By MARK RAYNER

Chief Executive of Hockey NSW Paul Bruce visited Bathurst on Tuesday to discuss details for the hosting a round of the Australian Hockey League (AHL) titles in Bathurst in March.

The NSW Waratahs and Arrows will play host to the Canberra Lakers and Canberra Strikers at Bob Roach Field on March 8 and 9 as well as under 13s, 15s and 18s City-Country matches. Bruce said it was important that Hockey NSW and Bathurst Hockey sort out the details of the weekend to ensure that it was a success.

"We will just look at the way this whole event will work. It's quite a large number of games in a short length of time so we need to work out the logistics of how we put the weekend together,"

"It's about working out how everyone can walk away with a good feeling."

Bathurst beat a number of towns including Lithgow and Newcastle to host the round and Bruce said it was the strength of hockey in Bathurst that eventually won it hosting rights.

"[There was a] variety of reasons, one being that it's a great centre up here," he said. Bruce said Bathurst has great hockey pitches and a great hockey community and its close proximity to Sydney and to the ACT was an important factor.

"And also we have the support of the local hockey community which makes it so much easier."

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