Titans Hockey girls’ forward Mirriam Bobby has been named the top goal scorer of the Honiara Hockey 5s tournament after finishing the competition with an outstanding 12 goals.
The tournament began on 16 September and ended on 8 November, featuring four women’s teams and four men’s teams.
Bobby said she was proud of her achievement, especially after finishing second in the goal-scoring race last season.
“I feel happy and proud of how great I am starting to become in hockey,” she said. “Last year, I came second in the highest goal scoring. This year, I played and worked hard and tried my best to achieve this award.”
Bobby thanked God for giving her the strength to compete and win the award.
“For myself, God did it for me,” she said. “I missed two games because of my tour in Fiji for the Marist tournament. But when I came back, I thank God for giving me strength and determination to play hard.”
She said her experience in Fiji, where she played with the Phoenix club during the Marist tournament in Suva, helped her develop as a player.
“I experienced playing with and against players who play on international stages, and I learned many new things,” Bobby said. “That is another reason that contributed to my achievement.”
Mirriam credited her Titans teammates for her success, saying their support on and off the field helped her reach the top.
“What contributed most to me scoring 12 goals is my teammates,” she said. “They supported me on the field and off the field. Playing with them means a lot to me.”
She added that encouragement from the team helped her push through difficult moments during the season.
“Without them, I cannot achieve it. As the saying goes, there is no ‘me’ in a team,” Bobby said. “This award is not by my own doing; we made it together.”
Bobby described the final against Turf Queens, one of the strongest women’s teams, as her most memorable match.
The final finished 3-3 and went to a penalty shoot-out. Bobby was one of three Titans players selected to take a penalty.
“I was chosen to be one of the three players to take a penalty, and I scored,” she said. “I was happy with myself because I am not really good at taking penalty shoot-outs.”
Mirriam said she struggled with flu during parts of the season, which made it difficult for her to breathe while playing in Honiara’s hot weather.
“During the season, I was down with flu, and it affected how I played sometimes,” she said. “To overcome it, I do self-talk. I always tell myself that I can do it.”
Bobby encouraged girls and aspiring female athletes to believe in themselves and work hard.
“No matter what type of sport you play, know that us girls can do it,” she said. “All you have to do is put in effort and hard work, and you can become successful in your sporting journey.”
She also urged young players to stay true to themselves and keep faith at the centre of their lives.
“Be yourself and love what you do, and don’t forget to always put God first in everything,” Bobby said. “I was once a little girl who wanted to be someone great in the future, and here I am. If I can do it, so can you.”
Bobby also thanked Motawa Enterprise (SI) Limited for supporting the competition.
“Since we started playing hockey, we did not have any sponsors,” she said.
“Motawa Enterprise is willing to sponsor us in this competition, and this is the second year they have sponsored the Hockey 5s competition. It is a big thing for us.”
