A long-standing field hockey tournament returned to the Cowichan Valley the first weekend of September.
The Westerly tournament started in 1981 and was meant to give those smaller communities on the island that didn’t have leagues an opportunity to play, socialize, and make connections with other clubs, said this year's organizer, Kristie Sykes.
"The tournament rotates between Comox, Nanaimo, and Cowichan for two consecutive years each," she said. "The spirit of the tournament is fun and light-hearted and teams often end up lending each other players or goalies — especially on Day 2 when we are all tired and could use an extra sub or two!"
While the tournament is for players 19-plus, Sykes said this year umpires as young as 15 were out to gain some experience while being mentored by veterans.
Cowichan started the event with a 3-0 loss to Nanaimo but responded with a 1-0 win over the Victoria Rebels. The following day Seattle beat the local team 6-1 but Cowichan went on to oust Comox by a 4-0 score.
Having gone undefeated in the tournament, Nanaimo took first place overall while Seattle and Cowichan were second and third respectively. Comox and Victoria rounded out the final table.
The high school field hockey season is gearing up with the Friendship Cup which was played Sept. 13-14 at Shawnigan Lake School, the Ferreira tournament set for Sept. 27-28 at the John Ferreira Turf Field at the Cowichan Sportsplex, and the Bridgman Cup Oct. 11-12 in Victoria.
