CHATHAM High’s Priya Bourke is off to Adelaide in December with the NSW All Schools under 16 hockey side to play in the Pan Pacific School Games.
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Priya expects to play in the midfield or at the back for the Blues. The games are open to all Australian States as well as teams from throughout the Pacific region.
Priya is the Manning River Times-Iguana Sportstar of the Week, earning a $50 open order from Iguana. She was nominated by Chatham High School.
Priya gained selection in the squad following trials played in Sydney and attended by players from government, Catholic and independent schools. She admits she wasn’t initially too confident about making the cut.
“I didn’t think I played my best,’’ she said.
However, obviously she did enough to impress selectors. An Australian All Schools under 16 squad will be chosen at the conclusion of the tournament, although Priya is non-committal as to her chances of gaining a berth.
“I don’t know what other players will be there, so it’s hard to say,’’ she said.
Hockey has already taken Priya to Hobart this year. Here she was a member of the NSW Blues team that contested the Australian under 18 championship. The Blues are a development squad, made up of players aged around 16 with the view of them gaining experience for future campaigns. The Blues finished a credible sixth place, finishing with five draws and a loss. A number of players who were in the Blues squad with Priya will also be in the NSW All Schools team.
Priya started playing hockey when she was about 12 after initially being a netballer. Priya followed her older brother, Reid, into the sport.
Priya was soon making Manning teams to contest State championships. She now plays for Sharks in the junior competition and Chatham in the Manning women’s division one, where the team is running third.
Earlier this year Priya was a member of the NSW Combined High School Championship winning Hunter side. She was also drafted into the Tasmanian side for the Australian under 18 indoor hockey titles earlier this year in Wollongong.
But Priya doesn’t restrict herself to the hockey field. Earlier this year she was named in the Hunter water polo team for the State CHS championships, but later had to withdraw because of a clash with hockey commitments.
She had a similar fate when chosen for the Northern Eagles touch football team. Again, she had to pull out because of hockey.
“Hockey,’’ she replied when asked to name her favourite sport, which probably isn’t surprising.
“I’ve had more success with hockey.’’