The West Gippsland Hockey Association had three teams competing in the Junior Country Championships over the weekend with some great successes and a fun time had by all.
Under 14 boys
The boys under 14s kicked off their Junior Country Championship campaign at the Essendon Hockey Grounds with their first match at 8:30 am on Saturday morning, facing a strong Geelong Hockey Association team.
Despite the team's best efforts, a heavy downfall of rain had left the pitch saturated, making play difficult. The conditions favoured the more experienced Geelong side, who secured a 9-0 win.
In their second game, the team faced Hockey South West. With the rain clearing and pitch conditions improving, the team found better rhythm.
Harrison Prigg scored the first goal of the tournament for the side. Despite this, South West proved too strong, taking the win 4-1.
The final game on Saturday saw the team up against North Central. Fatigue was beginning to show, and despite some determined play, they fell 4-0. Nonetheless, spirits remained high, and the players showed great resilience and commitment.
After a well-deserved rest, the team returned to the field early Sunday morning at 8:45 am, taking on Hockey Central.
Though the match ended in a 6-0 loss, the team showed significant improvement in their coordination and perseverance.
In the final match of the tournament, the boys faced Wimmera in what turned out to be a closely contested encounter.
Oliver Fallon scored the team's second goal of the tournament, and they pushed Wimmera all the way in a 2-1 defeat that showcased their growth, determination, and teamwork. Coach Michael Ballantyne said his boys "never dropped their heads and every game they improved."
"The camaraderie the boys built over the weekend was clearly evident. They should all be proud of their efforts," he said.
Under 14 girls
The under 14 girls played six games across the weekend, finishing fifth overall out of 10 teams.
The girls were committed to the team, playing with 11 people on the field and no bench players through wet and windy conditions.
Goal scorers included Ainsley Prigg, Lilly Cutler and Kyra Burke.
The competition was fierce but the girls were persistent in defence, showing great determination. They finished the championships with two wins, three draws and only one loss across the two days.
Under 18 girls
A much younger team than usual represented West Gippsland this year.
Coach Zizi Pozzebon rallied them all really well though and came within a whisker or taking home the gold.
Unfortunately with an unexpected loss in game two and other results not going their way it was off to the bronze medal game against Ballarat on Sunday afternoon.
With only one sub all weekend and six games already played the girls were dead on their feet and struggling with the score 0-0 at half time.
With the plea of "only 18 more minutes girls'" ringing in their ears it was a new team that took to the field in the second half and completely blew the opposition away.
Two goals to Marisah Mock and one each for Sky McDonald (the tournament-leading goal scorer) and Leandra McLachlan saw a 4-0 win and third place secured.