There was one upset and two results according to ladder position in the 2009 grand finals as the Sydney Veterans Hockey season wound up at the Sydney Olympic Hockey Centre on Wednesday night September 16.
Minor premiers UNSW (A Division) and Glebe (C Division) had comfortable three-goal victories while third- placed Ryde stole the B Division crown from top-ranked Macarthur with a rousing 3-1 win in front of some boisterous supporters.
Glebe had a Peter Busch hat-trick to thank for their C Division title at the expense of Northern District, who had previously upset second-placed Southern Highlands in the semi-final. Busch scored from a penalty corner late in the first half after a period of sustained attack, and put two field goals away in the last six minutes to seal the win. The trophy added to the B Division crown that Glebe won in 2007 and boosted their prospects for promotion.
Over on the Olympic pitch Ryde came out on top after a dog fight with the previously unbeaten Macarthur team to win the B Division – the first Veterans title for the club. At half time it was all even at 1-1 (a penalty stroke to each side) however Ryde broke the deadlock with second half goals to Brad Parkes and Mick Gunner, then defended strongly to deny Macarthur any chance to get back in the game.
In the showpiece game in A Division, UNSW made it three titles in a row and extended their unbeaten run to 48 games with a comprehensive 6-3 win over arch rivals Sydney Uni. UNSW made a typically blistering start and were 2-0 up in no time with goals to Geoff Hayes and Mark Rappaport before Sydney Uni grabbed one back through an 11th-minute penalty stroke to Dale Aitken. The score line was quickly doubled from three penalty corners as UNSW went into the half time break 4-2 up. The second half attack from UNSW was unrelenting and goals to Evan Watson and Brian Doughty increased the score to 6-2 before Sydney Uni netted a consolation goal in the last minute through Lee Aitken. It was the fifth grand final in six years the two uni clubs have contested, with UNSW snaring four of those.
Congratulations to all the players and umpires on a great display of hockey and sportsmanship.
Photos of the winners and runners up can be found under the 'Photo Gallery' tab.
Last updated: Wednesday September 23, 2009 9:31AM
Author: Ian Jessup
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