Some of the best known names in polocrosse in Queensland were honoured at the state awards dinner in Toowoomba on the weekend.
They included Duncan Banks of Dirranbandi and Doug Haig of Eulo, who were recognised with management committee awards for their efforts for their clubs and ultimately polocrosse in Queensland.
Warwick club member, Bridget Shepherd, was the recipient of the New Zealand scholarship. In the new year she will travel to New Zealand to stay with a family and play in some carnivals there.
Former Queensland and Australian polocrosse representative, Murray Sturgess of Chinchilla, was awarded the Arthur Earle Patron’s Trophy in recognition of his significant contribution to the sport.
The family of the late Wayne Austin was in attendance for his induction into the Queensland Polocrosse Hall of Fame for his contributions to polocrosse in Queensland and his achievements while serving on the management committee.
During the awards dinner, Queensland Polocrosse life member, Chincilla’s Bill McCutcheon presented a significant amount of memorabilia to Les Fraser, Warwick, for the Australian Polocrosse Museum in Warwick.
Many of the players receiving awards on the night are members of recently announced state representative teams, while Beth Hafey, winner of the open women’s player’s award, is a member of the Australian team that will play at the Adina World Cup in Warwick from April 22-28, 2019.
The awards night was the culmination of a very busy year for Queensland polocrosse players, finishing with the national championships in Western Australia in October.
Preceding the awards was the annual general meeting. An election was held for the management committee, from which Russell Davison was welcomed.
Player Awards:
- Junior Girl – Grace Bowman
- Junior Boy – Dan Hafey
- Intermediate Women’s – Meg O’Sullivan
- Intermediate Mens – Callum Brook
- Masters Women’s – Kylie Gould
- Masters Mens – Chris Franklin
- Hawthorne Stud Open Women’s – Beth Hafey
- Hawthorne Stud Open Mens – John Franklin
Management Committee Awards:
- Management Awards – Duncan Banks, Doug Haig
- QPA NZ Scholarship – Bridget Shepherd
- Umpire of the Year – Chris Sillitoe
- Coach of the Year – Trent Collins
- Arthur Earle Patrons Trophy – Murray Sturgess
- Hall of Fame – (Late) Wayne Austin
Australian Stock Horse Awards:
- Rookie Women’s – Tory Latham, Steptovictory Dust Indeed
- Rookie Mens – Russell Owens, Freshwater Sonic
- Open Junior – Caitlin Brook, Steptovictory Frappe
- Open Women’s – Beth Hafey, Jaylyn Downs Porscha
- Open Mens – Justin Hafey, Jaylyn Downs Love
