished fourth.

"We are extremely proud of their tenacity throughout the tournament, never giving up and playing hard right to the final whistle. This was the first national tournament these children have played in, not to mention the majority of the team only started playing rink hockey this year.

"We as a club certainly look forward to watching these young players develop further over the coming year and we certainly look forward to seeing what the 2021 nationals will bring.

"It is great to see the potential future of Wanganui rink hockey, with the children doing so well at such a young age.

"For anyone interested in learning the game of rink hockey, you don't need to know how to skate as we will teach you," Ross said.