Ngapuna lose tough battle

An undisciplined performance by Ngapuna saw them caught out by their Otumoetai opponents during the final round of the Baywide men's hockey competition in Rotorua on Saturday.
Following a clean, fast and even first half, which saw Otumoetai up 2-1 at halftime, the opening stanza of the second half disintergrated into a grudge match climaxing when four players - Ngapuna's Timothy Waaka and Peter Moke, and Otumoetai's Gavin Morgan and Clinton Snee - were yellow carded. The four, who had previously been warned by the umpire for playing off the ball, were forced to sit and watch their nine teammates labour on the sand turf at Smallbone Park for 15 minutes before being allowed back on the field.
After a more settled period of play, the game was eventually won 6-2 by Otumoetai, who were more disciplined and composed in their behaviour than their hosts.
Ngapuna's Moke opened scoring 15 minutes into the first half before Shane Welsh quickly equalised for the visitors, slotting in the first of his two goals.
Otumoetai's Manu Singh then snuck in a quick goal before teammate Wayne Hundley bagged the first of his double, finding the net off a penalty corner. Other goals were scored by Chris Rutherford and Ngapuna's Evan Hack.
In the other two Baywide men's games played at the weekend, Rotorua Indians was unable to keep their composure in defending a 4-3 lead over Whakatane midway through the second half. Indians conceded three goals in the final six minutes during their fast and furious encounter played on Whakatane's new astroturf while Taupo extended their 1-0 half time lead over Rotorua Eagles to record a 4-3 victory on their home turf.
All six Rotorua men's teams will now focus their efforts on the opening round of this weekend's Intercity Championships, rebranded this year as the Midlands Hockey League.
Meanwhile, in the Rotorua women's senior division competition, Aces cemented their foothold as top of the table when they recorded a convincing 5-0 victory over Kahukura at Smallbone Park on Saturday.
Kiisha Gurran produced a wholehearted performance in the Aces slick forward line grabbing a hattrick - including two field goals in the opening stanza. Kahukura goalie Tina McKenzie was in thrilling form saving a flurry of goal attempts in both halves looking especially stoic during a barrage of penalty corners - only conceding one goal during this period when Gurran tapped in her third.
Aces now focus on this weekend's division one outing in the Intercity Women's League while Indians and Taupo will tackle the division two competition.