Hockey girls book place in Collier Trophy final

FINAL FLING: The Bay Under-13 girls after making today's Collier Trophy final. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

If ever there was a case of "it's not how you start but how you finish" then the Hawke's Bay girls' hockey team epitomised that this week in Palmerston North.

The Graeme Findlay-coached side are in today's Collier Trophy final against Canterbury at Twin Turf Hockey Manawatu from 2.15pm in the battle for the under-13 girls' hockey supremacy in the country.

But few would have given the gallant girls a chance of getting this far because they opened their account on Monday with two draws - 1-1 against Wanganui and a scoreless affair against Otago in their pool B clashes.

Commendably, the youngsters didn't drop their shoulders, finding their mojo on Tuesday with a 3-0 win over Bay of Plenty before throwing down the gauntlet to other qualifiers the following day with a 3-1 result against Central Otago and pipping powerhouses North Harbour 1-0 in the afternoon to finish on the top of the table.

They beat Waikato 1-0 in the quarter-final on Thursday before overwhelming the hosts 3-0 in front of a vociferous crowd of 500, according to manager Rachel Cornwall.

Canterbury crushed Northland 6-0 in the other semifinal last night.

Cornwall said the amazing thing was all bar one of the 16 players did not play in last year's team, who bowed out to Auckland in a penalty shootout in Invercargill.

"They are a nuggety young team and the biggest scrappers," she said of the composite unit comprising intermediate schoolgirls from Hastings, Havelock North, Napier, Taradale and Woodford House.

-The Bay under-13 boys yesterday bowed out of their robust Hatch Cup campaign with a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Auckland in Timaru.