YMP now team to beat

AT A STRETCH: Lytton Old Boys Masters’ Matt Skuse (at the back) and Toby Lardelli of YMP B contest possession in Gisborne men’s hockey on the LJ Hooker Turf at Harry Barker Reserve at the weekend. The match ended 2-2.Picture by Paul Rickard

HOCHEY

YMP A are now the team to beat in senior men’s hockey after they defeated previous high-flyers THC 5-2 at the weekend.

THC went into the match as favourites, but the result gives the defending men’s champions plenty to ponder.

The men’s championship race is now wide open.

Josh Cousins and Gareth Knox scored two goals each in a comprehensive YMP performance.

Other highlights included two results in the women’s competition — GMC Green’s 10-2 demolition of JNL Paikea and the 7-0 win to YMP A against Amber Dental Gisborne Girls’ High School.

Those scorelines show the Green Machine and YMP A have a comfortable edge over the other teams in the top half of the women’s competition.

The scores show the top two are performing up to expectations, and suggest they are in a class of their own.

Te Aowera were unable to repeat their previous-round victory over GMC Gold, but the 1-1 draw would still have given them plenty to smile about.

The draw was a good result for TA, who faced a Gold side determined to make up for the loss the last time they ran out together.

LOB Masters would likewise have left the turf pretty satisfied after they drew 2-2 with YMP B.

The Masters were 2-1 up with five minutes to go, but YMP B equalised in the dying stages of the match.

Lytton Old Boys A beat Gisborne Boys’ High School 3-0, but certainly knew they had been in a match. The students made them work hard for it.

GMC Kowhai beat YMP B 2-0 to remain unbeaten in the bottom-four division of the women’s competition.

Kowhai have stamped their authority on the second half of the women’s division, and it will take a big effort by one of the other teams to unseat them.

Detailed results — Senior men: LOB Masters 2 (Sam Hain, Matt Skuse) YMP B 2 (Lyle Taylor, Jack Parker); LOB A 3 (Jayden McKay 2, George Searle) GBHS 0; YMP A 5 (Josh Cousins 2, Gareth Knox 2, Jereme Taylor 1) THC 1 (Chris Fox).

Senior women: GMC Kowhai 2 (Nicole Brown, Juliarna Mitchell) YMP B 0; Te Aowera 1 (Edwina Hema) GMC Gold 1 (Sharon Bramwell); YMP A 7 (Nancy-Rae Tarawa 5, Skylah Pohatu 2) Amber Dental GGHS 0; GMC Green 10 (Jade Stafford 5, Shannon Williams 3, Anita Howard, Anahera Whaanga-Smith) JNL Paikea 2 (Joanne McLean, Laura Matthew).

The men’s competition has now split into top-three and bottom-four competitions.

THC, YMP A and LOB A will fight out the top three, and the other teams will contest the B Division.