Bunbury Hockey Association’s Woods Cup proves to be a hit

The Bunbury and Districts Hockey Association is hoping to use the recent success of the inaugural Woods Cup series to springboard the region into a successful Country Championship for 2022. The new all-star type series for the area’s best male and female hockey talent concluded earlier in April with the Red Women and Blue Men taking out the respective titles. Players were asked to nominate in January for four men’s and women’s teams, but only enough players were nominated to field two and three sides respectively. New Bunbury and Districts Hockey Association president Alan Cartledge said the association created the initiative to break down club barriers and strengthen Bunbury hockey as a whole. “Obviously there are rivalries within the code but I have realised there is more to hockey than that,” he said. “We wanted players to understand that we’re all good people off the field, and people realised they enjoyed playing with other people.” Cartledge said the hockey was the highest standard to have been played in Bunbury in recent years and the region now had the opportunity to use the series to gain momentum into the CBH Country Championships in June. “Having the Woods Cup can show people the good things of Bunbury hockey and show everybody else how good we are,” he said. “This year we will get a side up in A Grade no dramas and our B grade will be exceptionally strong because not everyone is going to fit into that side. “Everyone wants to represent their town, State or country. “I think people have wanted to represent Bunbury but more for just a good time, but this year I think we can do both. “We will have the youth and the seniors, but also that desire to win and to have fun.” Cartledge said he was keen to make Bunbury a “powerhouse” of country hockey in the State. “We are definitely keen to make Bunbury a powerhouse, and it should be,” he said. “The amount of State players and national players that come from the South West, and particularly Bunbury, there’s no reason we should not be showcasing that. “Other associations have done that better for a while, but hopefully, we can pick that up this year.”