Talent just 11 years in the making
ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD Courtney Durham announced her arrival on the Cairns hockey scene in style with an eye-catching performance for a North Queensland representative side last Friday night.
The gifted youngster scored a goal and impressed with her general play as the NQ under-18 girls outclassed a visiting Leicester school side 7-0 at the Cairns Hockey Centre last Friday night.
Invited to participate in the match by Cairns Hockey Association officials on the recommendation of Hockey Queensland remote and indigenous program manager Julie McNeil, Durham is set to become a regular sight on the city's fields.
Her family's move from Victoria to Thursday Island, where Durham's father Steven has commenced work as a glazier, has brought Durham into McNeil's sphere of influence.
In just her second season in the sport since linking with the Mornington Peninsula Hockey Club at Frankston last season, Durham was not sure what to expect against older opposition last Friday night.
"I was a little bit scared," she said. "But it was fun and I kept up with the pace of them."
Pace is what the Year 6 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School student has plenty of, listing it as her major strength along with her aggressive defence, but she concedes she still has a lot to learn about the game.
"I only had half or a quarter of their technique," she said of her older teammates and opponents in last Friday's encounter.
However, Durham has impressed keen judges, including McNeil, with the talent she already possesses.
Knowing she had a rare talent on her hands, McNeil asked Cairns Hockey Association officials to view Durham in action, prompting her quick promotion into the NQ line-up.
The association has now paved the way for Durham to play in three of the remaining six junior premiership rounds this season, registering her as a visiting player.
McNeil and Durham are hopeful that the development program for remote Queensland players would cover the costs involved for Durham to travel to Cairns weekly next year in order to complete an entire premiership season.
McNeil said helping Durham reach her potential was a high priority.
"Courtney has great potential and it is up to us to harness that potential in a remote area," she said.
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On the ball: Courtney Durham, 11, joined the under-18s side.
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