Newtown fires early to kickstart season
HOCKEY: Newtown is off the mark in the COVID Cup, keeping alive its grand final hopes in the process.
With the first phase of fixtures completed and all clubs playing each other once, Newtown finds itself in fourth after a 2-0 defeat of Norths at Clyde Park.
The Tigers pounced early, with captain Amanda Ross and Renee Bidgood scoring in the first half.
Ross said it’s a just reward for the hard work and effort the team has been putting in.
“We’ve been building to this. Every week we’ve been able to work on something different and it all came together,” she said.
“It all gelled together against Norths and it’s a great feeling.
“We mentioned before the game that we wanted to try and get a lead early, because we knew we’d be in with a good shot of maintaining it.
“We’ve been working on a lot of things at training, and to see it during a game is fantastic. There are some players that have come into the side, and they’ve really picked up what we’re trying to do.
“We’re starting to get things together at the right time. It’s a good building block for 2021 to see what we’ve got and what we can work on.”
The match to determine who remained unbeaten after five rounds lived up to expectations, with the Rangeville and Past High women playing out a thriller.
Kate Wollstein put Rangeville on the board first inside two minutes, before a frantic second quarter saw a double to Holly Gilbar and an Alex Thompson strike level the scores at 2-all.
Wollstein’s second minutes into the third quarter proved the difference, with Rangeville hanging on 3-2.
In men’s fixtures, Newtown remained in second spot on the ladder with a 3-1 defeat of Norths.
It was Norths that started strongest, with a James Cunliffe strike in the 19th minute getting them on the board, before Newtown found their footing.
Josh McPaul tied the scores at 1-all just before halftime, before a further two to McPaul and another to Scott Garske completed the 4-1 victory.
Past High edged out Rangeville 2-0 in a game that saw no goals for a 54-minute period.
Dean Standfield struck early in the third minute, before Past High had to wait until the 57th minute to seal the game through the stick of Garth Miller.
The win keeps them in third spot.