UNDER CONTROL: Wanganui's Blake Hoskin fires one in from the sideline during play in the Hatch Cup tournament in Timaru where the side finished ninth equal.PHOTO/SUPPLIED 09102015WCSUPHOCKEY3
UNDER CONTROL: Wanganui's Blake Hoskin fires one in from the sideline during play in the Hatch Cup tournament in Timaru where the side finished ninth equal.PHOTO/SUPPLIED 09102015WCSUPHOCKEY3
Late draws in the final matches of their respective tournaments has left both the Wanganui Under-13 boys and girls hockey sides sharing places on the national ladder.
The boys, coached by Kylie Penn, finished ninth equal after drawing 2-2 with Wellington in the Hatch Cup tournament in Timaru, while thegirls under coach Aaron Manville finished 17th equal with South Canterbury in the Collier Trophy tournament in Palmerston North, also after a 2-all draw.
Penn said programmes put in place by Hockey Wanganui had helped elevate both teams and allow them to perform well on the national stage.
"The boys did exceptionally well to finish with a share of ninth, moving up from 19th last year," Penn said.
"We were leading Wellington after making 16 circle penetrations to their two in the first half, but unfortunately we just couldn't expand on the 2-1 scoreline. Then they got a penalty stroke in the dying minutes of the game to snatch a draw."
Meanwhile, Manville was also full of praise for his under-13 girls who went close to higher honours.
"We went so close to beating others in our pool, which would have put us in a different place. We scored quite a few goals and ended with a few draws, but unfortunately we just didn't score enough goals in the end," Manville said.
"I still think the girls have done a fantastic job to get where they did. It's the first time we have had a girls team at this tournament since about 1998."
