FINAL EIGHT BOUND: The Bletchington Public School girls' touch football team, (back, left) Nikiah Campbell, Eva Reith-Snare, Erin Naden, Haidee Watson, (middle, left) Caitlin White, Shayleigh Wilkins, (front, left) Rachel Webb, Grace Khattar, Cheynoah Merchant, Jade Sutton. Absent: Mikaela Priest. Photo: NICK McGRATH 1019nmbletch
THE Bletchington Public School girls’ touch football team will today venture into territory no girls’ side from the school has before.
The Western Region champions, Bletchington will today take on Foster Public School in the quarter-final stage of the NSW Primary School Sports Association touch knockout at Warnervale on the state’s Central Coast.
It’s the first time the school has had a girls’ side make it through to the final eight in the state knockout.
And until the Western Region final against Gilgandra Public, the girls from Bletchington made getting there look easy.
Cowra forfeited the first round and from there Bletchington went on a four-game winning streak to make it through to the regional final, defeating Calare (7-2), Blayney (8-1), Mulyan (7-0) and Lithgow (6-2).
Bletchington then won the Western final against Gilgandra 3-2.
“They’re a good side,” Bletchington teacher and touch football coach Jo Penny said.
“They all work extremely well together and they all listen and turn up for training. We’re lucky to have three really skilled players, and everyone works well off the back of them.
“They already know plenty about touch football and what we didn’t know we’ve picked up along the way.”
Bletchington will be joined by public schools from Tamworth, Ulladulla, Hassall Grove, defending champions South Wagga, Kanwal, Yamba and their first round opponents Foster at Warnervale today.
Penny was quietly confident her side will do more than just make up the numbers on its first venture into the state’s final eight.
“It’ll be tough but we’re certainly confident can put in a good show,” she said.
If successful in the quarter-final, Bletchington will play the winner of the Yamba and Kanwal game in the semi-final, meaning Bletchington is on the opposite side of the draw to defending champions South Wagga.