Finals bring 2018 Australian Women’s Masters Hockey Championships to a close

Following nine days of exciting hockey clashes, the tournament’s top sides headed to Bunbury Hockey Stadium for the finals series. 

New South Wales took out the over 65s division with a tight win over Victoria, after Western Australia claimed bronze with a 2-0 victory over Queensland. 

“We drew one game which we should have won,” WA o65s player Karen Allan said. 

“The tournament has been run very successfully, it’s been very good.”

A shootout saw NSW claim the o60s division over Victoria. 

Queensland 1 finished top of the ladder to claim the o55s title. 

WA’s o50s team claimed gold with a 2-1 win over Queensland. 

“The competition has been fantastic and the girls have enjoyed it,” WA o50s manager Pat Scott said.

“This tournament means that people can continue playing hockey into the future.” 

WA collected bronze in the o45s division with a 5-0 win over NSW2, before NSW defeated Queensland 3-0 in the final.

“We started off slow, had a few problems with our corners, but we finished off with a bang and everyone played well,” WA o45s coach Allison Rieck said. 

“The new players learned what it’s like to play in a tougher competition, the stuff you have to do is a lot more difficult than in a club competition.

“Everyone has loved the tournament and the WA Support has been brilliant.”

WA’s o40s team went two goals up in its final against Victoria. 

Victoria equalised in the second half, but failed to prevent WA’s third goal just before the final whistle. 

Following WA’s 3-2 win, captain Jodi Nield was picked to represent Australia’s o40s side in next year’s Trans Tasman tournament. 

Later in the day, Queensland’s o35s claimed a decisive 4-0 win over Victoria. 

Tournament director Sonya Fisher said the competition showcased an extraordinary level of talent. 

“The selectors have probably had a pretty tough time picking their teams,” she said. 

“It is never too late to start and you are never too old to play.”

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