Rotorua United's Nathan Hurst in action during an indoor hockey tournament at Rotorua's Sportsdrome. Photo/Ben Fraser
Rotorua United's Nathan Hurst in action during an indoor hockey tournament at Rotorua's Sportsdrome. Photo/Ben Fraser
While many of the weekend's sporting activities were called off due to wet weather, hundreds of indoor hockey players were battling it out in Rotorua's Sportsdrome.
From Friday to Saturday 73 teams competed in women's, men's and mixed divisions at Rotorua United's 52nd annual indoor tournament.
The event comprised four women's grades, two men's grades and two mixed grades and it was a successful weekend for Taupo teams who finished first in three grades and were runner-up in two.
Rotorua team Help Us finished runner-up in the women's A Grade while another Rotorua team, Mini-Mees, won the men's B grade.
Organiser Jennie Taylor said the tournament was "absolutely brilliant".
"Our competitors said they loved the state of the upgraded Sportsdrome. Every year [the level of competition] is getting better. For Taupo it is the best they've ever done, they had nine teams this year," Taylor said.
She was greatly appreciative of the teams who came back to play in the annual tournament each year.
"I love them to pieces, they are my family. We had 73 teams this year - they use it as an end-of-season celebration. There's only about 13 of us who organise it, I think my girls do really, really well," she said.
Rotorua United's Damien Munro runs the ball during the indoor hockey tournament at the Sportsdrome. Photo/Ben Fraser
David Hayes, who grew up in Rotorua but now lives in Auckland, has been attending the tournament since he was 2 years old, when he would go and watch his mother Tracey play each year.
When he was 6 he played for the first time. It was still a women's only tournament at that stage so he played in his mother's team. Men's and mixed divisions have since been introduced and Hayes, now aged 28, plays for Roskill Eden every year.
"I started playing in the women's D grade and I've been coming ever since. It's a great environment and I have a lot of friends who I see here every year, it's a bit of a get-together.
"It is really competitive too, we've won the men's A grade the last few years. Indoor is heaps faster, even with 10-minute games you're pretty sore by the end of the weekend," Hayes said.
He said the tournament would not have lasted for as long as it has without a dedicated team of organisers.
"Jennie and her family who run it are amazing. They're down here nice and early setting up goals, covering up windows so no one breaks any. Probably at the end of this year's tournament they'll already be planning next year's," he said.
Rotorua United Indoor Hockey Tournament results Friday, November 3-5
A Grade Women Winner: Taupo. Runner-up: Help Us
B Grade Women Winner: Taupo. Runner-up: Rhinos
C Grade Women Winner: Skittle Bombs. Runner-up: Ball Busters
