Three LGSHA players help unbeaten WA sweep to national titles at Hockey Australia Masters tournament in Hobart

Three Lower Great Southern Hockey Association players were in WA sides which became national masters champions earlier this month. Renae Parsons and Clare King, of Mt Barker, and North Albany’s Michelle Ericsson competed for WA in the Hockey Australia Masters Championships in Hobart, Tasmania, from September 26-October 4. Parsons and King collected gold in the over-40 event while Ericsson was a winner in the over-50 tournament. Even better for Parsons was her selection for an Australia side which will compete in the Masters World Cup, in Holland and Belgium next year. Parsons said she learned of her selection via social media. “I haven’t had an official letter but it’s a bit of an honour to be picked,” she said. “I haven’t really had a chance to work out what it entails.” She thoroughly enjoyed her experience in Hobart. “I didn’t really know what to expect when we arrived but once we started we realised we had such a good team with great depth,” Parsons said. “We really worked together as a team and it was great to share the experience with Clare, my club-mate and one of my best friends.” Her side’s victory was WA’s first in that age group since 2018 and ended four years of domination by Queensland. They were unbeaten throughout the event scoring 29 goals in their six pool matches before being held to 2-2 in the gold-medal match against Victoria. The opening set of one-on-ones ended 1-1 but WA scored their first in the sudden-death series and that proved enough for the title. Coach Thor Amundsen praised both Mt Barker women. “They were awesome teammates,” he said. “Clare was solid, learning a new role in midfield while Renae is an excellent attacking midfielder who has a tonne of talent and never stops running.” The over-50s were also unbeaten, with their only dropped points coming in a 0-0 draw against South Australia. They were 2-1 down to Victoria going into the last quarter of the grand final but they were the fitter team and scored twice in six minutes to turn the tables for a 3-2 win. Ericsson said the victory had been a career highlight. “It was a lovely way to cement my career – you think that stuff is all done and dusted,” she said. “It was nice to represent the State and to play with and against a lot of other players who have the same passion. “I didn’t know what to expect but the games were really competitive, and we just gelled as a team.”