‘Green Machine’ level playing field

FLYING: Dannell Tuhou, of YMP A, tries to stop the progress of GMC Green’s airborne Kelsey Teneti (right) in a senior women’s hockey match at the Harry Barker Reserve turf on Saturday. GMC Green won the match 1-0. Picture by Paul Rickard

GMC Green inflicted the first defeat of the season on defending champions YMP A in senior women’s hockey on Saturday.

The “Green Machine” scored the only goal of the match.

Hockey commentator Tony Scragg said the result was healthy for the competition.

“YMP have dominated for the past two seasons and now GMC have levelled the playing field.”

Winning coach Louise Teneti said her team always felt they could compete with YMP A.

“We just had to make sure the girls were in the right head space.”

Caitlin Candy scored the winning goal from a penalty stroke drag-flick in the first half.

“YMP applied a lot of pressure, in the last quarter particularly . . . we always knew they would,” Teneti said.

“But our defensive unit was pretty tight. They had a job to do and they did it.”

YMP team manager Pare Tureia offered no excuses.

“It was a really good game. GMC deserved it; well done to them.

“We had a couple of key players out and I thought our young players did really well. They stepped up to cover those gaps.”

In other results, Amber Dental Gisborne Girls’ High were too good for Ben Holden Fencing Ngatapa.

“That 5-2 win for the students shows their persistence as a team is starting to show through — they’ve now had back-to-back wins,” Scragg said.

Gisborne Boys’ High School beat Lytton Old Boys NZ Fruits 4-1.

“Boys’ High coach Hanoa Morete could not have asked for more in terms of a confidence booster for his side,” Scragg said.

“Boys’ High played really well in the second half, when the Fruits put them under quite a bit of pressure.”

Scragg said the other match that stood out was the 3-0 win by GMC Gold against Te Aowera.

“It was a higher score than I expected and it puts the Gold team ahead of the likes of YMP B in the lower echelon of the women’s grade.”

Results — Women: GMC Green 1 (Caitlin Candy) YMP A 0; Amber Dental Gisborne Girls’ High School 5 (Kobe Torrie, Sophie Petro, Tiari-Awhina Pepere, Heni Thompson, Jayhawks Egan) Ben Holden Ngatapa 2 (Briar Hunter, Emily Willock); GMC Gold 3 (Tanya Forster, Kirsty Gaddum, Jonette Rudge) Roseland Tavern Te Aowera 0; JNL Paikea 7 (Amber Church 2, Joanne Cumming 2, Joanne McLean, Kate Muir, Jessie Duncan) GMC Kowhai 3 (Anita Howard 2, Brooke Brown).

YMP B had a bye.

Men: Gisborne Boys’ High School 4 (Aiden Scragg, Oliver Cranefield, Harry Allen, Eric Taylor) Lytton Old Boys NZ Fruits 1 (George Searle); YMP A 13 (Tony Carpendale 4, Jarrod Carter 4, Jeremy Taylor 3, Kohere Tupara, Andy Church) YMP B 4 (Jason Akuhata-Brown 4).

LOB Masters defaulted to THC.