Teams from New South Wales dominated the 2012 Barastoc National Polocrosse Finals played at Warwick’s Morgan Park last week.

Teams from NSW won eight of the 12 final divisions, while Queensland and Western Australia also featured in major honours.

In the final division the NSW team claimed wins in the Masters Mixed, U 16 Junior Mixed, Challenge Cup, Women’s U24, Mens U 21, Senior Womens, Senior Mens and Master’s Mens.

Queensland teams won the Mixed U 21, Junior U16, and U 12 Exhibition, while the WA team, which travelled 4000km to compete, claimed the Senior Mixed trophy.

In the Senior Men’s final, NSW scored 26 goals to 23 against Western Australia, while the Senior Women’s final saw NSW again overcome WA by 20 goals to 15.

In the senior men's division the award for best number one player was awarded to Bernie Smith of NSW, best number two to Isla Young of Western Australia, and best number three to Hayden Turnbull of NSW. 

Hayden Turnbull also won the award for champion horse award, while Gerard Maley of the Northern Territory claimed the Australian Stock Horse Award.

In the senior women’s competition the best number one player was Jane Cooper of Western Australia, while the NSW teammates Alison Mathie and Skye Anderson were recognised as best number two and best number three respectively.

Alison Mathie went on to claim the champion horse of the division, while the best Australian Stock Horse award was presented to Sandra Weston, of NSW.

Morgan Park became a satellite city and home to more than 500 players and 700 horses representing 52 teams from Queensland, NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

The weeklong event attracted 2000 campers and 10,000 spectators.

Chairman of the Polocrosse Nationals committee, and president of the Warwick Polocrosse, the host club, Les Fraser, was recognised during the tournament for his outstanding service to the sport with induction into the Polocrosse Hall of Fame.

“It certainly was very humbling to be inducted into the ranks of this calibre, and I was very surprised,” he said.

With a 50 year active involvement in the sport, Mr Fraser is fondly referred to as “Mr Polocrosse’.

Mr Fraser was instrumental in launching of the inaugural World Cup held at Morgan Park in Warwick in 2003, and again in 2007.

“It really was a culmination of 10 years of dreaming to see the 2003 World Cup a reality,” he said.

“But my ultimate goal was to attract a new audience to the sport of Polocrosse about which I am so passionate about.”

Another passion of Mr Fraser’s is the Morgan Park complex, which has been operated by the Warwick Club for the past 40 years.

And for the thousands of spectators, and hundreds of players who called Morgan Park home last week, there was no doubt it is the best polocrosse complex in the world.