Illawarra have won the NSW State Over 55s Veteran Hockey Championships, beating Sydney 1-0 in the final in Goulburn last weekend.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Peter Huk scored the winning goal in the final against Sydney and also scored the winner in the 1-0 win over Newcastle in the semi-final.
As a result of their successful tournaments, Illawarra's Wayne Billett, Ernie Orth and James Crabb will now represent NSW in the Australian Over 55 Masters on the Gold Coast in November.
Back home, reigning premiers Wests Illawarra have shot to the top of the Illawarra Men's Hockey League after scoring a 3-0 win over Dapto in round six action at Unanderra last Sunday. Former NSW under 21s state player Tom Dolby was the toast of the team, firing all three goals.
Two nights earlier, in a catch-up game, Dolby was on the mark again with another hat-trick in a great 4-3 win over University.
Dolby scored the opener in the third quarter and two goals in the last quarter.
Wests coach David Rieck, a six-time premiership winner, was happy with the result. Both teams took their opportunities to score, although both sides were missing players due to the State Under 18 Championships that weekend.
"Both keepers were kept busy through the second half with some excellent saves and scrambling," Rieck said.
"The difference in the end was some high-quality finishing from Tom Dolby to score all three of Wests goals."
Former premiers University bounced back from Friday's defeat to beat Fairy Meadow 2-1 on Sunday. Meadow went ahead in the first quarter through substitute Issac Maris, before the Students came back in the second quarter and equalised through Kyle Faye from a brilliant back stick. He then sealed the game in the second half off a penalty corner.
"Meadow had a few late chances but our keeper Tom David was to keep them out and secure the win," Uni captain Callum Mackay said. "After a disappointing loss on Friday night against Wests, it was good to bounce back."
In the women's league, Albion Park beat Avondale 6-2 to maintain top position; Meadow beat Railway Greys 3-1; and Uni beat Wests 4-2.
To read more stories, download the Illawarra Mercury news app in the Apple Store or Google Play.
Sign up for breaking news emails below.