A new month, a new special. This month for every canvas mounted print ordered A4 size or higher you can order 2 x 20 x 25cm or 2 x 20 x 30cm prints or your choice.

More field hockey photos taken over the weekend. Here the girls’ Northland under 11 team played Auckland on Sunday 30th in a 4 way tournament. After losing to North Harbour 1-0 the girls beat Auckland 2-0.

We’ve done it! We were victorious in the grand finals held at the Northland Hockey Association over the weekend. After leading Whangarei Boys High School 3-0 at the break, Boys High fought back to within 1 point, but we held them out to win 3-2. It’s been a great season, with only 2 losses and a draw over the season. Roll on next year to defend our title!

More hockey action during the week, saw Springfield play Mangapai on Wednesday night to determine whom would play ‘Karamea in the senior men grand final. Springfield won 4-1 so puts the boys in with us (Springfield Reserve) in a double header. I’ll take the camera along so I might have a chance to take some hockey action.

Fiona called in to see me about having about 20 photos restored and enhanced. They were photos of her family taken near the turn of the century. This particular photo had suffered from fading as well as damge from glue when someone attempted to tape the two torn pieces back together.

This required the photo being put back into proper alignment, then rebuilding the areas where the glue had destroyed the photo substrate. Bev was really impressed with this and the other photos fixed for her.

Diane contacted me about having the above photo put onto canvas. Taken back in the seventies it was a picture of her daughter. The colours had faed with time, and we decided that a black and white print of the photo put on canvas would look better. We decided on have a mid tone gray background for the side wraps of the canvas. This canvas was glued onto an A4 size frame.

More action from over the weekend as time draws close to finals. Another 4 galleries added - U13 Northland Girls vs Bay of Plenty, Reserve Women Semi Final Games, Prem Men & Women Semi-finals. More than likely there won’t be any hockey games of the finals as I’m playing in my own final - so that takes priority.

Loren from Wellington sent me this photo of the Tararuas, taken with the Hutt River, to be mounted onto a gallery wrapped canvas. Loren had used my services before so was looking forward to having this print made. We talked ablout sizing, with regards to resolution of the image and ended up deciding on an 800mm x 400mm size.
When Loren received the canvas she replied:

“OMG my canvas print is fantastic!! I am so pleased with it! It has given me some inspiration to take some more photos that I have been meaning to do!! I want to do a night scene of Wellington harbour, with all the lights etc…a bit corny and everyone else has done it but I want my own one!!
Thanks heaps, really love it!! Will be in touch with my next masterpiece!!”

We played last night in the reserve mens’ competition against Kamo High School. A great game with our team sneaking thru on penalty strokes. No photos as I was playing but here’s an email commentary I sent to friends. Naturally biased of course….

Dusk was just setting when the teams took to the field, on a night which would determine the two teams to go thru to the finals weekend after next - Whangarei Boys High were taking on Mangapai on the 2nd field. Both games needed a winner, no draws allowed.

The team assembled early to discuss player subs, this being our first time for the whole year we had all our players there - 4 extras. The discussion turned to tactics how to take on the young upstarts from Kamo. This would be no walk over team, they’d shown their worth over the season, growing in size and stature as the year passed. The assault on Fortress Kamo wasn’t going to be easy.

The whistle goes and the Dream Team goes into action. We take the fight straight to Kamo. With speed and skill, Kamo absorb every attack we throw at them. In countering, Kamo’s attacks are thrown back at them. It looks like a stalemate so far.

Then the normal happens, Kamo get a fluke breakaway, dribble into the circle past our defences and shoot - the ball goes past pup Josh, Kamo howl in glee as the whistle signals a goal - 1-0 down!

We’ve been in this position many times before, the boys know what to do - attack! Again we short pass down the field, making inroads into Kamo’s territory. But again we’re thwarted. Either Kamo tackle superbly or our passes go wide of the receiver and we lose possession. To any stats nerd the figures would have shown 80% attack/possession in our favour. Alas the figures didn’t help, Kamo kept the pressure on.

Then we made another tactical error. I needed to sub off, but chose my timing wrong. In coming off the field I swapped to right fullback. All of a sudden a sudden counter attack sees Kamo get in behind me and the rest of the defence. The striker heads into the circle, suddenly free of defenders. He shoots and the ball goes high past Josh and into the net! 2-0 down - Kamo go wild, the Kamo dominated crowd crow their joy. Things are getting serious, if we leave it too late we’ll be cast out into 3rd 4th playoffs.

The first half finishes with more of the same, Springfield attack repeatedly, but Kamo now are two goals up and can afford to stop attacking. The whole team retreats to the 25 mark and defend on mass.

Half time sees the boys getting a rev up, our passing needs to be lifted and stop hitting the long ball. The 2nd half starts with more of the same - assault after assault at Kamo’s circle. Finally we get a penalty corner. Jimmy steps up with his loaded weapon and fires a drag flick! The ball goes wide of the goal, giving Kamo another reprieve. Minutes later we get another penalty corner. We all pray that Jimmy can slot it this time. Jimmy steps up, the trap is cleanly done and Jimmy launches the ball at the net. This time the goalie has no answer. The ball flies past him high into the net. Springfield lift their heads, we’re back in the game!

Kamo continue to make probing attacks into our territory, but they’re few and far between, eventually petering out as we block tackle, then reverse the charge. Again and again we attack their defences, but can’t find a way thru. Old Gus Lindsay, ex fellow United player and Northland rep with 200 caps, player coach for Kamo, defends like a madman. With the age of cunning and skill, he tackles our best players with ease. Everywhere we look Gus is in the fray, cleaving a path of destruction amongst our attackers.

We get more desperate as yet again more passes go wide or we’re stopped at the edge of the circle. Other penalty corners are thwarted by Kamo’s young upstart goalie. The tactical report that says he’s their weakness are off the mark. I call out to the ref, “how much time left Mel?” She says 10 minutes to go. Will this be our final defeat, having crowed our superiority all year, will we leave with our tails between our legs?

Again and again with increasing desperation we attack Kamo, but all their players are defending madly, we can’t get thru. Things are getting dire, this looks like the end for us…. Kamo make a sparing attack down our right. Nearing our circle I can only wonder if this is the death blow, we can’t come back from 3-1 down. Willy and Sam, our fullbacks, hit high gear and make the tackle, again we charge at the circle - again we’re repelled.

I run out of steam and sub off, looking at defeat from the bench. With only 2 minutes to go, Springfield go for death or glory. With the crowd against us, yelling support for Kamo, we make one more penetrating attack. Dion receives a long pass, drilling it on a diagonal across the circle. BK traps the ball passing to Gibbo. Gibbo traps the ball, comes in hard from the left and pushes it at the goal. The ball sails to the right past the goalie into the net! All the Springfield supporters go insane, the reserve bench mad with elation and relief. The Dream Team are back in the game.

Kamo show it’s disbelief and frustration in the final denial of a quick ticket to the final. Jimmy, having put up with a lot of jeering from the crowd, makes a hand signal worthy of Andrew Merhtens in South Africa.

The final whistle goes and we’re into extra time, known as golden goal. The next 7 mins of time 9 players are on the field, first goal scored wins the game. We discuss our tactics and put our best players on. I start off as defender. Again we attack/defend. Kamo do the same but it’s a stalemate throughout the 7 minutes. The whistle goes and we swap sides then drop down to 7 players for another 7 minutes. Even with constant subbing neither team can find advantage. In the last desperate minutes I make a tactical mistake and give Kamo the ball, we defend desperately. Warren makes the save with a wonderful tackle and rightly remonstrates my foolishness. The final whistle goes with no break in the stalemate, it’s now down to strokes.

5 players from each side are chosen to take penalty strokes at the opposition goalie. Kamo win the toss and decide to take first strike. Young pup Josh must play like he’s never played before. The Kamo striker flicks. It goes hard and fast, way beyond Josh. So far in fact it hit the goal post and harmlessly sails away. A great start for us. Dion steps up for the Springfield flick. The goalie has no answer and the ball goes in. 1-0 to us. The next two players from each side succeed in getting their balls in. Kamo player 4 does the same, then it’s Jimmy’s turn to shoot. The master of the drag flick, hero of the secret weapon, Jimmy launches his flick. As he said himself, everything happened in slow motion. His flick doesn’t go high into the net, but instead, the goalie’s right glove flicks out and bats the ball away, and Jimmy’s now the whipping boy. The crowd goes wild, Kamo are back in the game with the strokes on 3-3 each. The last players take their strokes, both going in. Now it’s down to sudden death, the first stroke saved ends the game.

Dion steps up and flicks the ball with mighty power. The goalie is baffled as the ball flashes past into the net. It’s now Josh’s turn. All the pressure rides on our baby of the team. At only fifteen he’s over half as young as everyone else. Now is the moment. He steps into the goal. The whistle sounds and the Kamo player launches his flick. The ball goes low to the right, Josh’s leg flashes out and stops the ball! We’ve won! The Springfield supporters scream their delight as we go thru to the final. With handshakes all round we congratulate Kamo for a tense but great game. We talk about the mettle we’ve shown to come back from 2-0 down and win the semi. Final score 7-6

In the other game, Whangarei Boys High beat Mangapai 3-1. So yet again Boys High will play in the final - bridesmaids for the last few years they’ve always come away with a loss. Now is the hour, the final push towards final victory for the Dream Team and ultimate glory…..

Photos taken over the weekend of grass roots hockey where our future Black Sticks will come from. Here Glenbervie in green take on Horahora.