The last of the junior NSW Hockey State Championships wrapped up at the end of the school holidays with the Under 13 Boys Championships being hosted by Tamworth Hockey.

Grafton was able to field two teams for the championships with some younger players from the Under 11s Div gaining valuable experience.

The Grafton 1 team was looking to defend their Div 1 title from 2022 but were fielding a new younger side, with all but 3 of the 2022 team moving up an age group.

The team had been training well and began the tournament with strong wins over New England, Metro South-West and Central Coast. Despite a draw with North-West Sydney and a loss to Canberra, they were placed second in their pool and qualified for the semi-finals.

The semi-final was against home-town favourites Tamworth and the Grafton boys put in a determined, gritty performance to only lose 1-0 to the eventual champions of the tournament.

The team was a new combination with many playing in their first Div 1 Championships.

Coach, Matt Lobsey, said he was very proud of their respectful, friendly and supportive team spirit which helped make it a very enjoyable tournament.

The Grafton 2 team competed in Div 3 and had to work hard, often playing without a full team due to injuries. They improved over the weekend and finished on a high with a 6-0 victory.

To top off the weekend, GHA also won the Respect for Officials Award for the tournament and had 4 players selected in the State Under 13 squad: Oscar Woods, Charlie Rouse, Thomas Boehm and Max Lobsey.

Angie Day