Gullane and Dunbar primary schools represent East Lothian in Regional Hockey Finals, Penicuik
Teams from East and Mid Lothian and the Borders gathered together in Penicuik last week to compete for the Regional Hockey Finals trophy. Dunbar Primary School was defending the title and determined to retain the cup. Gullane Primary School came into the tournament as joint favourites with Dunbar and runners-up from last year. They too were eager to take the title. Both schools had earned their place by taking 1st and 2nd place in an earlier tournament, which ran last October at Meadowmill Sports Centre, organised by Hockey Development Officer, Fiona Harfield.
There were six teams in total competing in the round-robin tournament. The games were all exciting and most were close. In fact the top four teams, which included Dunbar and Gullane, had only a few points separating them right up to the end.
The final result however confirmed that Dunbar Primary School would remain Regional Hockey Finals champions with Gullane drawing third with Borders team Ettrick and Lauderdale.
The competition was a success in many ways. The organisation from Mid Lothian Active Schools was thorough and the sportsmanship shown from all the schools was fantastic. It was particularly commendable to see Dunbar and Gullane cheering on each other throughout all the games. This show of support is testament to the strong sporting ethos that the local junior clubs and instillingin the children at an early age.
To celebrate their sportsmanship, Sandy Purves and Beth Aitken from Dunbar and Gullane Primary Schools were awarded Fair Play awards, which is an excellent achievement.
Pictured are Dunbar and Gullane representing East Lothian.
