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Fifty-two teams across the state gathered in Parkes over the weekend to contest the 2026 Southern Womens Masters Field Hockey State Championships.
Of those 52 teams were five representing Parkes with two being named champions and one named runners up in their respective divisions.
Our over 45s team remained undefeated over the three days of competition in a competitive division one which saw 40s and 45s teams competing in the same division before ages were split for finals.
The Parkes team started their campaign off with a 1-nill win against Illawarra South Coast with Jayne Annis-Brown slotting in the teams first goal of the championship.
The girls then added a 2-1 win over Goulbrun with goals to Tracey Harrison and Naomi Spark before their dominant 4-nill win over Metro South West with two goals to Naomi Spark and two to Denise Gersbach.
The team then faced a strong Sydney East side walking away from the game with a nill-all draw before they were back to their winning ways against Dubbo 3-nill to goals to Denise Gersbach, Jayne Annis Brown and Amy Billett.
This saw the Parkes side advance to the grand final where they were again up against Dubbo.
Thanks to a goal from Jane Mattiske the Parkes side claimed the championships with a 1-nill win.
Coach David Mike was thrilled with the commitment of the team over the weekend and the high quality hockey played by all players.
Parkes' over 50s side also claimed the title of champion after they too remained undefeated all weekend in division two.
Terina Johns opened the scoring for Parkes recording a 1-nill win over Illawarra South Coast.
This was followed by a 1-all draw to Orange with Michelle Godwin sending the ball into the net.
The over 50s girls picked up momentum in their third game with a dominant 3-nill win over Southern Highlands with two goals to Kelley Westcott and one to Sandra Tildsley.
They continued their winning ways against Lithgow with a 4-1 win (goals to Lisa Robertson, Tracey Hambridge, Kelley Westcott and M'Liss Ross) followed by a 2-nill win over Metro South West (goals to Sandra Tildsley and Terina Johns).
They finished their championships with a 1-nill win over Goulburn thanks to a goal by Michelle Godwin.
Finals were not played in this division but thanks to Parkes remaining undefeated they finished in first place.
The team played quality hockey considering they had to adjust to playing on grass field all weekend but adjusted to the grass hockey style very well.
Claiming runners up was Parkes' over 34s side playing in division four.
This side also opened their championship campaign with a 1-nill win over Bathurst with Megan Hornery finding the goal.
Their win was followed by a 1-all draw to Southern Highlands with a goal to Bianca McPhee.
Tracie Sams slotted in a goal in the teams third game to claim a 1-nill win over Sydney East before they faced Bathurst in the semi final.
Both teams were strong in the semi final with full time sound on a nill-all draw.
Because Parkes was higher on the ladder than Bathurst they then progress to the grand final where they were again faced Sydney East.
Unfortunately the girls were handed their first loss of the championships in the grand final with Sydney East scoring in the last 30 seconds of the game to win 1-nill.
Parkes' other two teams also remained competitive throughout the weekend with the over 34s division one and over 34s division three teams finishing fifth in their respective divisions.
The division one side began their championships with two draws, 1-1 with Illawarra South Coast with a goal to Cass Collins and 1-1 against Metro South West with Louise Hawken adding a goal to her name.
They were then handed their first loss of the weekend after a close game against Southern Highlands.
Merryn Unger found the net as well as Cass Collins twice to bring Parkes to three but unfortunately Southern Highlands were able to slot in four which added a win to their name.
This was followed by a 2-1 loss to Sydney East with Alyssa Miller scoring for the home side and a 2-all draw with Bathurst with Merryn Unger adding two for Parkes.
The division one team played outstanding hockey in a highly competitive division.
The division three side saw a 2-nill loss to Bathurst followed by a 1-all draw with Wagga Wagga thanks to a goal by Stacie Medlyn.
The girls then face Illawarra South Coast in a tough game which saw both team walk away with a nill-all draw.
The girls then faced Orange where they were handed their second loss of the championships 3-nill followed by a 2-nill loss to Illawarra South Coast in the four vs five play-off.
The girls are congratulated on a credible effort all weekend with some competitive hockey played.
By all reports the championships was a huge success over a great weekend thanks to Parkes Hockey Incorporated and Parkes Shire Council for their support in the lead up to the championships.