Taranaki stronger team

Wanganui men's representative team put on one of the most scintillating halves of hockey coach Langley Atkinson can remember seeing in New Plymouth on Sunday, the problem was they had to play another.

In a must-win Central Hockey League match against Taranaki, Wanganui's 2-0 advantage after goals from Patrick Reynolds and Martin Atkinson was run down 3-2 by a stronger home team than had been on tour to play Hawkes Bay and Manawatu.

Atkinson said with a full complement Taranaki could call on a number of national hockey level players but at first stanza it made little difference.

"We actually controlled a whole half, which was good to see," he said. "If we can build on that, we will run some sides closer than what we are doing."

Wanganui's first goal was an outstanding effort that came right from the back and the forwards finished it off.

However, being lean on substitute players, Wanganui could not rotate and with key players beginning to tire after tough club games the day before, Taranaki stepped up with three unanswered goals.

It was the opposite to the week before when Wanganui climbed another gear to catch up to Hawkes Bay before losing 4-2.

"We couldn't replicate what we did in the first half," Atkinson said.

To reach the top two final, Wanganui must win all their remaining games, an unlikely prospect for the young side.

Wanganui knew similar frustration in the women's representative match when they went down 5-2

For player Jan Dixon the Taranaki team "are beatable", but the visitors had lapses which let them score against the run of play.

Both teams are home against Manawatu on Sunday.

It was a tale of two cities for the Wanganui men's teams in the Manawatu Club Competition on Saturday.

Tech College Old Boys took down a Palmerston North Boys High School team that had been in good nick with a 4-3 victory in Palmerston North, but dual-coach Atkinson chose to stay with his young Rangers team in Wanganui and could only bear witness as they were "brutally murdered" by the star-studded Massey, 12-0.

TCOB had been drilling new patterns during the week and it definitely paid off against the schoolboys, although Atkinson was still concerned they were on-song for about 35 minutes but not the full 70, letting the home side back in the hunt.

Goal scorers were Kane Watkin, Bryce McKenzie, Patrick Reynolds and Josh McDonnell.

But back at Gonville Park it was boys against men as Rangers had no answers against the competition heavyweight's Massey.

The 4-0 half time deficit only got worse for Rangers, who had to bring in a couple of junior players to cover the absence of some key bigger men.

The physical contrast was striking between the two teams, and Atkinson said with Massey having half of the Central representative team from either senior or Under 21 level, it was never going to be pretty.

"They just outclassed the boys everywhere across the park, I don't have a problem with that.

"This young team, they're just a couple of years off of competing."

In the women's grade, Collegians likewise had an unhappy afternoon at Gonville as HSHC Evergreens ran out 7-1 victors.

Dixon, the coach-player, said with three senior players left after the rise of the new TCOB women's team, their youngsters had to really step up.

The Evergreens, minus a handful of youngsters, is virtually the Manawatu Masters squad, who play all year round at various events.

Lizzie Brooks scored Collegians sole goal in the first half.

'We'll get better every game, just got things to work on," Dixon said.

Results

Manawatu Club Competition Men: TCOB beat PNBHS 4-3; Rangers lost to Massey 12-0. Women: Collegians lost to HSHC Evergreens 7-1; TCOB women bye.

Central Hockey League Men: Wanganui lost to Taranaki 3-2. Women: Wanganui lost to Taranaki 5-2.