Competition for the generations

The Marriott family from Western Australia won’t know which field to watch at the Barastoc Polocrosse Nationals being held in Warwick from April 23 to 29, as they have three generations of their family involved in state teams.
Members of the well-known polocrosse family will again play an integral role in Western Australian teams, as they have done for many Nationals in the past.
Their connections with representative polocrosse run deep, with the family patriarch, John Marriott, playing for Western Aust-ralia at seven Polocrosse Nationals, during his long career in the sport.
This year at Warwick, he is coaching the West Australian Masters Men’s team, and he has coached at the four previous Nationals, including Albury in New South Wales, when he was a playing coach.
John is a current member of the Moonyoonooka Polocrosse Club, and started playing when he was 12 years old for the Mobrup Polocrosse Club. The pinnacle of his career was captaining Australia in 1991, in the test series against New Zealand, how-ever he has also captained the WA men’s team at a Nationals. John said his most memorable experience was winning the Men’s competition in Darwin in 2002.
John’s wife, Pearl Marriott, also a current member of Moonyoonooka Polocrosse Club, started playing when she was 13 for the Kojonup Polocrosse Club. At 63, she is still playing competitive B Grade polocrosse, after having represented her state at five Nationals, including being selected as WA Ladies captain. At Warwick this month, Pearl is coaching the WA Under 24 Ladies team.
The next generation of Marriotts, John and Pearl’s son, Jeremy, is a current Member of Moorooduc Polocrosse Club in Victoria, and he has donned the WA colours at two Nationals and also the Victorian colours for two Nationals, plus has coached at two National carnivals. Jeremy started playing when he was just eight for Moonyoonooka Polocrosse Club, and now his son, Lachlan, is playing for Victoria in this year’s Under 12 Exhibition competition at Warwick.
John and Pearl’s daughter, Jane Cooper, started playing at age six, and has had a very successful representative polocrosse career, playing at eight Nationals. She was named WA Ladies captain at the last five titles, four of which the West Australians won.
This year, Jane is the WA Ladies playing Coach for Warwick, however her success has not been confined to her state. Jane has played four International tests, including two World Cups in Australia, and coached the United States at the 2011 World Cup in the United Kingdom.
Jane’s sister, Sarah Marriott, is a current member of the Walkaway Polocrosse Club and, like Jane, started playing at the ripe old age of six years. She has since played at five Nationals, and is heading to Warwick in the WA Open Mixed team. Sarah’s partner, Aiden Thurkle, is playing in the WA Men’s team at Warwick. For more information on the 2012 Barastoc Nationals, please contact Les Fraser on 0419 714 545, or visit www.warwickpolox.com.au