Ipswich men back helping youngsters after lockdown
A group of close-knit Ipswich hockey mates highlighted the value of community sport by putting down their scotch and coke to enjoy an extra training session before the finals.
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A GROUP of experienced Ipswich hockey mates highlighted the value of community sport by putting down their scotch and coke to enjoy an extra training session before the finals.
The fourth-placed Easts A2 men face third-placed Hancocks in Friday night’s knockout final at the Ipswich Hockey Complex.
But after a three-week lockdown, Easts joined other clubs in accepting the opportunity to have a Sunday afternoon run on the turf field at Raceview.
While the Tigers team features past A-Graders and some social players, they are fulfilling an important role in addition to sharing in community sport. The older players are helping the youngsters in the side improve their hockey before moving up the ranks.
“It’s a balance,’’ coach Mark Hoppe answered when asked to describe the team’s focus.
“You’ve got maturity and wisdom and you’ve got some young kids.’’
With state Level 3 qualifications, Hoppe rated the A2 competition more challenging than many people realised. That helps the players under the age of 20 fast-track their skills.
“It’s not like a super young team compared to R2 but the competition in general I’ve found is a lot tougher,’’ he said.
“I played for Queensland and Brisbane hockey and coaching at the states, and this is to me, a surprise . . . a higher division.
“It’s a close-knit team too so whatever happens, happens but I think we’ve got a chance (in the semi-final).’’
Hoppe joined Easts through a family connection with club president Paul Malcolm.
The coach smiled as he shared what the men were probably doing during the lockdown.
“Torching a nice scotch and coke I think,’’ he said.
However, he appreciated having everyone together for a pre-finals run on Sunday.
Hoppe had the whiteboard out and ran through some strategies before completing a session on the field.
Most clubs took advantage of an invitation by Ipswich Hockey officials to open up the venue on Sunday for some much-needed training following the enforced break.
All senior and junior finals will be played this weekend, starting with the A2 men and R2 women semis on Friday night.
Ipswich Hockey finals schedule
Men’s and boys semi-finals August 27-29
(Team’s placing in brackets and field for final)
Friday: A2 Grade - (1) Wests v Swifts (2) 1 7pm; (3) Hancock Brothers v Easts (4) 2 8.30pm.
Saturday: J2 Grade - (1) Norths v Hancock Brothers (2) 1 8.30am; (3) Easts Black v Easts Gold (4) 2 9.45am.
J1 Grade: (1) Hancock Brothers v Easts (2) 1 12.45pm.
Reserve: (3) Wests v Hancock Brothers (4) 1 2.15pm.
R2 Grade: (3) Bellbowrie v Easts Gold (4) 2 3.45pm.
A Grade: (3) Wests v Easts (4) 1 5.30pm.
Sunday: J1 Grade - (3) Wests v Norths (4) 2 9am.
R2 Grade: (1) Hancock Brothers v Wests (2) 1 10.30am.
Reserve: (1) Easts v Norths (2) 1 1.30pm.
A Grade: (1) Hancock Brothers v Norths (2) 1 4.30pm.
Women’s and girls semi-finals August 27-29
(Team’s placing in brackets and field for final)
Friday: A2 Grade - (3) Vets v Wests (4) 2 7pm; (1) Thistles v Bellbowrie (2) 1 8.30pm.
Saturday: E Grade - (3) Norths v Swifts (4) 2 8.30am; (1) Easts v Thistles (2) 1 9.45am.
D Grade: (1) Wests v Easts (2) 1 11am; (3) Norths v Hancock Brothers (4) 2 11am.
C Grade: (3) Thistles/Hancocks v Easts (4) 2 12.45pm.
R2 Grade: (3) Hancock Brothers v Swifts (4) 2 2.15pm.
Reserve: (3) Hancock Brothers v Wests (4) 1 3.45pm.
A Grade: (3) Thistles v Swifts (4) 1 7.15pm.
Sunday: C Grade - (1) Northern Strikers v Swifts (2) 1 9am.
R2 Grade: (1) Vets v Norths (2) 1 noon
Reserve: (1) Norths v Swifts (2) 1 3pm.
A Grade: (1) Hancock Brothers v Wests (2) 1 6pm.
Umpire appointments
Men’s and boys’ fixtures, August 27-29
Friday: (Field, Time, Umpires, Tech Bench) - A2 Grade: Wests v Swifts, 1, 7:00 PM, Wode, Terry/Schultz, Grant, Gotting, Caitlin/Hardie, Paul; Hancock Brothers v Easts, 2, 8:30 PM, Brown, Shane/Eleison, Mark, Chandler, Rae/Follett, Mark.
Saturday: J2 Grade – Norths v Hancock Brothers, 1, 8:30 AM, Rogers, Hudson/Simpson, Hannah, Alchin, Pauline/Chandler, Rae; Easts Black v Easts Gold, 2, 9:45 AM, Smith, Brad/Mole, Paige, Hardie, Paul/Follett, Mark.
J1 Grade: Hancock Brothers v Easts, 1, 12:45 PM, Wode, Terry/Eleison, Mark, Doyle, Tracey/Gotting, Bernie.
Res Grade: Wests v Hancock Brothers, 1, 2:15 PM, Herron, Jonathan/McManus, Ben, Alchin, Pauline/Smith, Sandy/Follett, Mark.
R2 Grade: Bellbowrie v Easts Gold, 2, 3:45 PM, Jackson, Kyle/Hudson, Stuart, Gotting, Bernie/Chandler, Rae.
A Grade: Wests v Easts, 1, 5:30 PM, Walker, Nat/Jackson, Kyle, Hardie, Paul/Gotting, Caitlin/Walker, Jan
Sunday: J1 Grade - Wests v Norths, 2, 9:00 AM, Hudson, Stuart/Eleison, Mark, Haley, Leanne/Smith, Sandy.
R2 Grade: Hancock Brothers v Wests, 1, 10:30 AM, Eleison, Mark/Herron, Jonathan, Alchin, Pauline/Smith, Sandy/Klepzig, Emma.
Res Grade: Easts v Norths, 1, 1:30 PM, Arthur, Richard/Kinnane, Brent, Hardie, Paul/Klepzig, Emma/Chandler, Rae.
A Grade: Hancock Brothers v Norths, 1, 4:30 PM, Mantell, Chris/Arthur, Richard, Hardie, Paul/Haley, Leanne/Gotting, Caitlin.
Women and girls fixtures, August 27-29
Friday: (Field, Time, Umpires, Tech Bench) - A2 Grade: Vets v Wests, 2, 7:00 PM, Gotting, Bernie/McPeake, Kiana-Lynne, Follett, Mark/Chandler, Rae; Thistles v Bellbowrie, 1, 8:30 PM, Gotting, Bernie/Petersen, Hannah, Hardie, Paul/Gotting, Caitlin.
Saturday: E Grade – Norths v Swifts, 2, 8:30 AM, Mole, Paige/McPeake, Tamara, Hardie, Paul/Gotting, Bernie; Easts v Thistles, 1, 9:45 AM, Meloury, Aliesha/Lowden, Peta, Chandler, Rae/Alchin, Pauline.
D Grade: Wests v Easts, 1, 11:00 AM, Meloury, Aliesha/McPeake, Kiana-Lynne, Gotting, Bernie/Doyle, Tracey; Norths v Hancock Brothers, 2, 11:00 AM, Simpson, Hannah/Petersen, Hannah, Follett, Mark/Hardie, Paul.
C Grade: Thistles/Hancocks v Easts, 2, 12:45 PM, Petersen, Hannah/Herron, Jonathan, Hardie, Paul/Alchin, Pauline.
R2 Grade: Hancock Brothers v Swifts, 2, 2:15 PM, McPeake, Kiana-Lynne/Nipperess-Sims, Christina, Chandler, Rae/Smith, Sandy.
Res Grade: Hancock Brothers v Wests, 1, 3:45 PM, Collier, Jasmine/Nipperess-Sims, Christina, Gotting, Caitlin/Smith, Sandy/Alchin, Pauline.
A Grade: Thistles v Swifts, 1, 7:15 PM, Michel, Hayden/Walker, Nat, Walker, Jan/Hardie, Paul/Gotting, Caitlin.
Sunday: C Grade - Northern Strikers v Swifts, 1, 9:00 AM, McPeake, Kiana-Lynne/Dobbs, Georgie, Chandler, Rae/Follett, Mark.
R2 Grade: Vets v Norths, 1, noon, Herron, Jonathan/Dobbs, Georgie, Klepzig, Emma/Follett, Mark/Haley, Leanne.
Res Grade: Norths v Swifts, 1, 3:00 PM, Nipperess-Sims, Christina/Eleison, Abby, Gotting, Bernie/Gotting, Caitlin/Klepzig, Emma.
A Grade: Hancock Brothers v Wests, 1, 6:00 PM, McManus, Ben/Collier, Jasmine, Gotting, Caitlin/Smith, Sandy/Hardie, Paul.
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