Bowral Bandicoots defeated Mittagong Cougars 1-0 in a tight game on Saturday

The Bowral Bandicoots defeated the Mittagong Cougars 1-0 in a tightly contested game at the hockey fields in Welby

Mittagong coach Glen Fleming said it was a bittersweet finish for the cougars who had played “consistent, good hockey” throughout the season.

“Our toughest competition all year has been Bowral, we always knew it was going to be a tight game. But, they’ve made really good friends with each other and enjoyed turning up every week and played good hockey,” Mr Fleming said. 

“They made it to the top of the table and that is definitely something to be proud of and they look after each other and that’s what counts,” he said. 

The score was nil-all at half-time and Bowral coach Jason Dawes said it looked as though the final game for the season might finish in a draw. 

“We hadn’t lost a game all season, but we’ve had three draws. It looked like it might end that way before Ben Bragg scored our one goal in the second half,” Mr Dawes said.  

The goal came as a shock to Mittagong who had managed to defend their goal up until then. 

“Our normal goalkeeper was out and our players Harry Moore volunteered to step in which was really good of him to do that for the team,” Mr Fleming said. 

“The goal was a big surprise. It was a bit emotional and I think it shocked them a bit. I saw them drop their heads a little bit, but it was very tight and it was a solid effort at the end of the day,” he said. 

Mr Dawes said it was a tight finish overall for the top four teams. Moss Vale Reds defeated the Burrawang Revels 7-0 in the play off for 3rd and 4th place. 

“The top four teams were really close. All the kids have played really well this year. It’s a solid group,” he said.