There has been no shortage of representative hockey being played around the State in recent weeks.

GHA had 12 players represent North Coast at the NSW Combined High Schools Sports Association Hockey Championships in recent weeks. The boys competed well and finished in 4^th place. The girls excelled, taking the gold medal. Congratulations to Joseph Nilon and Martina Williams who were selected in the CHS State teams.

The GHA Men’s Opens team travelled to Newcastle on the long weekend to compete at the State Championships. The team were playing without Australian Under 21 representative Jake Lambeth who was competing with the Australian Under 21 team, the Burras, in Europe. The team had mixed fortunes through the round games, with 2 wins and 2 losses (to the eventual finalists Newcastle and Illawarra). The team finished 7^th, comfortably avoiding the dreaded relegation match.

In the Open Women’s competition, Grafton was able to enter a team for the first time in a number of years. The team battled it out in the 3^rd Division, playing most of the weekend with only one sub. The team finished in 3^rd, but only 2 points behind the winners, and are looking forward to fighting for a promotion to 2^nd Division in 2024.

Closer to home, Grafton Hockey Association was pleased to host the NSW Under 15 Girls State Championships over the weekend. These weekends provide a huge financial input to the local area as hundreds of players and their families spend a few days here for the tournament. The Grafton weather put on its best display, and the carnival ran smoothly thanks to the efforts of GHA staff and volunteers. Check back into next week’s hockey report for the results from the tournament.

Angie Day