Whanganui hockey on a roll at nationals

The Whanganui hockey girls wait to embark on their journey to the U15 National Championships in Timaru where they are subsequently unbeaten after four pool games.

The Whanganui boys went on a goal-scoring spree at their National U15 Hockey Championship in Invercargill yesterday blasting West Coast 10-nil to secure a quarter final spot.

Feeling a tad disappointed with a nil-all draw with Canterbury on Wednesday, coach Andrew Spence said his team were hungry of victory against the Coasters.

"They really wanted it today," Spence said.

"After the nil-all draw on Wednesday they were a little disappointed. They felt they were a little bit better than Canterbury, but just couldn't put the ball away - they certainly didn't have any problem today."

The win puts Whanganui into the quarter finals and they will now play North Harbour today, a side Spence expects to be competitive.

"North Harbour will be competitive, but I believe if we play anything like we did today, we can beat them."

The Whanganui under-15 boys have been runners-up of several occasions at this tournament and last year finished fourth - a winning turn this year would not surprise coach Spence.

Meanwhile, the Whanganui girls continued on their unbeaten way at the U15 Championships in Timaru beating Thames Valley 4-0 to find a place in the quarter finals after finishing top of Pool A.

Their game on Thursday, possibly against Auckland, is a late affair kicking off at 5.15pm.

In four games Whanganui girls have only had two goals scored against them, while slotting 17 themselves. That speaks volumes for not only their attacking skills, but their defence as well.

By Iain Hyndman
Wanganui Chronicle 5/10/17