Baywide Hockey Round 3 Preview
Gurdeep Singh & Braythyn Lemon
Action Resumes After Easter Break.
No Baywide games were played over the Easter weekend, giving teams a chance to rest and recover. However, several local players stayed sharp by competing in the Heritage Tournament. A big congratulations to all BOP representatives, especially the Punjab Heritage team, which featured many of the BOP Indians and took out the Men’s Competition!
Karambir “Ricky” Singh led the tournament with an impressive 8 goals, while Aces Men’s Braythyn Lemon finished equal second with 4 goals for the Hype Pacific All Stars team. Outstanding efforts all round!
With the competition back underway this weekend, here’s what’s coming up for our Bay of Plenty sides.
Whakatāne Men vs BOP Indians (Whakatāne, 1:00pm) Whakatāne Men will be desperate to secure their first win of the season at home. They’ll need a disciplined defensive performance to shut down the dangerous Indian attack that has been in red-hot form. The player to watch will be experienced campaigner Cam Ogle who will have a big role to play in organising the Whakatāne defence and keeping things tight at the back.
BOP Indians, coming off a dominant 9-2 win in Round 2, will look to keep their momentum rolling and continue their goal-scoring ways. They’ll lean on their experienced campaigner Gurdeep Singh to help control the game and guide the side through this away fixture.
Tauranga Old Boys United vs Rotorua Aces Men (Tauranga, 1:30pm) The unbeaten United side will provide a tough test for the Aces. After their heavy defeat last round, Rotorua will be looking for a much-improved performance. Our Player to Watch for Aces is Braythyn Lemon, coming off strong form at the Heritage Tournament where he netted 4 goals, Braythyn will be a key figure for the Aces as they try to upset the competition leaders.
Otūmoetai Blues vs Mount Maunganui (Tauranga, 1:30pm) Mount will be aiming to stay in the winners’ column after their convincing 5-0 win over the Aces last time out. Otūmoetai will be hungry for their first points of the season.
Whakatāne Women vs Hepi Sports (Whakatāne, 3:00pm) This should be a tough, physical encounter between two competitive sides. Whakatāne will be looking to make it three wins from three on home turf. For Whakatāne watch out for Kamea Aldridge who after scoring twice in the opening round will be keen to get back on the scoresheet and add to her season tally. For Hepi Sports Priya Fitzgerald one of the Hepi originals will bring plenty of experience and will be central to Hepi’s efforts in this matchup.
Omanu Premier Blues vs Rotorua Aces Women (Tauranga, 3:00pm).The Aces Women will travel to Tauranga looking to build on their opening match and get their first win on the board. Keep a watch out for young Lucy Hatcher a talented player who will spark some of the Aces attacks.
A great weekend of Baywide hockey ahead as our Bay of Plenty teams look to push forward after the break. The mix of experienced heads and young talent continues to make for exciting contests.
Get down to your local turf in Whakatāne or head to Tauranga for the away games, support the BOP crews and enjoy the action!
See our Baywide Senior Calendar of events below or head to our events page for more upcoming fixtures as well as other BOPHA events or Sign up to our newsletter to be the first to know when registrations open, see team announcements, and keep up with the latest happenings.
