Spencer Peaks City claim carnival title

A combined team featuring some of the Lower Great Southern Hockey Association’s best players took out the women’s division of the annual Great Southern Hockey Carnival last weekend.

In the all-local affair, Spencer Peaks City edged out Albany Bullets 2-1 in last Sunday’s grand final after qualifying matches on Saturday.

Teams from Perth including Curtin, North Coast Raiders and Ellenbrook competed against local opposition and visiting teams from the Wheatbelt and Central Great Southern areas including Wagin, Tambellup, York, Katanning and Narrogin across the men’s and women’s divisions across two days.

While the women’s trophy stayed in Albany, Perth-based North Coast Raiders clinched the 12-team men’s division after proving too strong for Esperance with a 2-0 win in Sunday afternoon’s final.

The Raiders almost had to overcome adversity on the trip down, hitting a kangaroo about 20 minutes out of Perth but alternative transport was found before arriving in Albany in the early hours of Saturday morning. The women’s all-star team had plenty of local representation, with six players from the LGSHA making the team including youngsters Tallulah Gouldthorp and Sophie McDonald (Bullets), veterans Kelly Burlikowski and Georgie Powis (Albany Prehistorics) and Spencer Peaks City duo Courtney Robinson and Renae Parsons.

North Albany’s Andre Gabriel was the sole local player in the men’s all-star team.

The annual carnival will be held in Esperance next year.