On the bottom, only way is up

A HOST of talented Cairns Crays will press their claims for a berth in the national team when the Australian Underwater Hockey Championships splashes into town in January.

Josiah Hartley and Jasmine Azzopardi will be the youngest Cairns prospects at the event, representing their state in the under-15 men’s and women’s teams, respectively. Cairns Cray’s Sean Hartley said the junior players would relish the opportunity.

“There’s not many people who get to represent their state or their country at that level,” he said.

“We’ve been putting a lot of time and effort into our juniors in Cairns and quite a few got selected for the state teams, which is just great.

“For us, it’s not just about getting together and having a fun game – although that is a big part of it – it’s about giving the kids the opportunity to develop and get better.”

Back when Hartley started playing underwater hockey in Cairns six years ago, the club had 12 members. Now, it has more than 80. “We’re hoping that having the national titles up in Cairns will inspire more kids to give it a go,” Hartley said.

He said more than 330 competitors from all over Australia would be travelling to Cairns for the championships early next year, as well as teams from New Zealand and South-East Asia.

“It’s a reasonably big event in the world of niche sports,” he said. “It’s pretty exciting for our club and the community.”