Bulahdelah and Gloucester keep Chris Hoare Cup alive Myall Coast Myall Coast - popup ad Photo Gallery by News Of The Area - Modern Media - September 12, 2024 Rugby teams from Gloucester High School and Bulahdelah Central School with Jenny, Steven and Brenton Hoare and Chris’ daughter Madi Booth. MOUNTAIN men of the MidCoast matched up for the 20th anniversary of the Chris Hoare Cup on Tuesday 3 September, an annual footballing tradition between Bulahdelah Central School (BCS) and Gloucester High School (GHS). The Chris Hoare Cup was created, under the guidance of BCS teacher Damien Keen, to celebrate the achievements of late BCS student Chris Hoare, whose promising future was tragically cut short in a car accident in 1994, just shy of his 21st birthday. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au “It’s all about the community; COVID took away many regional communities’ ability to get together for sport on weekends,” Damien told NOTA. “It’s all a bit overwhelming, I only expected this to last four or five years, but it gives the kids another game in the year to play against a similarly-matched team with strong town connections – both timber towns, both in the mountains.” After a Welcome to Country by Biripi-Worimi young man Alex Saunders, most of BCS ventured down to the Bulahdelah Showground to cheer on the home team as Gloucester bussed in to battle it out for the Cup. Hordes of supporters came in from Bulahdelah, Tea Gardens, Gloucester and other nearby towns in between. Three matches were played at the Showground, starting with the girls’ League Tag, and the U-14s Juniors playing on parallel fields, followed by the Opens match, which determined the final winner of the Cup. The Bulahdelah team had received expert coaching from Tim Browne, of Canterbury Bulldogs and Penrith Panthers fame. Both teams played with a lot of heart, with some tough kids and heavy hits on display. Despite the best efforts of BCS players, Gloucester were too strong on the day. Regardless of the score, the BCS crowd erupted in the final minute as Frankie Roberts scored the last try of the game. “The cup remains at Gloucester High School and we congratulate Gloucester on their win and their performances on the field for all their players,” said a BCS spokesperson. The Cup alternates between Bulahdelah and Gloucester each year, and in its history thus far there have been eleven wins to Gloucester and six wins to Bulahdelah, creating a localised ‘State of Origin’ scenario. By Thomas O’KEEFE Bulahdelah’s Opens team is cheered onto the field. BCS captain Toby Wilton and GHS captain Mitchell Whitby. Girls’ League Tag ran alongside the Juniors. Bulahdelah’s Tim Browne and Damien Keen. Frankie Roberts scores the final try for Bulahdelah in the Opens match. Toby Wilton scores a try in the Opens game. Salome Reitsma in girls league tag action.
