On the 2nd of March, La Trobe Univeristy Hockey Club hosted the first Fin McNab Cup in 15 years. The tournament had previously been played between all the universities in Victoria, going back to the 1970s. On a hot and sunny day, it was the first major hit out of the season for all the universities.
The La Trobe Men kicked off the 2013 season with a comprehensive win again against Monash winning 5 nil. In grueling heat, the Men in their second game were well beaten by a fresh and very fit Melbourne Uni 4-1. The women, coached for the first time by Meryl McGlone, lost to Monash in a close encounter but overcame a strong Melbourne Uni 3-2 in another tight game.
Both teams displayed some good early form against strong opposition and it was a definite test of fitness by playing two games on a 35 degree day. The teams also exposed a number of new players to the 1s, in preparation of the new Hockey Victoria structure of 1s and Reserves.
Congratulations to Melbourne University on taking out the Fin McNab Cup by 1 point over La Trobe, which came right down to the last game of the day. The day was a major success with seven games played by five different universities and we, along with the other universities, look forward to adding to the long history of the tournament in 2014 and beyond. Thanks to all who came down to support and helped run the BBQ.
Check out the photos from the day on Facebook.