Tech win on the road

TCOB's Lee Moir, right, scored one of his team's two rapid-fire goals to start the second half and set up a 4-1 win over MCOB in Levin on Saturday.

A 'mad-minute' of rapid fire goals helped Tech College Old Boys snap a long dry spell in the Manawatu Division 1 competition, beating MCOB 4-1 in Levin on Saturday.

Picking up their second victory of the competition, coming after consecutive weekends of spirited but fruitless efforts against top sides Massey and HSHC, the TCOB squad still has the barest of outside chances to finish fourth if they can win all three of their remaining games.

Coach Russell Burgess said playing away for the third straight weekend was still taking a toll, having only two bench players, with one having to leave during the match.

"The team struggled with the change of surface and took a while to settle down."

On a very cold afternoon, MCOB went 1-0 off a stroke and kept that advantage at halftime.

"It wasn't a stroke, we saw it as an umpire indiscretion," said Burgess.

But then his team exploded immediately after the break to be leading 2-1 after 90 seconds as Zack Yearbury and Lee Moir connected with field goals.

Twelve minutes later, Ryan Gray banged another goal home and then later Yearbury picked up his second in a man of the match performance.

"The boys actually hit their straps. The tempo lifted in the second half," said Burgess.

"The play between the 25m and 25m was very consistent and the short, sharp passing - lacking in the first half but evident in the second half - took a toll [on MCOB]."

Keeper Andrew Thomas had a good match in-goal for the visitors.

After three weeks of road games, Burgess will be happy to be back at Gonville on Saturday for the 3pm clash with College.

While the side will still have personnel issues with two younger players away in Australia, the return of Craig Ritani will be most welcomed and adds another dimension to the side.

Meanwhile, the combined Whanganui team kept their roll going in the Division 2 Women's Premier grade by putting five goals past HSHC B to stay on top of the four-team table.

Leading 1-0 at halftime in likewise cold weather at the Twin Turfs in Palmerston North, Whanganui pulled away in the second half with Charlotte Harding getting a double, along with Kirsty Parsons and Michelle Lowe joining her on the score sheet.

"It was a little bit patchy at times," said coach Colleen Baylis.

"Going down there and being cold made for some not pretty hockey."

Teenagers Rebecca Baker and Jacinta Manville were showing the effects of 10 days of hockey, having had games for their school, while Baylis joked she and "11 and a half players" with the veterans Lowe and Jan Dixon (hamstring) coming back gingerly.

Whanganui will rematch the HSHC Evergreens in Gonville at 1.30pm on Saturday, in an interesting matchup given Evergreens beat both Whanganui and College Development 2-1, yet lost to HSHC B by the same score.

College, after blitzing undefeated through the first round of competition when it was nine teams, have now lost twice in a row since the split to Premier and Consolation.

While Baylis is encouraged by her team's progress, she pointed out the Premier division will consist of semifinals, so "we can't get too far ahead of ourselves" about current form when everyone will have an equal chance to make the final.