College's girls and boys seek double joy

FIREPOWER: Joseph Robertson (left) and Lucien Burt on the attack for Wairarapa College during the Rankin Cup final. PHOTO/SUZANNE OLIVER

WAIRARAPA College have the chance to claim an elusive double when the finals of the Wellington secondary schools premier division hockey competitions are played tomorrow night.

They will confront Wellington College in the boys final at the National Hockey Stadium, starting at 6.35pm, while the opening whistle will sound 20 minutes earlier in the girls final at Clareville where Wairarapa College will be up against arch rivals St Matthew's Collegiate.

Should Wairarapa College triumph in both finals they will gain at least a measure of compensation for what occurred at their national tournaments this month.

Then their girls team won the Federation Cup in Dunedin and the boys came close to taking away the Rankin Cup in Palmerston North, losing to Hamilton Boys in a shoot-out after the two sides were level at 2-2 at the end of ordinary time.

The last occasion the Wairarapa College boys team won the Wellington title was in 2008 but they have been serious contenders in most of the intervening years, having been the beaten finalists in three of the past four years, two of those losses coming on strokes.

Coached by Lance Hare they have had the "wood" on Wellington College so far this season, winning their first premier division clash 4-3 and defeating them by a more comfortable 3-0 in the Rankin Cup semis.

For three of the Wairarapa College side, Joseph Robertson, Bradley Annear and Hamish Finlayson, tomorrow night's game will take on extra importance. They have all been members of the first XI for something like five years and this will be their last appearance in college colours.

National age group representative Robertson, who also plays for Victoria University in the Capital premier men's competition, is sure to be seen by Wellington College as their main threat in the goal-scoring department even though coach Hare could follow what has been a usual practice this year and have him in midfield rather than up front.

Failure to nullify the influence Robertson has on the game and Wellington College will find themselves in big trouble on the scoreboard.

Finlayson, another to attract the attention of the national age group selectors, and Annear can also be expected to use their experience to telling effect while the crucial centre half role will be filled by the skilful Gus Wakeling.

Look too for a big effort from Morgan Taylor, named the team's most valuable player at the Rankin tourney.

Talented as Wairarapa College are, however, Wellington College will be no easy nut to crack.

Their skipper Daniel Harris is a national age group rep and they have plenty of experience with six of the side about to play their last game for the school.

They were placed fourth at the Rankin with their coach Manoj Parbhu labelling the 3-0 loss to Wairarapa College as their worst game of the year.

Having Wairarapa College and St Matthew's Collegiate play off in the Wellington girls final is nothing new.

Indeed it has become the norm, and invariably there is little between the two sides. This should be the case again.

Their Federation Cup success might have tilted favouritism to Wairarapa College but only slightly as St Matthew's Collegiate were third in that same tourney and have already tasted victory against Wairarapa College this season.

Even a cursory look at stats will tell you that when it comes to the Wellington competition it is St Matthew's who have the better record of the two schools in recent years.

It is not, however, only the Wellington title which will be at stake at Clareville tomorrow night.

The Dunce Cup, which marks supremacy among Wairarapa secondary schools, will also be on the line in what has the makings of a real cracker of a game.