Gisborne Girls’ High chasing first win in Poverty Bay club hockey

GMC Kowhai's Kim Koia (left) and Jo Sim contest possession with Gisborne Girls' High First XI's Leah Tupara in a Poverty Bay women's club hockey game last season. Girls' High will be hunting their first win of the 2025 season on Saturday, while GMC Kowhai will be out to give top-of-the-table GMC Green a workout. Photo / Paul Rickard

The Poverty Bay club hockey spotlight shines on Gisborne Girls’ High and Paikea in a potentially close match-up on the Hain Farming Turf at Harry Barker Reserve.

If they are on top of their game, the students could potentially snare their first win of the season.

Lytton Paikea Sports Club (LPSC) Emerre and Hathaway Insurance Paikea beat them by three goals the last time the two sides met in mid-June, but Girls’ High showed they were on the improve.

Paikea go into the 12.30pm contest in third place on six points, while the students are at the bottom of the round-2 table on zero points.

Earning their first points of the round will be motivation for them.

“The students are still chasing their first victory of the season and if they can turn up on Saturday, I think they can do it,” Poverty Bay Hockey chairman Kohere Tupara said.

“But Paikea look strong and will want to bounce back from their loss to the Green Machine (6-0 to GMC Green last weekend). I expect a close game.”

It will be clubmate against clubmate at 2pm when GMC’s two teams line up on the turf.

Reigning champions GMC Green will no doubt continue to fine-tune their lethal attack and that will severely test GMC Kowhai’s defence.

“This will be a game played in good spirits between clubmates,” Tupara said.

“The Green Machine will be too strong, but Kowhai have proved they have strong enough defence to make teams work for every goal.”

LPSC LOB Traktion and LPSC Resene Masters meet in the first of the men’s games at 3.30pm.

Traktion have had a week off to dwell on their 8-1 loss to Boys’ High and will be looking to come out firing. The Masters could be on the receiving end of a backlash.

“This should be a game that Traktion take out, but the Masters have proved they are no easybeats,” Tupara said. “They will make a game of it.

“I am sure they will enjoy another clubmate-versus-clubmate game for the last time this season.”

Top-of-the-table Laidlaw YMP A’s match against Waituhi at 5pm could be interesting.

It was 7-2 to YMP last time, but Waituhi showed improvement in that match from their first-round encounter (10-2 to YMP) and will want to continue that.

They carry four points over from round 2, while unbeaten YMP A are sitting pretty on top of the table on 12.

“YMP will want to start the final round with a strong win as they head towards finals hockey,” Tupara said.

“Waituhi made Boys’ High work for their (5-1) win last weekend and I think they will do the same to YMP tomorrow.”

Boys’ High First XI have the bye, but have a huge week ahead of them as they head to Palmerston North on Sunday for the Super 8 secondary school competition.