Sport
5 May, 2023
Hoops play out draw with Tigers
By Simon King THE second round of the Wimmera Hockey Association season was played on an immaculate Davis Park in Nhill on Saturday, which was the perfect stage for the first rematch between the combatants from last year’s Open grand final. - Open...
By Simon King
THE second round of the Wimmera Hockey Association season was played on an immaculate Davis Park in Nhill on Saturday, which was the perfect stage for the first rematch between the combatants from last year’s Open grand final.
- Open -
The reigning premiers, Yanac Tigers, took to the field for the first time this season after having the bye in the first round, and the Warracknabeal Hoops were coming off a solid first-up win over the Nhill Rangers.
These two teams always put on a spectacle, and this game lived up to expectations as the game started at a hectic pace and did not ease off until the final whistle blew, and after 68 minutes of skilful hockey, they remained deadlocked in a scoreless draw.
The Horsham Hurricanes are setting the early-season pace in the Open competition after they backed up their opening-round win with another confident display, this time against the Nhill Rangers, to be undefeated and on top of the ladder after two rounds.
After an even start, the Hurricanes took the lead late in the first quarter off the stick of youngster Jack Di Pietro and extended this lead with a second goal courtesy of Jeff Mills before halftime.
Despite the scoreline, the play had been relatively even to this point, with four penalty corners played out at each end, but the Horsham team stepped up a notch to score three times in the third quarter and then set the final margin at six goals with one more in the last quarter.
Traiyth Leffler finished with two goals, and Tom Batchelor and Will Gulline were the other scorers, and the best players for the Rangers were defenders Hamish Pearse, David Reichelt, and goalkeeper Kayden Rowe.
- Women -
The Yanac Women’s team started their season confidently, after having a bye in Round One, with a win over Warracknabeal. Although the scoreline suggests a one-sided encounter, Warrack’s defence stopped many more Yanac scoring attempts than they conceded.
Yanac’s multiple goalscorers were Lexi Farmers and Suz Hedt, with two each, and Erin Alexander was named their best player, while Brooke McMaster and Chloe Baker were the best for Warrack.
Nhill Thunderbirds bounced back from a narrow loss last week to defeat the Horsham Jets by one goal and remain in the top four. Ellie Murden scored Nhill’s three goals and got the votes as their best player, and Kelly Krahe and Ellie Morrow were the best for the Jets.
- Under 16 -
With a victory over the Nhill Leopards, the Horsham Bombers remain undefeated in the Under 16 competition after two rounds, and the Yanac Warriors, playing their first game for the season, overcame the Warracknabeal Revengers.
Wimmera Hockey Association
Round Two Results
Open: Warracknabeal Hoops 0 (Best – H Wagenknecht, S Schultz, T Jorgensen) drew with Yanac Tigers 0 (Best – N Alexander, B Alexander, T Alexander).
Horsham Hurricanes 6 (Goals – T Leffler 2, T Batchelor, W Gulline, J Mills, J Di Peitro; Best – T Leffler, P Mackereth, J Horsfall) defeated Nhill Rangers 0 (Best – H Pearse, K Rowe, D Reichelt)
Ladder: Horsham Hurricanes 8, 10; Warrack Hoops 6, 7; Yanac Tigers 4, 0; Kaniva Cobras 2, -4; Nhill Rangers 0, -13.
Women: Yanac 7 (Goals – A Farmers 2, S Hedt 2, N Harding, M Farmers, C Alexander; Best – E Alexander, M Farmers, S Hedt) defeated Warracknabeal 0 (Best – B McMaster, C Baker, D Templeton).
Nhill Thunderbirds 3 (Goals – E Murden 3; Best – E Murden, K Clark, T Engelbrecht) defeated Horsham Jets 2 (Goals – E Morrow, C Lawson; Best – K Krahe, E Morrow, L Schilling).
Ladder: Yanac Women 6, 7; Kaniva Women 6, 5; Nhill Thunderbirds 4, 0; Warrack Women 4, -6; Horsham Jets 0, -6.
Under 16: Yanac Warriors 3 (Goals – Archie Zanker 2, H Zanker; Best – Asher Zanker, Archie Zanker, Annabella Zanker) defeated Warrackanbeal Revengers 0 (Best – Z Allott, Z O’Connor, E Williamson).
Horsham Bombers 5 (Goals – T Batchelor, J Schwarz, J Mills, K Besselaar, O Knoop; Best – T Batchelor, S Schwarz, H Mackereth) defeated Nhill Leopards 1 (Goal – C Bone; Best – D Clark, O Bone, T Shue Bee)
Ladder: Horsham Bombers 8, 8; Yanac Warriors 6, 3; Nhill Leopards 4, -1; Kaniva Raiders 2, -4; Warrack Revengers 0, -6.
Under 12 Development Program –
Nhill Bandits 3 (Goals – C Bone, B Clark, M Marra) v. Warracknabeal Avengers 4 (Goals – S Williamson 3, H Lomax).
Horsham Black Hawks 0 (Encouragement Award – Max T-C) v. Kaniva Rampagers 1 (Goal – R Doyle; Encouragement Award – O Curtis).
Dimboola Kookaburras 1 (Goal – J Ward) v. Yanac Lowan Stars 1 (Goal – H Zanker; Encouragement Award – S Hedt).