Young Funnel Webs cap good Toowoomba year
INDOOR HOCKEY: The under-13 Funnel Webs capped a positive representative indoor hockey year for Toowoomba teams with a state championship final win over Rockhampton Turtles in an overtime shoot out at the 2018 titles in Maryborough.
The win ends a representative campaign where for the first time Toowoomba teams competed at all levels of state championship indoor hockey state titles, including boys and girls under-13s, U15, U18, U21 and opens tournaments.
Most of the players who have made up the Toowoomba Funnel Webs sides have only recently taken up the indoor hockey sport after playing the outdoor version of the game.
Much of their experience has been gained in the short local indoor hockey seasons held at USQ Clive Berghofer Recreation Centre which also hosted the U18 boy’s and open men’s and women’s state championships.
The U18 Funnel Web boys last month made the grand final of the Indoor Hockey State Championships, only to go down in a gutsy loss 2-0 to the Rockhampton side.
“This success demonstrates just how enthusiastically local outdoor players are taking up the sport and adapting to the different style of play,” Toowoomba Indoor Hockey committee official David Hilton said.
“There are some keen volunteers behind this growth, people who could see that indoor hockey’s fast end-to-end action is something hockey players would love — not just a skills’ development tool for outdoor hockey.
“It’s the next ambitious step. “We’ve hosted two successful state championships and seen our new Funnel Web teams play great hockey, so hopefully in the near future we’ll host a nationals tournament here in Toowoomba.
“We’ve been able to achieve what we have because we don’t let things bog us down or set limits on our goals.”
The U13 boys’ success has seen Funnel Web team members — Oliver Harding, Matthew Hawthorne, Will Ready, and Tom Campbell — selected in the Queensland indoor hockey teams.
Other Toowoomba Funnel Web players to gain rep selection include:U13 girls: Courtney Wardill, Bobby Hamlet (shadow), Delaney Burke (shadow).
U15 boys: Will Nielsen, Daniel Burge, Jack Hawthorne (shadow).
U15 girls: Tess Henare, Peppa Carter (shadow), Charlotte Krautz (shadow).
U18 boys: Matthew West, Dylan Pember (shadow).
U18 girls: Ella White, Georgina Greig, Julia Gannon. Under 21/Open women: Holly Gilbar, Elise Matherson.
All of them will be competing for Queensland at the nationals in Goulburn early next year.
The U13 girls (division two) team finished third at the state titles; under-15 boys (division one) fourth, (division two) fifth; under-15 girls (division two) second.
‘‘ THIS SUCCESS DEMONSTRATES JUST HOW ENTHUSIASTICALLY LOCAL OUTDOOR PLAYERS ARE TAKING UP THE SPORT AND ADAPTING TO THE DIFFERENT STYLE OF PLAY. DAVID HILTON