WA Country easily holds off Waratahs

WA Country’s Over 40s cruised to a 7-1 victory over New South Wales number two at the Bunbury Hockey Stadium yesterday.

After finishing third in Pool B at the 2019 men’s masters Australian championships, WA Country faced off against the Waratahs, who finished bottom of Pool A.

The home side made a brilliant start, with Josh Dorozenko and Campbell Nettleton providing plenty of drive into the final third of the pitch.

With the Waratahs defence routinely caged, WA Country laboured hard and eventually got reward for effort through Dorozenko who slotted home a goal off a penalty corner in the 11th minute.

Wave after wave rained on New South Wales number two goalkeeper Richard Lawrence, who urged his defenders to be accountable and dig their heels in.

However Lawrence was forced to pick the ball out of the net moments later as Mark Ward cleverly shimmied his way through congestion to fire through a goal from close range.

Riding high with a 2-0 lead midway during the second quarter, the Waratahs managed to pull a goal back through Quentin Anderson.

However the visitors were unable to take advantage of their momentum, with back-to-back goals in the third term from Michael Devereux and Graeme Sims killing off any chances of a comeback.

Positional matches across several divisions will be held until Saturday and Sunday, when the first batch of medal matches take centre stage.