Bathurst are the NSW Over 45s Division 2 Women’s Veterans Hockey Half-State champions after going through the tournament in Parkes undefeated last weekend, completing their domination with a 3-0 win over Griffith in the final.
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The talented side went through four rounds undefeated before producing their best results in the semi-final and final to take out the division.
As well as scoring 20 goals in the six games, they didn’t let any goals through and will now start preparing their defence when Bathurst host the NSW Full State Carnival in July.
Bathurst player Julie George said the win was a fitting reward after years of trying.
“It was an excellent outcome. We had been trying for a few years so it was good to finally win one,” she said.
“We have had a core group of players for a few years now. The closest we have come was runners-up when Bathurst hosted the competition a few years ago.”
Bathurst started their pool matches with a 3-0 win over Parkes before following up with 2-0 wins over Griffith and Orange. They finished the group stage with a 4-0 win over Macarthur to set up a semi-final clash with Parkes which they won 6-0.
“The semi-final was probably one of our best performances because we beat Parkes 3-0 in the round game and then 6-0 in the final,” George said.
“The grand final was similar because we had a 2-0 win early in the competition but improved on that with a 3-0 win.”
The team was guided by experienced Bathurst City Premier League Hockey coach Jillian Long and managed by Millie West.
George said that after several years of trying, it was good that their side had been able to claim the title.
“That tournament was one of the best we have played. We were hoping to get to the finals but in the past, draws have hurt us badly. You get three points for a win and only one for a draw so you can have a team that might only have a couple of wins and if you are struggling with draws they will go through ahead of you.
“We had a couple of early wins which gave us confidence and we were able to build on that. The other motivating factor was that the teams that finished fourth and fifth had to play at 8am on Sunday so that was a good incentive for us.”
Already the team has talked about contesting the 2011 Full State Carnival that will be hosted here but they will look at moving up an age group.
Their team of 14 included only three players under 50 and another two who were over 60.
“We have talked about it and the majority of us will still be there and we will probably go into the 50s division.”
The team was among five from Bathurst that competed, with other teams in Over 35s, 40s and 50s. The 45s were the only ones who were able to claim any silverwear.
