The senior men and women’s Thames Valley Hockey finals saw the top four teams compete for the Nicholson Shield and the Wilson Cup.
The Maramarua men’s team, newly formed this year, were unbeaten going into the final but faced seasoned Swampies. An intense and fast game developed, worthy of a grand final.
Swampies hit hard and with a converted penalty corner within two minutes which gave a clear signal of intent. Seven minutes in and an additional field goal saw them lead at 2-0.
A penalty corner for Maramarua followed shortly after by another field goal kept Swampies ahead 3-1. Maramarua converted a penalty corner but time was against them. The full time score was 3-2, with Swampies becoming Thames Valley Senior Men’s Champions for the eighth time. Goal scorers were Harry Ratcliffe, Liam Gordon, Phil Williams, Cullen Remnant and Hamish Preston.
In the women’s finals Waitakaruru met Ngatea Strikers in a game that ignited old rivalries. With a nil-all score at half time, both teams came out firing in the second half. Waitakaruru put points on the board to lead 1-0, shortly followed by a converted penalty corner by Strikers and scores were locked at 1-1. A second field goal by Waitakaruru towards the end of play sealed the win at 2-1 and Waitakaruru became Thames Valley women’s champions. Goal scorers were S J Laing, Serena Hammond and Kirsty Harris.
Thames Valley Hockey thanked the umpires Julena Phillips, James Phillips and Jeremy Cryer, who controlled the fiercely contested games.
