Wānaka hockey players cleaned Central Otago’s house this month, triumphing in the premier men’s, premier women’s and under-18 championships and securing what is arguably the Upper Clutha Hockey Club’s most triumphant season.
The Central Otago Men’s Hockey Championship in Cromwell ended in a dramatic, hard-fought fashion on August 17, when Upper Clutha (UC) secured a 3-2 victory over rivals Whakatipu shortly before the final whistle.
The intense game began with Whakatipu capturing an early lead 30 seconds into the second quarter.
Upper Clutha’s Sam Fitzgerald levelled the score shortly after with a reverse tomahawk from a penalty corner.
As the first half drew to a close, Conor Doyle set up Will Anderson, who scored another reverse shot into the corner, giving UC a 2-1 lead.
Whakatipu demonstrated resilience in the second half, equalising midway through the third quarter to make the score 2-2.
No side relented and the tie seemed firmly fixed.
With just two minutes remaining, penalty shoot-outs seemed inevitable.
Then Luke Hall of UC took a quick penalty outside the 25m line, driving the ball into the circle, where Olly Hart deflected it into the back of the net.
The team and supporters erupted in celebration as Upper Clutha held off Whakatipu during the last 60 seconds to secure the victory.
The premier women’s final was equally exciting, with the UC team facing Cromwell in another closely contested game.
The match ended 1-0 to UC, with the team savouring their first finals victory in six years.
From the first whistle the UC women played with intensity. They exerted pressure on Cromwell and dominated possession with numerous attacking opportunities.
Despite controlling the game, UC struggled to convert chances into goals in the first half, as both teams showcased strong defensive performances.
The third quarter was a triumph for UC, securing a goal and the lead.
Receiving a pass from the midfield into Cromwell’s defensive quarter, Chrissi Pettit dribbled into the circle with two defenders following close by.
She then shot through the keeper’s legs and into the goal and UC erupted with excitement.
Cromwell displayed fire in the last quarter but a shot at goal was stopped by UC goalkeeper Sam Strong.
UC then held off Cromwell for the remainder of the game.
In the under-18 final, UC fielded a mixed team of Mount Aspiring College students against Dunstan High School’s first XI.
UC dominated from the beginning of the game with Matt Botting scoring a fabulous goal after beating three players then the goalie within four minutes from the first whistle.
The players then stuck to the strategy laid out by coaches Sam Fitzgerald and James Leech, and continual pressure on attack resulted in a penalty corner awarded to UC, from which James Dougherty controlled the ball well and enabled Will Anderson to score UC’s second goal.
Midfielders Angus Ives and Beau Gordon made strong passes to the attacking circle, resulting in a second goal from Matt Botting in the third quarter.
Dunstan responded strongly to take the score to 3-1 and after Botting was injured, put pressure on the UC defence to level the score 3-3 at full time.
For the second year in a row, the championship was determined by shoot outs.
A composed Kalan Evans, playing in goal for the first time ever, saved three attempts by Dunstan.
UC’s Hudson Weathington and James Dougherty scored their shoot out attempts, resulting in a win for UC.
The under-18 team is now fundraising before heading to the South Island secondary schools tournament in Timaru.
