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STATE LEAGUE 4 PREMIERS!!!



Yes folks you heard correctly, the St.Bedes Hockey Club have won the premiership in the Mens State League 4 competition, defeating minor premiers Casey 5-1.
After a stellar regular season, the Beda Boys finished second behind their Grand Final opponents, before losing 2-3 in extra-time to Casey in the Qualifying Final on a cold, wet and miserable day down at the home of wind, Monash Clayton.
After wat can only be described as a complete and utter cock-up on Preliminary Final day, we faced off against rivals Maccabi on a Tuesday night and gave them a good old fashioned touch-up. After leading 5-0 with just under 10 minutes to go, we let off a little and allowed 3 late goals, but who gives a stuff really cos we ended up winning and earning a spot in the GF, along with promotion to State League 3 in the process. This was particularly pleasing for this small club, as it meant our fifth Grand Final appearance in just seven seasons, and a return to SL3 competition for the first time in about 10 years.

The Grand Final was held at the home of hockey, the stadium of dreams, the mecca of champions, yep, you guessed it, the State 2 pitch. The sprinklers were working on this occasion and the crowd arrived, bleary eyed, for the 9.30am start. A cautious start by both teams was broken after 10minutes when Dave Sederino put aside the disappointment of having Tony Mokbel as a brother to score the opening goal. The lead grew to 2-0 at the 20 minute mark when Tommi "Big Game Hunter" Kishore scored, and St.Bedes really started to up the ante. Casey had a fair crack, but the defence, led by Luke "Guitar Hero" Cracknell, Nigel Symss and Tom "What are you doing drinking a 9am in the morning, son?" Barker held strong and we took a 2-0 lead into half time.

Out we came back into the blazing sunshine, knowing the first goal would be crucial. Unfortunately, Casey managed to score it and had a red hot go with the score at 2-1. Again, the Bedes absorbed the pressure and managed to keep the lead, before rebounding for another goal, this time by Sam Evans. It was all St.Bedes from this point, with the Red Gold and Blue controlling the game with a mixture of solid defence, a tough midfield and opportunistic attack. Dave Byrnes kept his Grand Final goal scoring streak alive to make it 4-1 before Sam scored his second of the game to finish off the rout, 5-1.

The boys were able to soak up the win in the last few minutes, smiles all over the players, coaches and supporters faces. The medals felt ace around the neck and the beers tasted like angels crying on your tongue. Thanks HEAPS to all the supporters who rocked up and cheered, as well as the whole club for their support throughout the year. We might be a small club, but what a club it is!

The Premiership Side.

1. Daniel Blackmore
2. Matt McPherson
4. John "Turkish" Valastro
7. Sam Evans
8. Steve Gledhill
another 8. Stu Bowles
11. Dave "iBOG" Sederino
13. Dave "Dude, where's my car?" Byrnes
15. Jordy "Black Panther" Schellebeck
17. Luke "Bloody Mary" Cracknell
18. James "Dot" Cracknell
27. Tom "Hoegaarden" Barker
Sorry but I've forgotten the numbers for these blokes.
Nigel Symss
Dave "Grog 1 def. Meady 0" Meade (GK)
Marc Aarons
Shane Zunckel
Kev Ruck (reserve keeper)
Duncan Bearder (coach)
Ben Guilfoyle (manager)


< Check out Tommy's Tips for his account of the History of the Club!




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