Finalists Confirmed at NZI-HC
Two days of exciting hockey under the balmy Manawatū sunshine have been completed and the finalists are all set to compete for ultimate prize on the final day of the 2026 New Zealand Indian Hockey Championships.
Waikato and Christchurch will contest the Men’s B final after winning their semifinals earlier today. A tense match saw Waikato require a shootout to beat Auckland B after a goalless game in regulation time. However the shootout was much more one-sided with Waikato winning 4 - 1. Christchurch will be confident after winning their semi-final convincingly 5 - 1 against Pukekohe B with goals to Eshaan Patel (2 PC) and Eashwar Elavarasu (2 FG) and one to Hamish Govind (FG) the goal for Pukekohe came from Raj Bhika.
Men’s B Final: Waikato vs. Christchurch - 10.15am, Turf One (Live streamed)
In the Women’s draw the Bay of Plenty Women’s team is top of the table with 12 points and in a strong position going into the final day’s play. They take on Pukekohe in their final match of the weekend, who are currently on six points, a win will see them crowned Champions for 2026. Auckland takes on Wellington (7 points) in their final match tomorrow and will require a win outright and the results of the Bay of Plenty game to go their way if they are to take the title.
Women’s Round Robin: Bay of Plenty vs. Pukekohe - 11.45am, Turf One (Live streamed)
Women’s Round Robin: Auckland vs. Wellington - 11.00am, Turf Two
The Men’s A semifinals both were decided by shootouts. Bay of Plenty led Wellington after an early penalty corner goal. Wellington’s second half pressure eventually forced an equaliser from a loose ball in the circle. Both teams had some late chances but neither could find the winning goal in regular time. Two early misses in the shootout saw Bay of Plenty trailing but misses by Wellington meant that it came down to the final shootout for Bay of Plenty, who needed to score to stay in the contest. Wellington’s goalkeeper Krupal Amarvathi forced a save sending his team to the final.
The semi-final between Pukekohe and Auckland was another tight affair. Auckland led early but Pukekohe scored from two penalty corners to take a 2 -1 in a dramatic first quarter a lead that remained unchanged through until halftime. Auckland equalised early in the third quarter from a penalty corner only for Pukekohe to do the same to take the lead into the final quarter. A frenetic last quarter saw Auckland manage to win a penalty corner on full time which they converted to send the game to a shootout. Both goalkeepers forced saves but it was a clean sheet for Deelan Patel of Auckland and some calm finishing that saw the shootout go to Auckland 3 - 0.
Men’s A Final: Auckland vs. Wellington - 1.40pm, Turf One (Live streamed)
If you can’t make it down to the Twin Turfs don’t worry, you can watch all the action from Turf One via live stream using the link below. Or you can rewatch the streams from the last two days here
