Torquay win hockey grand final in superb comeback

TORQUAY have won the Division 1 Women’s hockey premiership after a 3-2 win over Saints in the grand final.

The Tornadoes trailed 2-1 at half-time, despite having had much of the possession.

But with a bit over 10 minutes left they scored the equaliser, and then scored their third to take the lead with about six minutes left.

Coach Sarah Storen said she was delighted with her team’s performance.

“It was a really close game.

“We showed good patience and knew that if we kept attacking we’d eventually score.”

Torquay finished second in the league, although equal on points with top-placed Geelong Jaguars.

Last year Torquay played Geelong in the grand final, but were beaten convincingly.

Storen said her side had made some notable improvements.

“We had a really strong season.

“The big thing this year was our juniors, being that year older made us faster and fitter than the opposition.”

When Torquay defeated Geelong Jaguars in the first round of this season’s finals, they ensured they were just one game away from the premiership.

Torquay lost their first two games of the season, but in the following 17 games would win all but three.