Hundreds of players from across WA hit the Narrogin turf in the Upper Great Southern’s Junior Hockey Carnival

Narrogin’s annual Junior Hockey Carnival had a YMCC grand final avalanche alongside Upper and Lower Great Southern successes as players from across the State left it all out on the field. More than 500 young hockey players from 12 associations across WA including Lower Great Southern, Bunbury, Busselton, Ravensthrope, Collie and the University of WA gathered at Narrogin hockey turf for some stick-filled fun on July 13 and 14. The junior carnival has been a July school holiday highlight for more than 60 years and welcomes hundreds of players in Years 5-10 to represent their hockey clubs. The 45 teams competed in a round-robin split into five divisions based on age and gender to decide which two teams from each category would compete in the final. It was a head-to-head between both Upper Great Southern teams for the 5/6 boys decider but UGS Yellow was crowned champions, with a 3-1 win against UGS Black. LGS and Bunbury 5/6 girls both held an unbeatable defence line with their goalies working overtime, which led to a nil-all draw once the final whistle blew. But the LGS team’s success during the round-robin had them finish on top of the ladder, winning them the title. There were endless scoring opportunities for the 7/8 boys YMCC and LGS teams which had spectators on the edge of their seats but none from the LGS boys were successful, as YMCC claimed a 4-0 triumph. Players were fighting until the very end in the 7/8 girls grand final between YMCC and LGS where YMCC’s final goal earned them the 2-1 triumph. The 9/10 mixed division is an emotional and significant part of the event, being the final time for most at the junior carnival. YMCC Green’s hunger was evident on the field as green jerseys hit hard and ran fast, dominating 4-1 against runners-up UWA Centurions. Tournament MC Rodney Johnson said the games were of a very high standard and it was clear all the kids had fun on the field.