“We actually won the semi-final against Wellington 9-1, which put us into the finals with some confidence.”
Only 38 seconds into the final against Auckland, Burgess scored the first goal.
A tiebreaker of 2-2 saw Auckland bounce back in the second and third quarters, before ex-Black Sticks player Nicholas Wilson scored the winning point for Waimanawanua in the 58th minute.
“I was standing on the back post waiting to tap him in if he missed,” Burgess said.
“That was quite an ecstatic moment.”
Passion for hockey ran in the family, he said, having played alongside his brother in the Whanganui men’s team and hoping to introduce his kids to the sport one day.
“My family was up, my Dad was actually competing as well, for Tauranga.”
After the tournament, Waimanawanua player Redvers “Red” Wilbur was selected to compete with the New Zealand team on the international stage.
“The Whanganui hockey scene has unfortunately been quiet lately but Red has been creating good movements in that side of things”, Burgess said.
He said Wilbur, appointed last year as operations manager for Whanganui Hockey, had done a lot for the sport locally.
