Sports News

Hook, Line and Sinker with Lindsay Doust

Today's photograph is a beautiful 5kg golden perch (yellow belly) caught recently at Copeton Dam near Inverell. Nigel Moore caught this top specimen, along with a number of others.

Australia, and particularly NSW and Queensland, have a great freshwater fishing scene. On the coastal fringe we have the Australian bass and the Richmond and Clarence Rivers are famous for this species. Toonumbar and Clarrie Hall dams are stocked with this species and when the fish are on, these spots can produce catches of 70 and more per day, though not many achieve that score. Only two per day are allowed to be taken or a total in possession of four (only one over 35cm) at any one time. Bass are a great sporting fish and the enjoyment of them is not seeing them in a frying pan but being able to get a good one and feel good about having released that fish for more sport in the future, so that your grandchildren can have fun catching them as well.

West of the Great Dividing Range we move into our western species such as the murray cod, yellow belly, silver perch and the introduced redfin (officially a pest but good sport and food).

Restocking of rivers and dams with the three native species mentioned above is now big business and certainly proving successful.

Most anglers going from our area seem to go to Pindari, Copeton and Glen Lyon dams. Some also have access to private property and are able to chase the fish on lures and flies in their wild habitat. A little farther away, Tamworth, Keepit, Chaffey and Split Rock dams are all proving to be happy hunting grounds.

Apart from Glen Lyon, Queensland has a host of popular fishing venues and these include Coolmunda, Hinze, Boondooma, Awoonga and Peter Faust. At Suffolks Sports Store I have a book on all the Queensland dams, where they are, what facilities there are and what species you can expect to catch.

For me this weekend, with the new moon, whiting will be on the menu. Around Pimlico or Riley's Hill with blood worms and one hour into the run-in tide and you should get a catch.

Call of the Loon with Laurie Axtens

The humble hector

Lesson 1

As a young loon, Bomber Brown and I would practice cricket down at the nets by standing at the end of the concrete, a dozen metres away and 'peg' the ball at each other with all the ferocity we could manage. As burgeoning young batsmen we would play this leather onslaught without any protective wear at all, not even gloves - just a slab of willow with a rubber grip. On one occasion Bomber, who had a bullet arm, dug the ball in short and before I could finish the pull shot I was attempting, the missile impacted with my nether regions. I lay where I fell in a state of overwhelming nausea for the next hour and a half. At one stage I crawled 150 metres to a nearby tap to drench my distended jewels only to find that the council had removed the faucet handle. Since that time I have always donned a box before marching out to the middle or playing even the slowest spinner in the nets. I encourage you to do likewise.

Lesson 2

As an older, though still questionably intelligent young man, I went out to bat on one of our regionally renowned sticky wickets, where upon, after an annoyingly long and fruitless stay at the crease, I was once again struck in the goolies. Although I was wearing a box the collision of leather with plastic creates a vibrational effect, which though not nauseating, is well beyond comfortable. After wiping away a secret tear I resumed my mind numbing innings only to be struck another wincing blow in the nuts and bolt a few balls later. I still believe to this day that the opposition were targeting my potential fathering capacity and I was quick to say as much, having eventually caught my breath. The tactic, which should be called gonad-length, worked, and I was soon on my way back to the pavilion for a little lie down. After leaving the field I reached into my underwear to retrieve the small plastic saviour of my honour, only to find that it had been shattered into several pieces.

Old protective boxes craze when given a solid impact and will shatter if the blow is repeated. Remember to replace your 'hector' if it should receive a significant knock.

Lesson 3

At a recent social match, once again the magnificent box caught the attention of one of the young women. The young champion media star had never played the game before and was perplexed to find that boxes were shared; as each player placed the same sweaty repugnant protective item inside their underwear before going out to bat. Though her polite disgust was amusing it held more than a spore of truth. This district has one of the highest incidences of fugal infections and Hepatitis A (a disease largely passed by faecal matter) in the country. Practice protective fidelity - buy your own box before you purchase any other gear.

Any good sports at council?

Local sports volunteers are fearful that Lismore Council is planning to dump their involvement in decisions about the city's sporting future.

Council general manager, Paul O'Sullivan, is currently reviewing the future of Council's community committees and sports advocates believe he has the Lismore District Sports Association (LDSA) in his sights.

While Council management remains tight-lipped about the proposed changes to the committee system, former Lismore councillor and sports administration stalwart Reg Baxter has called a public meeting for next Monday to confront Council over the issue.

Mr Baxter was a member of LDSA for 40 years and has threatened to campaign against councillors who support abolishing the committee.

In a letter published in The Echo this week, he points to the fact that volunteers have been willing to "get their hands dirty", saving Council "thousands of dollars".

But that's exactly the problem Paul O'Sullivan sees with the committees. Recently, he outlined his views on the committee structure to councillors, saying that the committees spent too much time on operational matters that were not part of their jurisdiction, and did not concentrate properly on strategic matters.

He did not say which ones. But LDSA chair John Chant, who made sport a key part of his election campaign earlier this year, obviously felt targeted and defended the record of the LDSA. He said the committee had been working on a strategic plan for sport, but with the committee in abeyance - and not meeting for six months - the plan had been put on hold.

Council service manager, Graham Wilson, played a straight bat, telling The Echo that "it was only early days" for any changes to the committee structure.

Former LDSA chair Theresa Crollick is blunt in her assessment of the situation.

"If the general manager has a problem with how the LDSA is operating then he really should put his concerns in writing or actually attend a meeting," she said. "The committee contains many long term and highly respected community members with a lot to offer."

Critics of Mr O'Sullivan's plan - although he denies he really has one - say abolishing the LDSA would lead to an enormous loss of goodwill between the Council and the sporting community. Council's committees are one of the few places where councillors interact openly with the public.

Some community representatives argue that councillors - who are "only interested in the status of the job and not the substance of the work" - are the problem, and throwing out the committees is tossing out the baby with the bathwater.

Monday's meeting to oppose the abolition of the LDSA and all the consultative committees is at the Lismore Workers Club, function room 2, from 7pm.

A long tall glass of pure sport

The 2005 summer season is shaping up to be Lismore's biggest ever for first class sporting events.

The celebration of everything competitive begins on January 3 when Lismore hosts the Australian Country Cricket Championships. The championships, which run til January 15, will draw cricketers from all over Australia and the East Asia Pacific region to compete for a place in the prestigious Australia Country Squad.

Although hosting the massive championships is a great honour, it is only the beginning of our schedule. The next top shelf event on our calendar, the Under 16 Australian AA Baseball Championship, runs from January 7-16. This will flood the city with even more sports mad zealots. I hope that all the clubs, pubs and venue owners are reading this!

We are on the edge of a massive influx of entertainment hungry sporting families. Don't miss the opportunity to put on a show.

But wait, there's still more. Yes more sport, more sportspeople, more yelling, more competitors, more people flooding into our city to thrash us and each other witless if they can. The Lismore Under 16 Cricket Carnival will bring 16 teams from South East Queensland, metropolitan and regional NSW to take on the best and brightest Northern Rivers talent.

For information on any of these events phone John Bancroft on 6622 8147 or email him at John.Bancroft@lismore.nsw.gov.au.

Make a splash at your next pool party

NSW Sports and Recreation Swimsafe classes are set to make a splash on the North Coast this summer when Ballina hosts the inspirational nine-day course from November 29.

The annual Swimsafe program instructs children from 18 months to 12 years in basic swimming and water safety. Last year Swimsafe helped over 1600 people in this region develop and strengthen swimming skills that will last for life. The program is designed to cater for all grades of swimmer, from pre-schoolers to experienced swimmers.

"All classes have fully qualified, friendly swimming instructors who are experienced in dealing with people of all swimming abilities," said NSW Sport and Recreation's Northern Regional manager Paul Hernage. "Classes are offered after school and throughout the January school holidays, thus offering a number of options for parents."

Lismore will host two programs - one at the Splash Factory on December 1 and another at the Summit Sport & Fitness Centre from January 10.

Alstonville, Lennox Head, Bonalbo, Byron Bay, Casino, Coraki, Kyogle, Mullumbimby, Nimbin, Woodburn and Woodenbong will also be running Swimsafe courses this January.

Parents are being encouraged to get in early to secure their child's booking, as classes tend to fill quickly and places are limited.

To make a Swimsafe booking or find out more phone NSW Sport and Recreation on 131 302.

Is there life after sport?

In the past, elite sports people have been asked to put aside their studies and concentrate solely on their athletic pursuits. In most cases the career of a sportsperson, even legendary national heroes such as Steve Waugh, are over before they reach the age of 40. So what are they going to do with the next 40 years of their life? They can't all become commentators, thank heavens, and they would look a little silly back in grey shorts at the nearest high school. So in order to avert the dysfunctional transition between sports performer and socially productive individual, interested parties have established an elite athlete friendly university agreement. The agreement been Australian Universities, the AIS and professional players associations is designed to provide support and assistance to elite student athletes to meet their academic needs.

Young players on the edge of selection to the state squads, of which there are a number in the local community, include local cricketing wonder, Tom Cooper, who should have a close look at what's on offer in this regard.

Apparently, this network will introduce more open and flexible learning support systems that cater for the special needs of elite athletes to help them achieve their best.

"Assistance for elite athletes is not a simple matter," said AIS director Michael Scott. "It requires a dedicated team, detailed knowledge of academic functioning, careful planning, resourcing, effective counselling and negotiating skills, and efficient application."

Sport is one of the great metaphors for life and its lessons are intense and worthwhile. Integrating sporting lessons with more productive areas of our social lives will benefit us all and keeping sportspeople away from the commentary microphones can only help ratings.

For further information have a look at the Ausport website at www.ausport.gov.au/enews.

'Beer and Bodyboards' awards

Chris Clarson in the round 5 dropknee final.

Members and mates of the Headlander's Bodyboarders Club will be quietly making their way to Chris Clarson's place this Saturday, November 13, to celebrate another magical year among the waves. The free barbeque and beer end-of-year presentation should be a real hoot, with the awarding of prizes culminating in the announcement of the Club Member of the Year winner.

Apart from the usual array of surf shop awards, four bodyboards will also be leaving with some very deserving surf lovers.

The AGM will also be held on that day. These sorts of organisations don't exist without a volunteer administration. So, if you've got a bit of spare time and you'd like to reach true legend status, join the committee.

The free beer starts flowing around 3pm, elections for the new committee are at 5pm and the presentation starts at 8pm.

For venue details and more information phone Chris Clarson on 0422 776 468 or Simon Bruncke on 0421 789 758.

The mudway

Much as we love the rain from the bottom of our twin over-head super souped up hearts it did cause the postponement of last weekend's Bartercard season opener at the Lismore Speedway. If it could just hold off for Friday and Saturday this weekend, then it will be back on.

This is the 34th season of speedway at the Lismore Speedway and promoter Greg Coombes has been waiting with baited breath for the battle to begin.

"We might be off to a slow start but this season will be huge," Greg said. "The prize money payout total for the year is up around 30% on the biggest year, which was the 01-02 season. We revved up and are ready to drop the clutch on this Lismore season. The season opener is always good, and getting to see the new cars, particularly the Mr Modified Series, will be well worth the wait."

Gates open at 3pm with racing from 5pm.

Tickets are $20/15, $49 for a family (2 adults and 2 kids under 16), $5 for kids 5-12, $10 for kids 13-15, with kids under 5 free.

For info phone 0417 214 839 or for grandstand bookings phone 0428 832 417.

Force could block out the suns - Soccer FNC

When the North Coast Suns run onto Meakin Park, Logan, this Saturday, they will be aware that their opponents Brisbane Force humiliated the last team they played, Slacks Creek, 11-0, in last week's season opener. This horrible sense of foreboding won't be aided by the knowledge they lost their first fixture 5-0 to Rochedale Rovers.

For all this, Suns' coach Paul Foster knows that his team can play better than they did last week and they will need to if they are going to stymie the high flying Force.

Adam Van Kerkvoort knocked in six goals for the Force last week and the Suns defence will need to be all over him like a rash if they are to avoid similar treatment.

Apart from Van Kerkvoort the goals were shared equally and this might offer some ideas regards the structure of the Force line-up and the speed that Van Kerkvoort possesses.

Complacency in the Force ranks might offer some breathing space for the local squad, but with the Force coach hammering home the need for focus, this might prove to be a vain hope.

Guttormson and Evan's were amongst Suns' best last week but even they will have to raise their effort another notch to avoid a catastrophe over the border this weekend.

Ballina's Tri-umphant athletes

The 17-member contingent from the Ballina Triathlon Club placed well in the Noosa Triathlon last weekend.

In blustery and wet conditions Kane Simpson of Lennox Head was the best performer of the squad, coming fourth in the 16-19 male age group in a blistering time of 2:04:05. Kate Nind from Lismore's NCAS also put in a strong performance taking out fourth in her division in a time of 2:16:43, while Alstonville hard man, Johnny Nicholls, was not far off the pace either in the 40-44 age group, finishing seventh in a time of 2:08:16.

In all, 2200 competitors lined up at Noosa, in what is the world's second largest triathlon.

Competitors faced a wet and slippery first half of the bike course, having to negotiate slippery roundabouts, corners, and pedestrian islands around Noosaville.

After the turnaround at Cooroy, cyclists were then cursed with having to deaden their legs for the run by fighting a stiff headwind back to Noosa.

The general consensus among contestants was that the 1500m swim was in fact around 200m too long, and the slower times by competitors was testament to this. Competitors who were on the run course early on had it the toughest, with the sun trying to break through the clouds, and the humidity absolutely stifling. Those who ran later in the morning had the 'luxury' of cloud cover and some refreshing rain to cool them off.

Other strong performances came from; Katrina Sinclair - fifth in the female 50-54 age group and Matt Lamont - 25th in the highly competitive male 25-29 age group, while Ballina-based 'ladies man/triathlon stalwart' Chris Hackett was competing in his 12th Noosa Triathlon.

Defending champions, Craig Walton and Emma Snowsill, successfully defended their titles. In the process Walton became the first athlete to win the Noosa Triathlon four times.

At home

Due to the large contingent of Ballina Triathlon Club members involved in the Noosa Triathlon the numbers for the first swim run of the season held at Shaws Bay last Friday were down. Despite the pull of Noosa, 16 competitors still stripped down to their race suits for the season opener. Despite a scratchy start the field soon stretched out through the water with the big swimmers showing good form. Wendy de Boer came out of the water leg first, followed by Josh McHugh, with Shane Flannery and Frank Day close behind. Josh held his lead over Shane and Frank, catching Wendy in the run and taking line honours for the first race of the season.

Tee-ball tyros

Goonellabah's Rhys White showed good glove work at first base last weekend to pick up a couple of good outs for his team, while Dodger's Tenneille hit the ball well and her ground field at second truly shone. Meanwhile, Kylie for Dodgers and Jackson for Workers ran the bases well during the ultra-competitive 5-8 year-old tee-ball division.

Coaches from both sides, Tanya Buchan and Jaimee Claydon, commented on how well both teams were doing.

"The young players are picking up game sense all the time, when to run, which bases to run to and when they field the ball, where to throw it," Tanya said, with Jaimee vigorously nodding agreement.

If you're between the ages of 5 and 8 or you've got children with heaps of unfocused energy, tee-ball is the latest rage out at Albert Park on Saturday mornings at 8.45am.

Though that might seem a bit early for some, it is truly worth the effort, especially later in the day when your little tyros feel like going to bed early. Everyone new and old is welcome. For information phone one of the following clubs:

Workers Club (Wayne Hampson on 6687 5879), Goonellabah (Suellen Pursche on 6663 1488) or Dodgers (Janelle Clough on 6624 3878).

Twilight softball a social affair

Time is running out to join the Thursday Business House Social Twilight competition, with the first proper game starting next Thursday, November 18. So get your mits outs and the spats laundered cause its ball time!

The twilight competition is a slow pitch, mixed gender event for work or social teams. Each team is required to have at least five women. The cost for the game season is a mere $40, which must be the best value for sporting dollar in the entire district. The game runs from 5.30-7pm.

All interested teams or individuals phone Kaylene Shailes on 6628 4430 or Suellen Pursche on 6663 1488.

Showers and selections play havoc - Cricket

A combination of aggression and concentration make Adam Shields one of the finest openers in Country NSW.

Seasonal rains, though very welcome, undermined any chances of play in the LJ Hooker League across the district on Saturday, except for the match between Easts and Souths out on the dark unknown of the Nielson Park pitch.

Souths, last year's premiers, won the toss and sent Jobson's champion squad in on the grassy deck. The far western pitch, which is being used for this match, isn't as undulating as the pitch used for the first two games of the season and Easts made steady progress against Souths' quality attack. When rain finally stopped proceedings at tea, teenage sensation Tom Cooper had moved on to 61 not out. Since his return from India, where he trained and played as 12th man for the Australian team, Cooper has been in excellent form, only losing his wicket once in three trips to the middle. He leads the district batting averages on 182 and it is hardly surprising that he has been selected in the Far North Coast open team to play East Asia Pacific on Friday night at Oakes Oval.

The FNC open team looks like a very formidable line-up, though it will miss the Casino connection of opening bat Adam Shields and opening bowler Wade Sweeney, young stroke maker Sam Irvine and Ballina Bear opening bowler Josh Slater. These four have been selected in the North Coast representative team, which will play at the NSW Country Championships in Maitland this weekend.

The Far North Coast colt side, which will play the East Asia Pacific team on Saturday at Oakes Oval, looks like it should put up a pretty good showing as well, though it seems a shame that LJ Hooker League debutantes Wes Koskela and Sam Adams haven't been given a run because of their age. The Colts is an Under 21 side and the selectors must have felt that throwing the Under 16 players in against the open age group East Asia Pacific team might have been too big an ask.

All the other games except for the Easts/Souths match up have been reduced to one-day matches.

Representative selection will certainly undermine Casino's chances as they will be five players short for their game against Lennox Head, though Lennox will also be without the services of young top order batsman Sean Buckett. (Buckett is in the Colt side). Ballina Bears will also be short five of their young guns, which will suit their opponents Tintenbar -East Ballina no end.

Marist Brothers were scratching for players in all the grades last game and without Adam Gadowski they might struggle. This is good news for competition leaders Norths-Goonellabah, who take on the Brethren at Nesbitt Park. The one-day format should suit the Hawks, granted that their veterans, Lockhart and Bonamy, can still walk after playing all Friday in the East Asia Pacific match.

Country cup runneth over

Lismore has drawn nearer to a berth in the lucrative Country Cup Carnival in Dubbo after rain handed them the win over Tweed on the basis of a better seeding in the NSW Country Cup cricket competition on Sunday. Tweed, who hosted the game, can count themselves very unlucky to be so deprived, as the rules change in the third round, with teams being eliminated on the basis of run rate rather than seeding. Lismore hasn't bowled a ball in anger so far after getting the bye in the first round and already they have made it to the third. Another wash out would be their undoing.

However, if they can overcome Lower Clarence on November 28 they will head off to compete for the $37,000 prize pool at the Dubbo carnival in December.

Lower Clarence surprised the more favoured Clarence River team, dispatching them for a mere 148 in response to their 162, to earn a shot at the Wilsons River men.