TACKING Point Thunder duo Bayden Smith and Maddison Drewitt will head to Perth next month with the NSW under-13 hockey sides.
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Smith was selected in the boys team, while Drewitt will run around with the girls.
The talented duo were picked as being in the best 22 players in the state in their age groups with the competition to run for 11 days from September 28 until October 8.
12-year-old Bayden is has previously made other representative teams after being selected in the NSW PSSA side last year.
He has been playing hockey since he was three and regularly does stick work down in the family garage on some astroturf.
While looking forward to the trip to the other side of the country he knows it will be a challenge.
“I’m excited and a little bit nervous about it as well,” he said.
Smith has had regular strong performances over the last 12 months and was named in the best 11 players of the tournament at last year’s under-11 Your Cup in Tamworth.
It was the third year in a row he had received the honour.
Thunder clubmate Maddison Drewitt has been playing the sport for the last five years.
My friends and I came out and did a training session one day and I just enjoyed playing.
- Maddison Drewitt
“My friends and I came out and did a training session one day and I just enjoyed playing so have played ever since,” she said.
Both stars were selected after their efforts in Newcastle in July when the team selection trials were held.
Drewitt admitted she didn’t feel confident of being selected after illness threatened to play its part in not being selected.
“I was pretty sick at the time when the trials were on so I didn’t think I played as well as I could at the time,” she said.
“It was a pleasant surprise when I was picked.”