A team including five Lithgow hockey players has claimed the 2018 Australian Country Men’s Championships for NSW, winning the grand final against Queensland in Berri, South Australia, on Saturday.
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NSW crushed Queensland 5-nil to claim back-to-back titles, with Lithgow Panthers’ Taylor Dolbel and Nic Milne, and Zig Zag’s Michael Dillon scoring three goals throughout the game.
Zig Zag’s Ben Kelly and Lithgow-based goal keeper David Reid (who plays for Glebe in Sydney) bolstered defence for the NSW side.
After a goalless opening 20 minutes, NSW quickly opened up a three-goal buffer with goals from Benjamin Ferguson (24’), Michael Dillon (25’) and Luke Witchard (29’). Nic Milne (52’) and Taylor Dolbel (68’) added goals in the second half to cap off the dominant tournament for NSW.
Throughout the championships Milne, Dillon and Dolbel contributed fifteen goals to their teams total goal tally.
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Lithgow Panthers’ striker and attacking midfielder Amelia Leard and goal keeper Jess Luchetti represented the state in the women’s championships, gaining a silver after a 1-0 grand final defeat to Queensland.
Leard scored more than a third (5) of NSW’s total of 14 goals throughout the tournament.
Hockey Australia’s men and women’s country championships are a pathway for players from rural and regional areas to access elite training and recognition nationally and internationally.
More to come.
