Bunbury and Districts Hockey Association claim back-to-back women’s division one Country Championships titles

Bunbury and Districts Hockey Association claimed back-to-back women’s division one Country Championships titles with a 2-1 win over Esperance in the competition’s grand final on Sunday. Having drawn 1-1 with the same opponent in the pool stage, the reigning champions won the competition decider at Perth Hockey Stadium 2-1. The eventual winners did not drop a game through the duration of the tournament, beating Upper Great Southern 4-0 and Lower Great Southern 2-1 alongside a scoreless draw with Geraldton in their earlier games. Bunbury’s division two side just missed a grand final place after winning two games to go with a pair of losses in the pool stage but secured a third-placed finish by beating Central Wheatbelt 3-0 in their final game of the championships. In the masters division one bracket, Bunbury finished second in their pool with two wins from three games but drew with Peel in their semifinal, depriving them the chance to go for a grand final place and finishing fourth after a 3-1 defeat to Lower Great Southern in their third-placed play-off. Of the other teams from the South West to compete at the championships, Busselton Hockey Association’s division one masters side finished fifth and Donnybrook’s division five side came in seventh. The men’s championships will take place this weekend, with Bunbury’s division one side trying to pull off a fourth consecutive tournament victory.