Three Upper Great Southern Hockey Association teams compete strongly at CBH men’s country championships

The Upper Great Southern Hockey Association’s division one side finished in third place at the CBH Group Men’s Country Championships, emerging 3-2 winners in their play-off against Eastern Goldfields at the Perth Hockey Stadium on Sunday.

The division one team started their campaign with a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Lower Great Southern, followed by a 1-1 draw with Eastern Goldfields.

Uppers lost 3-1 against eventual champions Bunbury, then defeated Geraldton in their final qualifying match to finish third in the pool in the standings.

They played the third-place play-off against Eastern Districts, emerging 3-2 winners in a thrilling contest to secure third place in the competition.

The Uppers division two team came agonisingly close to grand final glory, defeating Lower Great Southern 1-0 in their first qualifying match, followed by a tight 2-1 triumph over KROCS and a convincing 2-0 victory over Eastern Districts.

They suffered a heavy 5-0 loss to Avon but finished their qualifying rounds on a positive note, downing Bunbury 1-0 to finish as second seed.

Uppers battled Avon in a lively and competitive grand final but fell short, losing 2-1 to finish runner-up in the tournament.

The masters division one team beat Esperance, Eastern Goldfields and Roe Districts but lost to Eastern Districts and Bunbury to finish with three wins and two losses at the conclusion of the qualifying rounds, securing third spot in the standings.

The squad did not compete in a play-off and finished third overall.

The UGSHA thanked all the players, coaches, managers and umpires for a successful weekend of hockey.