PLAYING hockey in hot weather appeals to Taree's Priya Bourke.
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So she'll be in her element when she lines up for NSW Country women in the Australian Country Championships to be played at tropical Cairns next month.
The championships will be played from August 7 to 15. Priya is the Manning River Times-Iguana Sportstar of the Week, earning a $50 open order at Iguana.
Priya was a member of the Australian Country under 21 women's side that toured Malaysia in January 2020, where games were played 30 degree heat and 100 per cent humidity, with the temperature on the field around 46 degrees.
"I'm looking forward to playing in the heat again,'' the 20-year-old Priya said.
She gained selection following the NSW championships played at Narellan, where she was a member of the New England side.
"Manning couldn't get a team, so I had a run with New England,'' she explained.
New England finished about midfield in the championship, where Priya said her form was 'okay.'
She played centre midfield for New England but isn't sure where she'll lineup for NSW. The squad has a training weekend planned for the Central Coast on July 24/25 although this will depend on the status of COVID-19 restrictions.
She expects national country under 21s and open teams will be announced at the conclusion of the Cairns event.
"But with COVID I don't know if they'll be going anywhere,'' Priya added.
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Priya is playing for Chatham in the Mid North Coast Hockey League and Uni in the Newcastle Women's Premier League. Due to some vagaries in the draw she's generally been able to mix commitments in both so far.
"We've played a lot of games in the Mid North Coast League on Friday nights, so I've been able to play with Uni on Saturday,'' she explained.
Uni has a bit of a struggle this season although Priya is confident the side is working towards better results. Chatham's thereabouts in the Mid North Coast League, a competition in its inaugural year and contested by six teams, four from the Manning and two from the Port Macquarie association.
"It's good to play the Port teams,'' Priya said, adding that Port Thunder's probably the team to beat for overall honours.
However, the competition will end mid-season and Priya thinks she could miss the semi-finals if Chatham's involved as she'll have commitments in Cairns.
