Victorian teams secured some great results at the 2013 Australian Underwater Hockey Championships held in Hobart, Tasmania at the end of January.
Victoria fielded teams in the majority of divisions at the event, which was held over a five day period at the Hobart Aquatic Centre.
In a result that that bodes very well for the future of Underwater Hockey in this state, Victoria claimed bronze in both the U15 and U19 divisions. With plenty of new faces attending Nationals for the first time it was great to see the kids getting some great games and improved consistently throughout the competition.
The Victorian Women’s team also enjoyed a highly successful tournament. After some consistently good hockey the girls found themselves in second place at conclusion of the round robin stage. A well executed and convincing win over NSW saw them book a spot in the final against the undefeated Tasmanian outfit. The final was an epic affair, the Victorian’s opened strongly. Their team play and commitment to the bottom saw them score two first half goals and take a lead at the halftime break. Despite fighting out the game valiantly they tired in the second half and went down 2-3 at the final siren.
Despite the occasional glimpse of form it provided to be a frustrating tournament for the Victorian Men’s team. The boys scored solid wins over Queensland and New South Wales during the round robin but were never able to find any consistency. Siting fourth at conclusion of the round round, they ground out a 1-0 win over New South Wales to book a place in the bronze medal game. They were hopeful of replacing the round robin result but it wasn’t to be, going down 2-4.
If you have photos from Nationals which you would like to share please contact the VUHC Committee (committee@vuhc.org.au).