Form suggests comfortable wins for big guns in Poverty Bay club hockey

Defending women's champions GMC Green have two rounds and playoffs to negotiate successfully before they can celebrate like this again. They went through round 1 of the 2025 Poverty Bay club competition unbeaten and start round 2 against clubmates GMC Kowhai on Saturday. Photo / Paul Rickard

GMC Green, Paikea, YMP A and LOB Traktion look set to start the second round of Poverty Bay club hockey competition in victorious fashion on Saturday.

If everything goes to form, all four should emerge winners from their encounters on the Hain Farming Turf at Harry Barker Reserve.

GMC’s Green Machine go at it with GMC Kowhai in the 12.30pm match-up.

This battle of clubmates should be fairly one-sided, with defending champions Green settled and in good form after going through round 1 with a perfect record.

“The points start again now for rounds 2 and 3, so that means a level playing field for all teams this weekend,” Poverty Bay Hockey operations manager Louise Teneti said.

“You would want your ‘A’ team to beat your ‘B’ team in that match, but Kowhai will make their clubmates work for it – that’s for sure.”

Gisborne Girls’ High School First XI face Lytton Paikea Sports Club’s Emerre and Hathaway Insurance Paikea at 2pm.

On round 1 results, it is hard to go past Paikea.

“Girls’ High have moved on a bit in their development after round 1 and hopefully now they can deliver some nice hockey,” Teneti said.

“Paikea need to put their goal-scoring chances in the net.”

The men take the turf after that, starting with Waituhi against Laidlaw YMP A at 3.30pm.

In seasons gone by, predicting this one would be a little tough.

Not so far in 2025.

Reigning champs YMP trounced Waituhi 10-2 en route to topping the round 1 standings and will be determined to keep their slate clean.

“Waituhi are a hard team,” Teneti said. “They will go right to the end and if they can manage to hold YMP’s main goalscorers, they might have a chance.

“YMP, on the other hand, will be determined to start the second round with a win. They look top of the pops at this stage.”

Waituhi were outplayed 7-0 by Gisborne Boys’ High First XI last weekend and will have to lift their game to provide a challenge.

The final match of the day is a derby between LPSC Traktion and LPSC Resene Masters at 5pm.

Traktion will be hungry to harvest the points and pile on more goals than the six they scored when the sides met in round 1, so the Masters could be on the receiving end.

“Masters will be out there trying to hold them at bay,” Teneti said.

Gisborne Boys’ High and PGG Wrightson Ngatapa women have byes.