Dalefield aim for semi-final spot in premier men's hockey competition

Dalefield are aiming for a semi-final spot in the 2008 Wellington premier men's hockey competition.
Coach Mark Fenwick is delighted with the talent available for the season which gets under way on March 29 and is confident of a stronger showing than last year when they finished fifth in the six-team series.
"Right now I'd be disappointed if we didn't make the top four, potentially we are capable of making the semis and possibly going even further than that," he said.
Two major gains for Dalefield are forwards Jesse Workman and Rowan Yeo.
Workman, a member of one of Wairarapa's best-known hockey families, played for Central in the national league last season while Yeo is a hugely promising youngster who has transferred from one of the top Wellington-based clubs in Northern United.
Fenwick said Workman and Yeo would give a significant boost to Dalefield's strike power as both were prolific goal scorers.
"It would be great to have just one of those players available, to have both of them is very exciting," Fenwick said. There is a possibility too that national under-16 rep Shane Hodgkiss could turn out for Dalefield, although that will depend on his recovery from a shoulder injury, while others in the reckoning include Mark Scully, Todd Sugrue, the Mason brothers, Greg and Chris, Willie Waitere, Nathan Shannahan, Peter Sigvertsen and Camus Wyatt.
Fenwick believes the depth of his squad will be one of its biggest attributes with changes in personnel able to be made without weakening the team performance.
"Just sorting out the starting line-up is going to be a problem, and that's a nice problem to have," he said. "Form is going to dictate who plays where and that's the way it should be."
For the Dalefield women's team last season was tough going but they survived in the Wellington premier division by comfortably winning a promotion-relegation match against a second division challenger.
Their struggles then were hardly surprising considering the number of players unavailable from the previous year ran into double figures but coach Rochelle Retter is hopeful of a more settled season in 2008.
That despite the fact she will again lose a number of regular players, including Jesse Davies, (gone to Whangarei), Laura Crawford (to Manawatu), Holly Gaskin (to Wellington) and Harriet Cameron (to Dunedin).
Amongst those from last year's squad likely to be on deck again are Sara Crofoot, Jodie Graham, Karen James, Alice Davies, Emma Beaver and Ana-May Playle while the former Canterbury and Wellington rep Janeen Bruce could possibly be available too, even if on an irregular basis.
And then there is the prospect of a fair number of Wairarapa College and St Matthews Collegiate players forcing their way into the side after four series of trials to be held between this week and March 8.
Retter said her side would very probably be one of the youngest in the premier division but she is "very optimistic" they will still be competitive.
"It's certainly not all doom and gloom, not by a long chalk," she said. "There is a lot of raw talent around and I'm sure they can step up and make their presence felt."
Meanwhile, two Wairarapa teams will be contesting the national Masters tourney which gets under way in Palmerston North on February 24.
The men's team is in the 40yrs grade and will include a number of ex-Wairarapa premier players such as Andy Wilson, Mark Fenwick, Chris Jones and Nigel Bird and Donald Yee.
The women team is in the 35yrs division and spearheading their charge will be the likes of Justine Robertson, Leanne Daley and Fleur Jane.