By JARROD POTTER
A DECADE’S worth of experience has paid its first dividend for one of Haileybury’s best young hockey stars.
Year-nine-student Nathan Ephraums, 14, from Keysborough, has been plying his craft across the fields of south-east Victoria since he was four-years-old and has worked his way through the ranks to earn a place in the School Sport Victoria under-16 hockey team.
His hockey skills have long been apparent as he was selected for the first hockey team at Haileybury College when he was only in year seven – making him the youngest on the team by quite a gap.
From there he’s worked his way into the state set-up and is thrilled to get a chance to score a few sneaky goals in his state schoolboy debut as part of the final 16-man School Sport Victoria under-16 squad.
“Naturally I guess it was pretty good,” Ephraums said.
“I’m not really sure other than that… I guess it was pretty good… want to score a few goals as a forward, keep improving and I guess I particularly want to win the title.”
Ephraums has also made the step up to Premier League hockey for his local club – Southern United – and is enjoying the difficulties associated with playing at the elite men’s level.
“Just started my first year of Premier hockey,” Ephraums said.
“Most of them (opposition) are quite a bit older than me so it’s challenging at times but I’m getting used to it so it’s getting easier… as I’m going along and getting older as well.”
School Sport Victoria will compete at the School Sport Australia 16-Years-and-Under Hockey Championships in Adelaide from 9 to 16 August.
