My Memorable Sporting Moment
Today’s Memorable Local Sporting Moment column is handed over to Raeanne O’Shea, life member of the Donald Hockey Club, and long term supporter of the sport in North-Central.
Raeanne and her husband, Shane, for many years travelled to North-Central venues together every Saturday during the Winter sporting season, But Shane is honest enough to admit that he only saw glimpses of his wife’s onfield achievements; suffice to say, he has many regrets. But more on that later.
Raeanne takes up the narrative of her fondest moment on a North-Central hockey field:
“I played hockey for the Donald Hockey Club for about 15 years, and all of this in “B” grade, that is until my last season, in 2000, when the competition changed from women’s “A” and “B” grades to women’s and mixed senior teams.
“My most memorable moment came in the very last game of the season, and my last ever game of competitive hockey. In fact, this moment came in the final moments of the game. “The Donald women’s team was playing arch rival, St. Arnaud, in the grand final at Birchip. We had a strong team and there were some prolific goal scorers in our team. Simone Allan, Kathy, Marcia and Claire Hose.
“St. Arnaud had done its homework, however, and these players, especially Simone, were tagged all day, and couldn’t get a clean hit of the ball near goal.
“Both teams had very strong defence, and at the end of full time neither had managed to score. It was 0-0. This meant the game went to extra time, seven-and-a-half minutes each end.
“Gill Jukes and I had been sharing the left wing position, and I stayed on the field for the first seven-and-half minutes.
Towards the end of this time, Jenny Guthrie, who was on the other wing, took a free hit from outside the “D”. She angled and aimed her hit across the face of goal. I watched from my spot, in front of goal near the opposite goal post.
The St Arnaud goalie, Colleen Rusk, was yelling at her backs, “Who is watching number 11?”, but no one was, they were all picking up the Donald players who they had been asked to watch.
“I saw several of the Donald players try to get a stick to the ball, to no avail, and it was coming towards me.
“I saw the goalie, Colleen, go out of the goal, and as the ball went past her, towards me, all I could think of was, “you can’t miss this”.
“Somehow my stick and the ball connected and not very elegantly, but I pushed the ball over the line.
“If I shut my eyes today, nearly 20 years later, I can still picture it like it happened in slow motion.
“Yes, we kept St. Arnaud scoreless for the rest of the time, and I let Gill play the second seven-and-half minutes, as I took a much needed breather. Final scores: Donald 1 to St Arnaud.
Missed Opportunity
Now for Shane’s confession: Having to cover the senior football grand final, which was being played at the same time as the women’s hockey:
“I ducked across to the hockey field during the half-time break in the game between Wyche.-Narraport and Wedderburn.
“I managed to take in about 5 minutes of play and most of the first half of extra time, but when the warning siren sounded over at the George Cartwright Oval, I had to head back to the football.
“Just as I was walking into the paved walkway, between the tennis courts, at the eastern end of the hockey field, I heard the ball slam into the backboard of the goal.
“I wasn’t sure which team had scored the goal. And it wasn’t until I caught sight of a very happy Raeanne later in the afternoon that I found out, to my eternal disappointment, that I had missed her moment of sporting glory by about 30 seconds.
“What a way to finish your career!”
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