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.
