THE Glenelg Region Hockey Association sent six teams to the Hockey Victoria Junior Country Championships with the Under-13 Girls team topping the state, while the Under-13 Boys team finished runner-up.

The girls team was coached by Julie Templeton and opened the weekend with a 5-0 win against East Gippsland.

Grace Potter finished the game with a hat-trick, while Chloe Laidlaw and Millie Mould finished with singles each.

Next up was another dominant performance, this time against Geelong, with Glenelg winning, 6-2.

Laidlaw and Potter each found the back of the net three times in the second game.

North Central awaited Glenelg next, and struggled to match the local outfit, losing 0-6.

Laidlaw (two goals), Mould (one goal) and Jemima Ross (three goals) spread the scoring load for Glenelg.

Sunraysia provided the toughest test of the pool matches, but still could not hold off Glenelg, as Julia Shaw, Camilla Edgar and Potter all scored singles to help Glenelg to victory and help the team progress into the finals after an undefeated pool stage.

Glenelg then took to the pitch for the gold medal match and faced off against Geelong, looking to replicate the earlier result.

It was a better performance from Geelong, but still no match for Glenelg, which won 2-0, thanks to Grace Potter who scored both goals.

It capped off a stunning campaign for the team, who kept a clean sheet for the weekend and remained undefeated.

Templeton said it was a team effort, but there were some players who took their game to another level during the championships.

“The best players from the weekend were Laidlaw, Ross, Potter, Mould, Phoebe Alexander and Mia Russell,” she said.

The Under-13 Boys team also had a successful weekend on the hockey pitch with coach, Heath Templeton, guiding them to the gold medal match as well.

Glenelg opened its campaign against Goulburn Valley and it was Tom Templeton who proved to be the difference, scoring two goals to give his Glenelg a 2-0 win to start the championships with a win.

The second game was a much more defensive contest with both teams unable to make the most of their scoring opportunities with the game ending in a 0-0 draw.

Glenelg got back on the winners list in a big way in the next match, thumping Geelong 8-0.

Templeton scored a hat-trick, while Rupert Merrin and Sam Mecham scored a double and Harry Mercer found the back of the net once.

East Gippsland was next on the schedule and Glenelg again kept a clean sheet to win, 4-0.

Templeton continued his scoring ways with two, while Luke Hilsdon and Charlie Jarvis each scored once in the win.

Glenelg took on Sunraysia next and it was another strong performance from the red and black, with Ned Cush, Mercer, Mitchell Munro and Darcy Potter all scoring singles, while Templeton added another hat-trick to his weekend’s tally.

A 4-0 victory against Ballarat concluded the pool stage for Glenelg with Finley Hiscock hitting the back of the net once, while Templeton repeated his efforts from the previous game to score yet another hat-trick.

The locals then progressed through to the gold medal match, taking on Ballarat in the decider.

It was a tough contest from the outset with neither team able to take advantage of attacking forays, with Ballarat scoring the only goal of the game to claim top honours.

It was the first goal the team had conceded all weekend and the team’s defence held up in what were tough tests.

The team’s best players from the weekend were Templeton, Merrin, Jarvis, Charlie Hiscock, Hiscock, William Templeton and Mercer.

The championships campaigns of each of the teams gave players a look at the standard of hockey in other regions and will only help the local players improve in the future.