BATHURST proved themselves to be a powerhouse when it comes to over 50s men’s hockey by taking out divisions one and two at the NSW Masters Over 50s Men’s State Championships on Sunday at the Cooke Hockey Complex.

Having earlier claimed the second division trophy with a 1-0 win over New England, the first division decider saw the hosts pitted against the powerful Sydney team.

It was clear from the outset that it would take a big effort to unseat the visiting side, but through a combination of tenacity and skill, Bathurst wore down their opposition to win 1-0. 

The goal came barely two minutes into the second half, Mark Hurst finding the back of the net. 

Despite Sydney lifting in the run to full-time, Bathurst were able to hold on.

They had to battle to do it, as some of the weary legs began to give way after six games in the space of three days. 

Still, their grit was never far from the surface against a good opponent.

“Sydney were strong, they weren’t just winning, they were beating teams by four and five goals the whole way through the tournament,” Bathurst captain Peter Davis said.

“No-one came close to them, but we knew that if we could hang in there and try and frustrate them into making some mistakes, we could match them.

“As the fatigue started to set in I think that’s what happened.

“We were really counting on making sure we got in their face, on their shoulder and trying to make everything as difficult as we could for them.

“Everyone did their part. We really need to say a big thank you to the organising committee and all the people who kept us on the field for the three days. We were able to keep a full 16 players in action the whole way through the tournament.”

Bathurst earned their spot in the division one decider after wins over Macarthur and Manning Valley on day one, followed by a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Illawarra on Saturday, and a narrow 2-1 victory over Sutherland that afternoon.

In their semi-final against Grafton on Sunday morning, Bathurst easily overpowered their opponents 4-0 to set up the clash with Sydney.

Meanwhile in B division, Bathurst started with a 3-all draw against Inverell and a 2-1 win against Illawarra.

On Saturday they hammered Macarthur 5-0, but lost a game against the then-winless Orange team, 2-1.

But Bathurst still did enough to earn a shot against Sydney 2 in the semi-finals, a match they won 1-0 thanks to a Dereck Morton goal. 

In the decider Marty Deegan slotted home the winning goal against New England with just five minutes left on the clock to hand the hosts the victory, topping off a brilliant carnival in the top two divisions.