He already has three gold medals to his name, but Masterton man Bill Dewes is still smarting after being forced to add a silver to the mix following his New Zealand Masters Inline Hockey team's defeat at the hands of Australia for the first time in more than a decade
recently.
Dewes, who shared goalie duty with Wayne Scott, was lost for words as to how his side succumbed 4-1 in the five-match Oceania series in Adelaide after dominating their rivals for ten consecutive years.
"We just about cried, it was pretty hard to take," he said.
"Our defence was just terrible, myself and Wayne got peppered with like 42 and 47 shots each on goal over the series. It was tough.
"What's worse is that we gave up the Tasman Cup because the seniors lost as well."
Dewes is in his fourth year as goalie, and despite nearly pushing 60 himself he plans on playing for a few more years at the very least.
His previous forays in the black jersey saw him travel to Cairns, the Gold Coast and New Plymouth for victories, and it's a feeling he would like back.
Currently, the Oceania tournament is under negotiation to expand and include several Asian countries with talk of the event being a six-nation affair hosted by Japan.
"It would be pretty big if it went ahead, I could even add on a holiday."
Aside from the international scene, Dewes plays regionally for the Rimutaka Renegades and also co-coaches the under-16 side.
