Silver made sweeter

The boys were part of the Dubbo side that contested in the championships and came out with a silver medal, going down in the final 8-5 to Grafton, and they also received some individual recognition.

Out of the 24 teams, close to 200 players were involved and Eckford was named the development player of the tournament while Hunter was selected in the NSW under-15 indoor hockey squad.

The Dubbo side was made of boys in the under-15 age group who all play in Dubbo’s outdoor hockey competition.

With Hunter, 14, and Jack, 15, they really had to step up a notch as most sides they came up against were in the 16-17 age group.

“Indoor is a lot quicker game and it is just different altogether,” Eckford said.

“There is a lot more continuous play with hardly any stoppages, but there is only half a hockey field with six players.

“I thought we did well against Grafton, we don’t have indoor facilities in Dubbo whereas they have their own indoor complex so they can practise a lot.

“I was pretty surprised to be named development player. I usually play the position of half in field hockey and I was playing back at Gosford, but I guess I must have played strongly in that position,” he said.

With his NSW selection, Medcalf has to attend a trial in Kiama on November 21 where a final side will then be picked to compete in the Australian Under-15 Indoor Championships in Wollongong in January.

“I was fairly surprised to be picked but I made the Under-14s NSW side last year and we won the state titles,” he said.

“It’s a great atmosphere playing in those carnivals and it makes you realise how competitive everyone is.

“I think having that experience last year has made me a bit more confident and more aggressive in my game.”

The boys are also the only two Dubbo players that are members of NSW Bushrangers side, an invitational side that converses with NSW Hockey.

“The Bushrangers are run by a group of ex-NSW selectors for kids aged 13 to 17, that they believe have been overlooked by NSW Hockey,” Medcalf’s mother Leanne said.

“It gives the kids another opportunity to play at a competitive level so that they can improve their hockey. There is much more of a family friendly atmosphere about it.”

The side played in the under-16 Australian hockey tournament in Bathurst and finished runners up.

Their next competition is at the FHE Cup in Perth next month where they will compete against teams not only from around Australian but also Japan and Singapore.

Dubbo indoor hockey side: Daniel Battershaw, Cameron Garroway, Angus Ray, Dalton Medcalf, Jesse Webber, Hunter Medcalf, Jack Eckford.