Tight tussles looming in Poverty Bay club hockey

GMC Kowhai get the Poverty Bay club hockey ball rolling this weekend tonight while YMP A look set to continue their march at the top of the women's table tomorrow. Madison Savage (left, YMP) and Ana Fleming (Kowhai) are pictured on the turf earlier this season. Photo / Paul Rickard

Poverty Bay club hockey fans are spoilt for choice this weekend with several games standing out as potential close encounters on the Hain Farming Turf at Harry Barker Reserve.

The first of those is at 7.30pm tonight when Gisborne Boys’ High First XI take on Waituhi in the opening match of the top-four round-robin in the men’s competition.

The students go in hot from leading champions YMP 2-0 early in their clash last weekend before going down 6-4.

If the students take the same fighting attitude into tonight’s game, they could be hard to stop.

“Boys’ High have shown all year that they are a classy outfit,” hockey commentator Tony Scragg said.

“Their fitness is to the fore, as they showed in a 6-1 victory over Mount Maunganui College on the turf earlier this week.

“Against Waituhi, they will continue their drive to align themselves for a finals appearance.”

The first match of the weekend has GMC Kowhai women in 6pm action against Lytton Paikea Sports Club Emerre and Hathaway Paikea.

“Paikea should be too strong, having beaten Kowhai in round 1,” Scragg said.

“Paikea will want to play well and win well tonight to stay close to Ngātapa in the middle of the women’s table.”

The 12.30pm opener to tomorrow’s play features Gisborne Girls’ High First XI up against Gisborne Denture Clinic GMC Green.

“The Green Machine will be too strong for the students, I think,” Scragg said.

“They currently sit second on the table and will be dominant. If the students thought the start of the new school term was tough – this game will be tougher.”

PGG Wrightson Ngātapa face the blowtorch from 2pm when they front up to in-form women’s leaders YMP A.

“One-way traffic is likely in the game,” Scragg said.

At 3.30pm, another close clash is on the cards between YMP A men and LPSC Traktion.

“Possibly one of the games of the weekend that one,” Scragg reckons. “Traktion have turned their season around and this game will tell us by how much.”

The final match-up of the weekend at 5pm is a repeat of last week’s battle between LPSC Resene Masters and YMP B.

Can the Master, 1-0 victors in that game, win again?

“I think they can,” Scragg said. “Some of those old bones, though, won’t suit the cold conditions on the turf in the evening tomorrow, but I’m sure the boys will cope.

“They’ve had a win and a draw against YMP B already, but this is YMP B’s chance to balance the ledger.”