Volleyball titles provide insight
Victorian Country Volleyball Championships success has provided an example of why Horsham is perfectly placed to build a new multipurpose indoor stadium.
That’s the observation of Horsham Volleyball Association president David Berry after the Wimmera centre hosted the titles at the weekend.
Mr Berry said Horsham had again showed how well it could host a major sporting event and all that was missing from the equation was a high-class indoor centre.
“We’re rapt with how the championships went. We’ve had nothing but positive feedback involving the things we could control,” he said.
“What we couldn’t control was the fact that competition had to be at three different venues. It was a classic example of why our community needs a multi-purpose venue. If we are able to bring all matches under one roof, imagine what the atmosphere would have been like.”
The championships featured games at Horsham Basketball Stadium and Horsham and St Brigid’s college gymnasiums.
Between 500 and 600 players, coaches and supporters and 34 teams from across country Victoria were involved in three divisions at the titles. Bendigo association scooped the pool, with its four representative teams winning medals, and its men’s and women’s teams claiming division-one gold.
Bendigo won the men’s division-one title by beating Latrobe Valley 25-13, 26-24, 19-25, 2522 and the women’s division-one crown, also against Latrobe Valley with a 27-25, 25-17, 25-23.
Mr Berry said praise from technical delegate Murray Mansfield of Bendigo sung the praises of the Horsham organisation.
“He told us we had done a sensational job and that no other association could have replicated the environment. That makes you feel good and underlines all the hard work from volunteers,” he said.
“Our kids had to be volunteers looking after medal matches with duties and they took it all on and performed with aplomb, which left me proud and pleased.”
A Horsham team won bronze in a men’s division-two final and a Horsham women’s division-two team was runner-up for bronze.
Other grand final results: Men’s division two, Bairnsdale d Bendigo 28-26, 25-20, 25-16; women’s division two, Bellarine d Warrnambool 25-16, 26-24, 25-19; men’s division three, Korumburra d Bellarine 25-22, 17-25, 25-13, 23-25, 15-9; women’s division three, Riddells Creek d Sunraysia 3-0: 25-22, 25-19, 25-16.
Horsham Rural City Council is investigating sites for a new community indoor sports stadium.