WHEN some of the best hockey players from across the Oceania region line up in Fiji today to do battle for the annual Oceania Pacific Cup, among them will be three players from Bathurst.
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Kesley Willott, Maddy Boyce and Sarah Watterson will all be part of the Australian Country under 21s women’s team that has a strong record of reaching the gold medal match at this tournament.
The trio were selected after impressing for NSW Country earlier this year, the side making August’s Country Championship decider where they lost 4-1 to Queensland Country as Watterson scored her state’s only goal.
Joining them in Suva as the assistant coach for the Australian Country team will be another Bathurst product in Mandy George. In an indication of her talent as a mentor, her presence was specially requested by head coach Wayne Gaynor.
While Bathurst is no stranger to having representatives in Australian Country outfits, this is the city’s strongest representation in the last decade.
Bathurst Women’s Hockey Associat-ion president Julie George said it is an indication of how strong the sport is locally and expects all four to further highlight that over the week-long tournament.
“I hope it will be a successful time for the girls, and it will be warm, but they are all players who will play until they drop and give everything regardless of the conditions.
“That’s why they get selected in these sort of teams. It’s great for Bathurst hockey.”
The trio of Bathurst players and George will be trying to plot the downfall of teams from Vanuatu, Samoa, Papua New Guinea and host nation Fiji, as well as a New Zealand Presidents outfit.
While their rivals – aside from New Zealand – are still emerging nations in the sport, they will still provide some stiff competition with a fast and physical brand of hockey.
The tournament may also be a way for Willott, Boyce and Watterson to earn another Australian cap next year as part of an under 23s outfit.
“They’ve recently announced that Hockey Australia, in partnership with Australian Country, are going to have an under 23s development side that will play Malaysia and Indonesia in January next year and Mandy is the head coach of that side,” Julie George said.
“At this stage I don’t think they have named the team, but I’d imagine our girls could get in that too.
“It will give them the opportunity to look at players two years older in that age bracket and I think it is with a view of looking to have some of those girls play in the Australian Country opens. But our players will not have trouble stepping up for that.”
The 2014 Oceania Pacific Cup runs from December 6-13.
