Narrow loss a boost to confidence

Clubmates clash: Lytton Old Boys Masters’ Sean Wills (left) and LOB clubmate David Levy contest possession. Picture by Rebecca Grunwell

HOCKEY

MOST score sheets showed big goal tallies for the second round of the Poverty Bay hockey competition, but the scoreline was tight in two men’s games.

Gisborne Boys’ High School started their season with a 3-0 loss to the new Waituhi team. All three goals were scored by Tamanay Tuhou.

“That result would have been a good confidence boost for Boys’ High, given the amount of experience in that Waituhi team,” hockey commentator Tony Scragg said.

“It was only 1-0 going into the last quarter.

“But it’s not a surprise to see Tamanay featuring on the score sheet yet again. For the past couple of years he has been one of the competition’s leading goalscorers.”

The two Lytton Old Boys teams in the Covid Cup men’s competition had a good go at each other. LOB NZ Fruits beat LOB Masters 3-1.

“It was a really good game of hockey,” Scragg said.

“It just goes to show Lytton Old Boys as a club have really good depth for when the competition round starts in a couple of weeks.”

The closest contest in the women’s matches was between GMC Green and Amber Dental Gisborne Girls’ High School.

The Green Machine won 5-1.

“Girls’ High have shown in the past week that they can foot it with the higher-seeded teams in that women’s grade,” Scragg said.

“The Green Machine would have used that match as a springboard into the big game against YMP this weekend.”

Ngatapa beat Te Aowera 7-0.

“The scoreline did not really reflect the game,” Scragg said.

“Ngatapa had several more opportunities to score, but TA held them out, to their credit.

“TA look like a side to keep the lower end of the women’s competition honest this year.”

Paikea were too good for the Waituhi women’s team, beating them 7-1.

“Waituhi got off to a blistering start and scored the first goal,” Scragg said.

“They had the crowd buzzing early on. But then Paikea ground them down, and won well.”

Defending women’s premiers YMP made another big statement of intent for their season’s aspirations when they defeated GMC Kowhai 14-1.

“Again we see how dominant that YMP team are,” Scragg said.

“Kowhai had GMC Green’s goalkeeper Mandy Owen in goal, and she denied the Green team a lot of goals.

“The score could have been a lot higher.

“The one goal Kowhai did score against YMP was a good one. Not many teams can do that.”

The other men’s Covid Cup match between the two YMP sides was a 17-0 win to YMP B.

GBHS 0 Waituhi 3 (Tamanay Tuhou 3); LOB NZ Fruits 3 (Aaron Whitehead, Patrick Ferry, Owen Vickers) LOB Masters 1 (Liam Melville); YMP B 17 (Heath Tupara 5, Josh Cousins 3, Michael Bond 3, Gareth Knox 3, Hamish Swann 2, David Mackey) YMP A 0.

GMC Green 5 (Caroline Maclaurin 2, Charlie Brown, Heni-Kamaia Thompson, Shannon Williams) GGHS 1 (Tiari Pepere); Ngatapa 7 (Lilly Deihl 3, Elise Levy, Katie McKibbin, Jazz Hickling, Olivia Abernethy) Te Aowera 0; GMC Kowhai 1 (Georgia Craig) YMP A 14 (Courtney Onekawa 3, Toni Halley 3, Mel Knight 3, Morgan Tuhou 2, Lucy McHugh, Maia Rickard, Cheidan Moetara); Waituhi 1 (Kim Tupara) Paikea 7 (Jo Cumming 2, Laura Matthew 2, Bronwyn O’Reilly, Taimania Clark, Lisa Gill).