The 2019 Under 18 Australian Hockey Championships were played under beautiful warm autumn skies at the Tasmanian Hockey Centre in Hobart, 9 – 17 April. Australia’s best up-and-coming junior players were on display, and some great hockey resulted.
Ten teams played in each of the competitions: a representative team from each state/territory, two sides from NSW, and a multi-state “Allies” team. OHA had five players in the Tasmanian Girls team: Ella Berresford, Jess Chesterman, Julia Gunn, Livinia Sproule, and Evie Dalton. In the Boys competition, OHA’s Will Boyce and Nick Spandler represented Tasmania, and Harry Winch was selected in the Allies team. It was a great opportunity to cement friendships with the other players, to learn from the coaches, and to experience the best U18 hockey in the country.
The Tassie boys had an excellent tournament, finishing 5th. They couldn’t quite match the depth of the “Big Four” states, but were emphatically the “Best of the Rest”. Tasmania has hosted the U18s championships since 2015 and the TAS boy’s teams have proven their consistency in that sequence, with finishes of 4th, 4th, 6th and 5th. This year they had 3 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses; finishing above ACT, NSW-B, NT, Allies and SA. The gold medal went to QLD, WA took silver, and the NSW State team edged out VIC for the bronze.
The Tassie girls also had a competitive tournament, averaging only 2 goals against them per game. They defeated ACT, drew with the Allies, and had 3 losses (including matches against the eventual gold and silver medallists), before securing 9th place overall by defeating NT. In that final match, OHA’s goalkeeper Evie Dalton stamped her authority on the shoot-out, helping TAS to a 3-0 win, after a 1-1 result in normal time. Gold went to QLD, silver to NSW-B, and bronze to the NSW State team. Well played to all the TAS teams, and special congratulations to the OHA representatives (including Umpire rep Amy Spandler).
