Some of the western region's best hockey players have banded together to create a new competition for the Master's category.
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Teams from Bathurst, Parkes, Dubbo, Mudgee, Orange and Lithgow headed to Lithgow on the weekend for the first round of what is expected to become a regular feature.
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Parkes' Denise Gernsbach said the competition, between the six teams of Master's ranked women, was a welcome opportunity for the sport's more experienced players to keep competing all through the year.
"It was something we all wanted to do, a good number of us who've played in the Western Premier League Hockey got together and decided it would be a good idea for us," Gernsbach said.
"We wanted to provide something for the Master's women and have a competition that caters to us, so having us come together once a month to play these matches seemed like the best idea."
The wheels have been turning to set the competition up for a while now, with Tracey Hardie-Jones from Dubbo's association backing it.
Hardie-Jones will head to compete nationally at the tail end of the year, and Gernsbach said the need for the more experienced players to continue competing in the lead up to such competitions was another factor influencing the creation of the tournament.
Parkes downed Bathurst 3 - 0 in the first round, with Gernsbach's side triumphing over their rivals, while Dubbo were dealt a 4 - 2 blow in a loss to Mudgee, while Orange scraped by the hosting Lithgow side 1 - 0.
