Whanganui hockey teams clean out their Manawatu opponents

TCOB's Patrick Madder looks to keep the ball away from PNBHS's Sean Chrystall at the Gonville Domain on Saturday.

It was a rare double victory and two clean defensive sheets for the Whanganui teams in Manawatu hockey at the weekend.

Needing to get their season kick-started and most importantly, get off the bottom of the Premier Men's grade, Tech College Old Boys came back from their bye week to register a 4-0 win over Palmerston North Boys High at Gonville Domain.

TCOB looked good early with two goals in the first quarter, but were unable to add to their tally before the halftime break, before they repeated that dose with two more goals in the third quarter and nothing extra for the final period.

"That's just the way the dam broke," said senior squad member Calum Wilbur.

"We passed the ball a lot better.

"Kept the ball, passed the ball, and took our chances.

"Apart from Lee [Moir] who should have had eight."

Wilbur was only joking around as Moir's importance to the team is obvious – the talented striker had been away on a course in Wellington for a fortnight since his Under 21 representative duties, but despite being rusty still scored a brace of goals.

Connor Hoskin and Patrick Madder also found the net.

"Capitalising on soft turnovers, most of our goals came off that," said Wilbur.

With Chad Warner away due to a family birthday, TCOB's forward group of Hoskin, Madder and Jacob Wulfe – a German exchange student at Wanganui Collegiate – all stepped up.

Tyler Nicoll-Hylton played well in the midfield, while veteran Andrew Thomas came in at goalie at short notice and kept and clean sheet.

"He was more than chuffed for himself, considering he's been playing [rugby] for the Buffalo's," said Wilbur.

Thomas was working through a shoulder injury which is preventing him from playing for his Marist senior rugby team.

There were a few unpleasant statements from the PNBHS player's parents, who were not happy at some of the umpiring.

TCOB again had a good turnout with 14 players, as personnel issues were an achilles heel in previous seasons.

They will need those numbers again when they face perennial powerhouses College A at Gonville this Saturday.

"It will be a much different kettle of fish, considering they lost on Saturday for the first time in a season and a half," said Wilbur.

At the Twin Turfs, the Whanganui Women handed out an 11-0 drubbing to College Social in the Manawatu Premier Women's Reserve grade.

The floodgates opened in the second quarter as Whanganui scored four goals between the 21st and 29th minutes.

"It took us eight minutes to score, and I thought, 'I hope it's not one of those days'," said coach Colleen Baylis.

Sophie Redmayne got the opening in the ninth minute, with the second goal coming ten minutes after that, and then the deluge saw Whanganui take a 6-0 lead into the break and they never looked back.

Grace Godfrey got a hat trick of goals, while Charlotte Baker grabbed a double.

Mother and daughter duo Nicki and Lucy Skedgwell got their names on the sheet, as did Redmayne, Melissa Goff and recent additions Sarah Stitchbury and Rachel Dickie.

With a comfortable lead in the second half, Baylis rotated the squad around the field, should the need arise for them to go there later in the season due to injury or unavailablity.

"We rolled players into different positions, took the keeper off with 15 minutes to go, which I could have done earlier.

"Going forward, we've got High School Hockey Club Evergreens coming up this weekend, so that's traditionally a stronger game."

That match at the Twin Turfs will see Whanganui without the Skedgwell's or veteran Jan Dixon.