This follows the NSW Masters Titles held in Bathurst.

Manning took three teams to Bathurst for the full State championships held over four days, competing in the over 35s division two, 35s division five and 50s division one.

The 50s purchased team Brendan beanies in support of Brendan Maloney who is going through his own personal battle with cancer. The beanies came in very handy at Bathurst over the four days. Coached by Di Cubbin and managed by Emma Greenaway the over 50s team were undefeated in their quest for victory.

The first game was against Grafton at 7pm on turf saw Manning come away with a 3-0  win. They played three games on the Friday, Sydney North West on grass which resulted in a 0-0 all draw, Far North Coast, a 1-0 win and Bathurst on turf, a 3-2 win. On the Saturday the team played Sydney South West and scored a very comprehensive 7-0 win on turf and had a 1-0 win over Illawarra South Coast on grass. Doing the maths at the team dinner on the Saturday evening with results from other matches it was determined the team was going to make the final win, lose or draw in their last game on the Sunday morning. Here Manning played a 0-0 draw with Orange on grass to put them into the final at 1pm.

 This was played on turf and the team played the host association Bathurst, the only side to score against them in the round matches.

Manning was quietly confident that they could repeat the win over Bathurst and take the championshionship trophy back to Taree. In the final, Manning scored two goals in the first half, while the second half was scoreless.

While the majority of the team was aged between 50 and 60 it is worth noting that a couple of members are in their 60s and the goal keeper, Gloria Smith is 70.

The women’s masters is a massive tournament with 379 games played over the four days and around 100 teams competing in age groups and divisions. The full State titles are only held every five years because of the size of the tournament.

In 2016 it will be half State again with the Manning Valley Association nominating to host the championship.

A special mention must go to Julie Collier who is the masters convenyor for all the Manning Valley teams and does a fantastic job along with sponsorship from Club Taree.