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 following a 4 - 0 win over Wellington A. It took until the middle of the second quarter before Kataraina Fredricksen opened the scoring before adding her second from a penalty corner late in the third quarter. This was followed quickly by a field goal Jasmine Fitzwalter before the third break. Oriwa Hepi capped the win with another field goal in the fourth quarter. Bay of Plenty will take on Pukekohe (who are currently on six points) in their final match of the weekend. A win will see them crowned Champions for 2026. Auckland (11 points) takes on Wellington A (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 A - 11.00am, Turf Two
The Men’s A semifinals both were decided by shootouts. Bay of Plenty led Wellington after an early goal to Ranjit Singh. Wellington’s second half pressure eventually forced an equaliser from a loose ball following a penalty corner falling to Sajan Patel to finish. 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 after Jayan Dahya put them on scoreboard in the 3rd minute, but Pukekohe replied with two penalty corner goals by Raynish Patel to take a 2 -1 in a dramatic first quarter. Despite both sides pressing hard, Pukekohe’s lead remained unchanged through until halftime. Auckland equalised early in the third quarter from a penalty corner through Kieran Chhiba only for Raynish Patel to once again but Pukekohe in the lead just prior to the third quarter break. A frenetic last quarter saw Auckland manage to win a penalty corner on full time which Kieran Chhiba cooly 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
