No 86: Maniototo wins four K Cups (1957-1964)
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Central Otago region of Maniototo was a hotbed of hockey talent.
The deep south was dominant in the sport, with Otago and Eastern Southland also fielding powerful lineups during that era. But Maniototo twice upstaged Otago in the final and won the K Cup (national women's title) in 1957, 1960 and 1964. It also shared the title with Auckland in 1961.
Goalkeeper Annette Moore (nee Smith) turned 16 on the day of the 1960 final against Otago in Whangarei. A young Maniototo side upset its neighbour 3-1 and repeated that effort in Blenheim in 1964.
"Otago and Maniototo were great foes and they had walloped us all season," she said.
"They were more accomplished but we had a wonderful coach in Bill Hills. He had not been a hockey player himself but he had great coaching skills."
That effort sort of typified Maniototo teams of that era.
They were not always the most talented and certainly not the most experienced. They often fielded very young teams. But the squad had a great spirit and plenty of support from the region.
In the 1964 final, Maniototo stunned Otago with its stubborn defence and superb execution to win 3-1.
Priscilla Forrester opened the scoring when she slipped through a gap and smacked a crisp drive past the goalie.
Moments later Rena Evans scored in similar fashion and Judy Pyle scored from a corner to give Maniototo a 3-0 lead at halftime.
To Otago's credit it rallied and launched a series of attacks but was forced back by determined defence.
Moore made some great saves during a testing period. Otago managed to score a consolation goal and had a second goal disallowed.
The K Cup has had five name changes since it was last played for in 1982 and the Maniototo has merged with Otago and Southland under the Southern banner.
