BY the time many hockey players reach the age of 50 the hockey stick will have been collecting dust for several years. But for Cheryl Lamplough, 53, that’s certainly not the case.
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The Wagga local played with the Border Masters 50s team and won gold in the Australian Masters Games on Sunday.
“Most of the girls in our team, we all carry some sort of injury, but we kept on going,” Lamplough said.
Lamplough’s team dug deep in a thrilling come-from-behind finals victory against Cairns.
Cairns scored first, and despite some tough calls, the Border Masters returned powerfully, winning 3-1.
The real highlight for Lamplough was achieving a personal goal.
“I scored three goals [in the tournament], that’s three more than last year,” she said.
Playing on the wing, she also found it rewarding to set up a number of goals.
This was not her first Australian Masters Games win, her team won in 2013, and has played the past three in a row.
More than anything she has cherished the opportunity to play among women in her age category.
“All of us are over 50, it’s a great bunch of girls, I came away with lots of friends,” Lamplough said.
At club level she had a successful season of hockey, part of the second division Cavaliers team that took out the local competition.
She hopes to play in the World Masters Games in New Zealand next year.
Another Wagga hockey veteran, Peter Outtrim, has canvassed his skills outside the local competition with impressive results.
At the state championships earlier this year Outtrim was selected to play for NSW, then at the Australian championships in Cairns he was head-hunted to be a shadow player for the over 55s Australian team.
The handy midfielder was pleased with his efforts in Cairns and would love the opportunity to play for his country again.
In May 2013 he won a gold medal playing for the Australian over 50's team, a career highlight.
His hopes to play in March at the World Championships are riding on the off-chance that a squad member sustains an injury or is unavailable to play.
Outtrim takes part in the Wagga Hockey competition each year, playing for Lake Albert.