Maccabi masterful in Vic hockey finals

MEN’S MASTERS HOCKEY

Maccabi Victoria Hockey Club’s over-45 men’s team won their first grand final in nine years on Monday night – thrashing Melbourne High School Old Boys 6-1 in the Division C East decider – while the Jewish club’s men’s Metro 2 East side have earned a spot in a grand final to be played this Sunday against Old Melburnians from 1pm at Hawthorn Malvern Hockey Centre.

Their masters team went into their grand final with a few players ruled out by injury, including captain Daniel Grunfeld, and they faced the only team they’d lost to all season.

But they were determined to earn their first trophy in almost a decade, and fuelled by that hunger, applied relentless pressure on their opponents from the first whistle through steely defence by David Birbbaum, Darren Krawitz, Gary Beville, Danny Westheimer and Harley Cohen.

A goal in the 10th minute to Damien Suss gave them another confidence boost, by half-time they led 3-0, and that scoring rate continued in the second half.