HOCKEY

“THE Green Machine”, GMC, took outright first place in the Poverty Bay women’s hockey competition after a solid 5-2 victory over arch-rivals YMP A on Saturday.

District leading goalscorer Emily Willock grabbed two goals for GMC to take her season tally to 17. Shannon Williams added a double and Gaye Ashcroft scored the other.

These sides came into the game on the same number of points, knowing the result would have a big bearing on where the first-round silverware would go.

GMC took a 3-1 lead into the break. YMP A fought back with goals to Moana McLellan and Auhi Rickard, but they were up against a side determined to keep their unbeaten run intact.

GMC Gold were made to fight hard for three points when they ground out a tough 2-1 victory over Ngatapa.

A Rebecca Pepere goal late in the first half gave the Gold side a 1-0 lead at the break.

Brooke Richards added a second but Ngatapa’s attacking raids paid off midway through the half when Rose Tombleson scored.

The win lifted the Gold side to outright fifth place and made them the leading senior side.

Gisborne Girls’ High School went to second spot on goal difference with a 6-1 victory over Te Aowera.

Girls’ High’s dominant performance was a warning to the other women’s teams.

Nikita Ngatai grabbed another hat-trick to keep her place as leading goalscorer for the students, while Anita Howard’s double and Maika Akroyd’s single kept the smile on coach Henry Mulligan’s face.

Jade Lister-Baty scored for Te Aowera.

High School Old Girls overtook Ngatapa on the table with their 2-0 victory over Waituhi.

The early exchanges indicated this game could go down to the wire but prolonged pressure from HSOG in the Waituhi circle paid off. Gemma Whitehead and Jess Duncan grabbed the goals.

Waituhi will shrug off this result and look to the senior rounds to make their presence felt.

Paikea dominated their clash with YMP B and recorded their biggest result of the season so far — a 13-0 victory.

Hat-tricks to Sam Parker and Joanne McLean, and doubles to Lisa Gill and Tega Teka-Kururangi set the platform for the win.

Paikea goalie Meredith Akuhata-Brown had a run in the field and her hard work over the past few weeks was rewarded with a goal at the attacking end.

YMP B will look to upcoming clashes with senior sides for the results to move them up the table.

A HAT-TRICK from Chris Fox and a double from Tamanay Tuhou laid the foundation for Gisborne Boys’ High School’s 6-2 win against Lytton Old Boys Prems in the men’s competition.

It was the best possible start to the second round for coach Peter Tupara’s side.

Kohere Tupara rounded out the scoring for the students.

LOB Prems withstood the pressure for the bulk of the game and goals to Lewis Smith and Ike Te Aho-Rangi got them within sight of a comeback.

But the Boys’ High defence held firm and showed their potential for the rest of the round.

LOB Masters took the honours in their last clash with YMP A, but not this time.

YMP took the field determined to square the ledger. Their 4-0 victory kept them knocking at the door of the league leaders.

Jason Akuhata-Brown made sure that wife Meredith was not the only one to get on the scoresheet as he picked up his first — and no doubt last — hat-trick for the year.

James Torrie celebrated his promotion from the YMP B side with his first goal for the A side to seal the win.

Caledonia and YMP B went blow for blow in their tough encounter before Cale came out with a 2-1 win.

Caledonia took an early 1-0 lead through a Richard McDermott goal and that was how it stayed for the rest of the first half.

First-year YMP B player Ben McIntosh was Johnny-on-the-spot to grab his first goal to level the scores midway through the second spell.

But McDermott pounced on a loose ball in the dying stages to give Caledonia their second win of the season.

No details were available for the game between LOB A and Waituhi, other than the score . . . 3-1 to LOB A.