Students show grit

ON GUARD: Gisborne Girls’ High’s Tiari Pepere wields her hockey stick like a sword in a duel with GMC Green’s Simone Grogan. The students put up an admirable fight against the Poverty Bay women’s competition heavyweights before going down 4-2. Picture by Paul Rickard

FIGHTING performances by the high school teams and a win at last for Lytton Old Boys NZ Fruits highlighted club hockey on the LJ Hooker Turf at Harry Barker Reserve.

GMC Green were pushed hard by Amber Dental Gisborne Girls’ High in the women’s competition — GMC’s 4-2 win indicative of how the students fought.

“I think it’s great for the competition that the students were able to compete so well with the Green Machine,” said hockey commentator Tony Scragg.

“But that’s what GMC want — tough matches like that week in, week out.

“It will make for an interesting new round, which starts this week,” Scragg said.

The loss ended Girls’ High’s unbeaten run of four games.

A winning streak by Gisborne Boys’ High School was also ended — 5-2 by THC.

But like Girls’ High, the boys made their opponents work for it.

A Jack Willock double had Boys’ High ahead 2-1 at halftime, “a fine effort against a team of THC’s calibre”, said Scragg.

“The fact they were behind seemed to kick THC into gear and their second half performance was much more convincing,” Scragg said.

“Kudos to Boys’ High, though, for the way they played.”

Tamanay Tuhou and Hylam Tukariri scored doubles for THC.

LOB NZ Fruits had something to celebrate when they knocked off YMP 2-1 to break their season duck in a bottom-of-the-table clash.

“It was a good game and there was always only going to be a goal or so between them, and that’s how it turned out.”

George Searle and young Cole Manson scored for the winners; Joshua Lardelli for YMP.

“It’s onwards and upwards now for the LOB NZ Fruits . . . maybe.”

YMP overpowered understrength LOB Masters 16-2 but the Masters were rapt to score twice — both goals to David Preddey — against the leading men’s team.

For YMP, Tony Carpendale topscored with four goals. Dylan Lardelli and Jereme Taylor picked up hat-tricks.

“It was an eight-man Masters team against 11 YMP players, so it was always going to be tough,” Scragg said. “But the Masters will take their two goals.”

JNL Paikea went on a scoring spree against Roseland Tavern Te Aowera in the women’s competition.

They produced18 unanswered goals, including five apiece to Jo Cumming and Jessie Duncan, four to Joanne McLean and two to Amber Church.

“TA played with only eight players and were always going to struggle with a number like that.

“It was a great way for Paikea to finish the round.”

A hat-trick to Nancy Tarawa was the major difference in a fairly tight contest between YMP A and Ben Holden Fencing Ngatapa.

Top-of-the-table YMP won 5-1 but Ngatapa made a game of it, and were rewarded with a goal to Jessie McNeil.

“It was 3-1 at halftime and YMP forced a number of second-half penalty corners. But the Ngatapa defence held them out on most occasions.”

GMC Kowhai accounted for YMP B 2-0 in a close encounter decided by goals to Marlene Nikora and Shelley Waide.

“That result left Kohwai at the top of the bottom-four teams in the women’s competition, so it was a good end to the round for them,” said Scragg.

“They will go into the next round with confidence.”