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Dalefield
Feilding
Veteran striker Rowan Yeo led the way for Farriers Dalefield with a hat-trick in their comfortable 6–1 win over Feilding at the Trust House Wairarapa Hockey Complex.
Dalefield went into the game needing to win to keep alive their prospects of retaining their Intercity title after losing their first round match to Indians the previous weekend.
Yeo got the scoring underway in the second quarter with a drag flick from a penalty corner [PC] into the low right corner. He added a second goal from a PC and also scored a field goal, which he converted for a bonus goal, to the delight of player-coach Benedict van Woerkom, who was rapt to have the prolific goal scorer back after missing some of the early games in the season.
“He knows that his value and input into the team has been missed, as has his seniority and ability to score goals, and he showed that on the weekend. He’s got a knack for scoring, gets in the right spot and throws his body on the line,” van Woerkom said.
A late decision by another of Dalefield’s senior players Hamish Finlayson to take the field despite a niggly Achilles/foot injury paid off, with him scoring a crucial field goal in the dying seconds of the first half and converting it for a 3–0 lead.
Feilding’s goal came from a PC in the third quarter, but the home side dominated for much of the game, and it was a step up from recent indifferent performances.
“There are still areas to work on, but we’re developing a style of play for us, and we’re slowly getting there.”
Craig Pankhurst was Dalefield’s player of the day.
WOMEN
Havelock
Dalefield
A converted field goal was all that separated Farriers Dalefield and Havelock in a tense affair at Park Island, Napier.
The goal came from a goalmouth melee in the second quarter, and despite having numerous chances to score, Dalefield could not find the back of the net.
“We had had two over the crossbar, a few that flashed past the post, and we had plenty of opportunities to win that game; we just couldn’t convert,” Dalefield coach Michael Sacke said.
Dalefield badly missed the pace and finishing prowess of the injured former Black Stick Felicity Reidy up front, but Sacke is confident the young team will continue to learn.
“We’ve got to get people in the right places, and it will happen, but we’re just too quick inside the circle, and we’ve got more time than we think, and that comes with experience.
“We played a lot better than the previous week and I am happy with that, but we never got the result, and it was probably the best game of the season from a control perspective.”
Sacke was also impressed with the way they restricted 274-test Black Stick Emily Gaddum and denied her the chance to dominate in the midfield.
Amy Taylor was Dalefield’s player of the day.
The intercity Championship now takes break for King’s Birthday Weekend, with the next games scheduled for June 8.
