Sport
12 June, 2026
Penalty stroke denies NC tilt at country gold medal
A PENALTY stroke right on full time prevented North Central’s Open Men’s hockey team from playing in the gold medal match of the Senior Country Championships held in Bendigo over the King’s Birthday weekend.
A PENALTY stroke right on full time prevented North Central’s Open Men’s hockey team from playing in the gold medal match of the Senior Country Championships held in Bendigo over the King’s Birthday weekend.
After four wins and one defeat, the team was on the cusp of reaching the grand final when East Gippsland won a penalty and scored.
The weekend began with a 5-0 defeat against Central Victoria, but the men then won four matches in succession before the painful last-minute result against East Gippsland.
The Open Women’s side also lost its first game, 3-0, but then rebounded with a 5-0 thumping of Sunraysia.
The team won two of its five remaining matches, drawing the other three, to finish fifth in their division overall.
A total of 46 players represented North Central at the championships in three teams.
The Men’s Masters team, for played aged 35 and over, won their first game but then lost the next four to finish sixth.
They were denied the chance of a playoff for fifth place when the opposition forfeited.
Read More: Loddon Shire