Summer hockey shows nation how to play

OPINION: Hockey Manawatu's summer hockey appears to have become one of the largest competitions of its type in the nation.

When it started last week, there were 106 teams – 64 children's and 42 adult – with about 1000 playing on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Serious adults play on half a turf and social adults on a third of the turf. A team has six players on the turf at one time.

The competition includes six country schools, business house teams, serious and social grades with teams from Feilding, Marton and Ashhurst. It is also a good training ground for young umpires. It will start again from late January for eight weeks.

Times are tough for multi-talented Palmerston North canoeist Anne Cairns, who competes for New Zealand overseas each year in flatwater and downriver kayaking.

She's glad none of her Samoan relatives were hurt in the tsunami, other than one damaged house. But sport-wise, she says it has been hard going, "particularly because most eggs seem to be going into the one green-and-white basket at the moment".

However, she is realistic about her situation. "I've always known my sports aren't ones for the masses so I can't expect anything," she says. "If I can pull some good results it might help, but it's no biggie. I'll just get on with it the same as I've always done."

This one has to be bogus!

At the bottom of the list of the 291 supporters registered as donors to the great cause on the Save The Turbos website is a familiar name. It is Steve "Manawatu" Tew. Yeah wrong!

You've got to feel for Palmerston North's cricketers.

Four weeks and only one day's play of premier one cricket and even then that day got caught short with rain. Lets hope the weather gods start playing their part. You can make all the runs you want in the nets, but results on the paddock are far more important.

What a signing Seule Soromon might turn out to be for YoungHeart Manawatu.

The former Hawke's Bay footballer banged in four goals against Team Wellington yesterday as Manawatu got their season off to a flier with a 4-0 win. They needed a man to replace last year's goal machine Jason Hayne and they look like they're on to a winner.

The Manawatu flags will be flying high on Wednesday morning if local mare Daffodil can win the $5.5 million Melbourne Cup tomorrow.

Her home is at Copper Belt Lodge, near Awahuri, where she is trained by Kevin Gray, but she is raced by Waikato Stud (Matamata) owner Garry Chittick and his son, Mark, who are the co-breeders of the mare.

Ironically, the Chitticks are formerly of Palmerston North, where they established Thornton Park Stud at Longburn many moons ago.

Daffodil has been a star in the making over the past two seasons, winning at Group 1 level as a three-year-old and as a four-year-old this term. She has had an ideal preparation leading into tomorrow's famous race.

- © Fairfax NZ News