Whanganui going for the championship
Promising teenager WHS student, Rebecca Baker was one of the goal scorers in Whanganui's big semifinal win on Saturday, but will not be available for the final this weekend.
The combined Whanganui team are now one win away from claiming a rare Manawatu championship after comfortably seeing off High School Hockey Club B 6-0 in the Women's Division 2 Premier semifinal on Saturday.
Going in as heavy favourites on a cold day at the Twin Turfs in Palmerston North, Whanganui had committed to an extra training session during the week and eventually had their determination in the shooting circle rewarded.
"We did it the hard way, because it was only 1-0 at halftime," said coach Colleen Baylis.
"I said to them, 'I don't mind if it's 1-0, so long as we win'.
"We had a lot of opportunity in the first half anyway, we just didn't convert."
Kat Benton scored for the second week in a row against HSHC B to give them the lead.
Whanganui then put the match away with three goals in the space of five minutes just after the break.
Play settled down after that, with Whanganui scoring twice more over the course of the final quarter.
The second half goals were shared around with Liz Hunter, Rebecca Baker, Charlotte Harding, Holly Brasting and Kirsty Parsons all getting on the score sheet.
"It's a pretty good effort, I think," said Baylis.
Whanganui will now go back to Palmerston North for Manawatu Hockey finals day, where they will take on College Development in the 12.30pm game on Turf 2.
"I think we'll have to drum up a few supporters to come down. Might have to put on some vans."
College's 2nd vs 3rd semifinal with HSHC Evergreens was expected to be a tight match on Saturday, and so it proved with College keeping their nose in front 3-2.
For the final, Whanganui won't have the services of the standout youth player Baker or their cast iron veteran in Jan Dixon, as Dixon will be coaching Baker and her Under 15 team at a mini-tournament in Gisborne.
Baylis said they will just shift a couple of players around, while College may also lose one or two squad members to the Under 15's.
"I know who their main players are, and that's about all."
She will arrange another added practice for Wednesday again, while the team also has plans for a pub crawl home after the match, preferably with trophy in tow.
"I've just got to get them focusing on the game. Everything else after."
It was hoped all season that the combined Whanganui team would prove to be title contenders, given the side is made up of the remnants of the Techno and Collegians squads, who dropped out of Division 1 hockey to play at the easier level.
While plans for 2017 are not definite, Baylis said she would like to see a Whanganui team go back into Division 1, but that would depend on a full squad being able to commit to weekly training and conditioning.
(Wanganui Chronicle 8/8/16)