Nicholas James Budgeon (born 28 December 1987) is a former
field hockey
Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ci ...
player from
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, who plays as a defender.
Personal life
Nicholas Budgeon was born and raised in
Launceston, Tasmania
Launceston () or () is a city in the north of Tasmania, Australia, at the confluence of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River (kanamaluka). As of 2021, Launceston has a population of 87,645. Material was copied ...
.
He plays as a defender, and also specialises in
drag flick
Drag flicking is a scoring technique in the sport of field hockey. It was first seen in the late 1980s in Australia. It is used as an attacking technique, mainly within penalty corner involving two main components known as the scoop and flick. The ...
ing.
Career
Australian Hockey League
At domestic level, Nicholas Budgeon has represented both his home state
Tasmania
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, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
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, subdi ...
, and
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
Tassie Tigers
Tassie Tigers is an Australia, Australian field hockey club based in Hobart, Tasmania. The club joined the Australian Hockey League in 1992 as a men's team. In 2019, the Tassie Tigers expanded to encompass both Tasmanian men's and women's teams, ...
. In 2016, he transitioned to the
WA Thundersticks
Perth Thundersticks is an Australian field hockey club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was established in 1991 as a men's only team competing in the Australian Hockey League before expanding to include women's teams, WA Diamonds, unde ...
.
Kookaburras
Nicholas Budgeon made his senior international debut for the
Kookaburras
Kookaburras are terrestrial tree kingfishers of the genus ''Dacelo'' native to Australia and New Guinea, which grow to between in length and weigh around . The name is a loanword from Wiradjuri ''guuguubarra'', onomatopoeic of its call. The ...
in 2013 at the
Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup is an annual invitational international men's field hockey tournament held in Malaysia. It began in 1983 as a biennial contest. The tournament became an annual event after 1998, following its growth and popularity. The ...
.
Following his debut, Budgeon continued to represent Australia until 2015, most notably winning a bronze medal at the 2014 Champions Trophy.