The Wairarapa under-13 girls hockey team finished a creditable ninth equal out of 24 competing teams at their national tournament played in Napier last week. In fact, their placing did little justice to a record which included just the one loss in their eight games. Unfortunately for Wairarapa, they were drawn ina difficult pool which saw the top three sides competing keenly for quarter-final berths with Wairarapa missing out by just the one point. That left them in a play-off for ninth and 10th place with Tauranga and an evenly-contested match ended in a 1-1 draw, both coaches seeing that as a fair result. Wairarapa impressed throughout the tournament with their spirit and determination and a "never give up" attitude which saw them extend, and beat, many more experienced sides. Standout individuals were Felicity Reidy, Megan Hull, Katherine van Woerkom, Charlotte Warren, Ashleigh Marfell and Kristy Anderson with Anderson earning herself a player of the day award. Attending the tourney as Wairarapa umpire was Susannah van Woerkom and she was noted by senior umpiring officials as a young umpire with a bright future in the sport.
