AFTER a runner up finish in this year’s Manning Valley Hockey Association Division 2 competition, Wingham are set to enter a Division 1 men’s team for the 2015 season.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Wingham men’s side competed for this year’s Division 2 grand final and plans are afoot to make the step up in competition, entering a team in Division 1 competition for the first time in club history.
Former Wingham Hockey Club president and long time club advocate Grant Coleman said the time was now right for the side to step up a grade to help cater for the future of Wingham hockey.
“We are planning to enter a team in Division 1 next year , as we have got a number of young players in the team who played in the Division 2 grand final and we don’t want to lose them, that’s the reason we want a Division 1 team,” he said.
“It’s another team in the Manning Valley competition which is what is needed.”
Current club president Donna Nielsen said the Division 2 runners up were ready to take on the top level of Manning Valley competition.
“We’ve got a lot of young representative players playing in our Division 2 team and they want to play Division 1,” she said.
“We’ve consulted with them and they want to go to the next level.”
Mrs Nielsen said they would ideally like to keep a Division 2 team as well for season 2015.
“It would be nice to have a Division 1 and Division 2 team, because you would have the Division 2 team to feed up from,” she said.
The Wingham president said the recent success of the club’s women’s side had been a catalyst for the men to step up into Division 1.
“Our Division 1 women’s team won the grand final, which is our first women’s Division 1 title since 1994,” she said.
“It’s inspired the boys to play in Division 1, and it shows that we may be young, but we can do it.”