THERE would not be too many, if any, women’s hockey associations which enjoys more representative honours than Lithgow at both senior and junior levels.
Lithgow players were again to the fore following the Open State championships where the NSW Open Country team was announced.
Selected were Amanda Saladine, Brooke McFadden, Mahala Williams, Maddi Bott and Shahna Hamment.
The girls will contest the Australian championships to be held in Bendigo in July and August.
Amanda, a long time NSW and Australian Country player, announced her retirement from the side, but decided to make herself available in 2012.
Brooke, Mahala and Shahna were all members of the 2012 Australian Country team which took out the title in Fiji.
Lithgow’s Wayne ‘Wally’ Gaynor was the side’s coach and he will be backing up again to again coach the Country side and continue his successful stint in Country coaching.
This year’s NSW under 21 coach will be Briana Harvey with the assistant coach being Peter Shea.
In further good news for Lithgow, the under 21 Women’s squad was announced with the squad to attend a series of trial sessions in 2013.
Following trials a final squad will be selected to contest the Australian championships.
Selected are Lithgow girls Maddie Bott, Mahala Williams, Rene Hunter and Keely Hunter.
Maddie and Mahala turn out for the Lithgow Workies Panthers Premier League, Rene and Brooke for Zig Zag and Keely for Bathurst Souths.
All the representatives in both the NSW Country side and the under 21 side have enjoyed an excellent history in representative teams and are among the best players in the state.
A report on the Lithgow Open side which contested the NSW championships will appear in a later edition.