Good things come in threes, as proven by the Stratford Hockey Club who won three division finals on Saturday afternoon.
The hat-trick scoring club brought home titles for the Mens Third, Premier Women's and Premier Men's divisions.
"These results are a fantastic reward for the huge effort the players of the club have put in this year," says club president Glen Taylor.
Glen says the Stratford Hockey Club has never seen such success all in one season.
The celebrations will not end any time soon!
Mens Third division champions, CMK Accountants Stratford Avon, took on Francis Douglas Memorial College First XI in the final. Team manager and captain for the day Andrew Smart says the team developed throughout the season and headed into the final with nothing to lose. "We had beaten them before and they had beaten us but we knew if we took an early lead we could take out the championship." With a final score of 6-3, Stratford Avon took home the championship and the trophy.
Avon is a very old name associated with the Stratford club, it almost died out but we have revived it in the last couple of years so to bring home a championship is the ultimate.
CMK Stratford Women's A team captain Kelsi Bayley says the women had one goal throughout the season, to make the division final. "We always had faith that we could do it, but actually getting there and winning it with such a young team really put the icing on the cake".
Kelsi says it was a focus on the basics, such as ball speed and ownership of their passes, that saw the team grow throughout the season.
I was very proud of the girls on Saturday, all stepping up and playing their hearts out in true Stratford spirit for the final.
Jayden Roodbeen, captain of the Brian Darth Funeral Services Stratford Men's A team, says while the team performance was up and down throughout the season, they too held onto their goal of making the finals. "Coming into the finals our plan was to keep composed, enjoy the game and not panic. For some of the boys it was their first championship win for the Stratford Club, for others it was their 18th. This sparked an emotional celebration from players and supporters".
Glen says Saturday's wins are a great result for not only the players but the reserves, coaches, managers, sponsors and supporters.
Glen, Andrew, Kelsi and Jayden all extend their gratitude to the club, committee, the team management, and all the club sponsors, CMK Accountants, Le Dejeuner Catering, Brian Darth Funeral Services and Stuart Bayly Contracting, for their support this season.
Meet the group of schoolboy players who are poised to shine in the future.