Hockey
6 June, 2025
Wimmera Hockey takes to country champs
For the first time since before the Covid-19 pandemic, the Wimmera Hockey Association has entered two teams in the Victorian Senior Country Hockey Championships.
This continues a tradition of Wimmera teams playing at this level that dates back more than 70 years, with teams from the Horsham Women’s Hockey Association having first participated in the annual 'Country Week' tournament in 1951.
Local men’s teams have been making the pilgrimage to Melbourne for this event since the mid-1980s.
Wimmera women’s teams have enjoyed some success, most recently winning the B2 division in 2019.
While they have qualified for several gold-medal play-offs over the years, the men are yet to win the title.
All six local clubs, along with several former players now playing elsewhere, will don the Wimmera blue and gold to participate in this year’s tournament, which will feature several innovations as Hockey Victoria strives to revitalise it after several years of dwindling entries.
For the first time, men and women will play at the same venue.
Traditionally, the women’s competition has been played in Geelong while the men's competition has been held at various venues across Melbourne.
By utilising the same location this year, the intention is to create a more social atmosphere while bringing together the regional hockey community from across the state.
Ten teams have entered the women’s competition, with Wimmera drawn in Pool B with East Gippsland, Peninsula, Hockey Central Vic (Bendigo) and North West Lightning, and Pool A featuring Goulburn Valley, Sunraysia, North Central, West Gippsland and Maryborough.
The men's division will also feature 10 teams, with Wimmera in Pool B to take on La Trobe Valley and Geelong on Saturday, and North West Lightning and East Gippsland on Sunday, before the finals.
The teams in Pool A are Goulburn Valley, North Central, Sunraysia, Bendigo and West Gippsland.
In both competitions, after the pool matches teams will progress to a series of crossover matches
and semi-finals before classification matches and the gold-medal play-off on Monday afternoon.
The tournament also features both men’s and women’s Masters divisions, although the Wimmera has not entered these teams this year.
Due to this tournament, there will be no local games this weekend.
Teams will venture to Kaniva for the first time this season for the next round of matches on May 21.
– SIMON KING