Cannons fire in hockey shootout

Casey Cannon James Doble prepares to launch an attack at the club’s fourth annual Shootout Cup on Saturday. 28338 Picture: Luke Plummer

By Marc McGowan
CASEY Hockey Club almost registered back-to-back success in the men’s competitive section of the Shootout Cup at its Berwick home on Saturday.
The standard at the Cannons’ annual seven-a-side round-robin tournament was again high despite heavy rain falling for most of the day.
The competitive men’s grand final between the Casey Gunners and Greater Dandenong Hockey Club was headed for a penalty shootout at 1-1, but organisers decided to call the match a draw due to the inclement weather.
The Gunners’ team was made up of Casey State League Three players and follows its victory over St Kilda/Powerhouse in the same event last year.
The O and N (old and new) squad defeated Diligafs 4-3 to take out the women’s competitive title, while the Wonthaggi Wombats won the mixed category. Cannons president Garry Sonnberger was thrilled with proceedings, despite the atrocious weather conditions.
“It was a great day. There was lots of rain, but we coped – it is a winter sport. It wasn’t cold; it was just wet,” he said.
“We just kept going through it. The synthetic surface can handle it. The standard was very good and was equal to or better than last year.”
The hockey season starts on 18 April and Casey will have at least three men’s, three women’s and two veterans’ squads to go with 10 junior sides.
Sonnberger also said that some of the club’s younger senior players may run hockey clinics in local schools in the coming weeks in an attempt to boost junior numbers.
“In the past we’ve tried to visit schools to do clinics, but it gets a bit harder when everyone’s working,” he said.
“Some of the players who are university students have a day off each week and we’re asking them to help out.
“One of our junior committee members is going to co-ordinate it.”
The Cannons are also holding ‘bring a friend’ nights on 31 March and 2 April to encourage current players to invite prospective members to the club.
Club coaches run junior training sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5pm to 6pm and 6pm to 7pm on each of those nights.
Interested players are welcome.