Otago men start championship quest with victory

PHOTO: ODT FILES
PHOTO: ODT FILES
The Otago men opened their national championship campaign with a solid 4-2 win over Wellington in Christchurch yesterday.

Jack Cotton scored the first of his two first-half goals after just seven minutes.

After Otago won a turnover in the middle third, Finn Ward sent a long, raking pass right up the middle, and Cotton was on hand in the circle to slip the ball past Wellington goalkeeper William Zhou.

His second goal came from a move that started from deep inside Otago’s half.

The ball eventually got to Nick Parata, who fired in a rising shot, and Cotton was again there with his raised stick in the right place for a second field goal.

Wellington pulled one back through a Graeme Murrell penalty corner early in the second half, but Jakarta Klebert restored Otago’s buffer with an unstoppable drag flick.

Daniel Torr made it 4-1 to Otago from a penalty corner with 11 minutes left on the clock, leaving Callum McGregor to score a consolation for Wellington.

Otago play Northland this morning.

The Otago women opened their side of the tournament yesterday with a gutsy 2-1 loss to the Canterbury Cats.

Mezzy Surridge opened the scoring for Canterbury from a penalty corner after 10 minutes, and Hannah Donald made it 2-0 after 33 minutes with a nice field goal.

Otago had the last say in the dying minutes when, after a bobbled ball at a penalty corner, Georgia Roy slammed home the goal.

Otago’s women play North Harbour tonight.