Players gear up for state titles

Two years ago indoor hockey was almost non-existent in Toowoomba.

Now the game is flourishing and this weekend the Garden City will host the Queensland under-15 boys titles.

It’s an exciting time for Paul Matherson and his fellow indoor hockey committee members with the titles, running from tomorrow until Sunday, bringing 400-500 people to Toowoomba.

“Being able to host the titles is a fantastic opportunity,” Matherson said.

“It’s great for the sport and our local players.”

Matches will be played at USQ’s Clive Berghofer stadium with the venue providing a rare opportunity for players to compete on a full-size court.

“We have been able to set up a full international-size court,” Matherson said.

“There’s not many of those in Australia so it’s great for the players.

“It’s a great venue and the games are fast and exciting to watch.”

Toowoomba will field three teams at the titles, one in division one and two in division two, with Matherson confident the teams will be competitive.

“The division one team have been playing together for a while now,” he said.

“I think they will be in with a good shot and our division two boys have a good mix of talent and will be very competitive.”