After a hectic three rounds to start the Wimmera hockey season, the competition will pause for a week while two local representative teams travel to Melbourne next weekend to compete in the Junior Country Championships.

For the first time since 2019, Wimmera teams will participate in this tournament, which brings together teams from across the twelve regional hockey associations. This provides participants with the opportunity to play alongside those they regularly compete against in the local competition and test themselves against the best from across the state.

The Wimmera teams will compete in the Under 16 Girls and Under 14 Boys divisions, with twenty-nine players from across all six Wimmera clubs involved, along with a team of nine coaches, team managers, and helpers.

The tournament runs across Saturday and Sunday, with the girls scheduled to play seven games at the Greensborough Hockey Club against opponents East Gippsland, Geelong, Hamilton, Ballarat, Warrnambool, and North Central.

The boys will play in Pool A, against Geelong, Bendigo, West Gippsland, North Central, and Warrnambool, and will have a cross-over game against a team from Pool B, which includes East Gippsland, Hamilton, Ballarat, Sunraysia, and Goulburn Valley. Depending upon earlier results, they may also qualify for a final or play-off game. These games will be played at the Essendon Hockey Centre.

Three other Wimmera players will also take part in the championships in other age divisions with other Associations.

The local competition will resume on 24 May, with round four to be played at Davis Park in Nhill


Under 14 Boys at Essendon

Saturday 17th May

09:15 v Hockey South West
10.45 v Hockey Central Vic
12.15 v Geelong Hockey Association

Sunday 18th May

08.00 v North Central
10.15 v West Gippsland
TBD - Cross-Over or Place Play-off Match

Under 16 Girls at Greensborough

Saturday 17th May

09.15 v North Central
13:45 v Geelong
16.00 v East Gippsland

Sunday 18th May

09.15 v Hockey South West
10:45 v Hockey Ballarat
12.15 v Hamilton
TBD - Final or Play-off Match