Sports News

Hook, Line and Sinker

Catch this

Matthew Doust proudly shows off a nice trag caught recently off Evans Head.

Some top stories of fish catches in the past weeks.

At the moment there are good whiting in the usual spots around the spits above the Ballina Ferry, Pimlico Island, Broadwater and Rileys Hill. Bloodworms are still the preferred bait during the day with yabbies of a night. Around Pimlico there have been good catches of school jew, once again on yabbies.

Around Lismore the bass have come on and there have been good-sized fish, up to 52cm in length. If there is not too much rain and the colour of the water stays as it is, they will continue for a good while.

Outside fishing has been hampered by the weather. For weeks the seas have been very ordinary but there are a few to catch, mainly pearl perch and teraglen.

Some Lismore and Ballina anglers have just spent a couple of weeks based in Tamworth and caught some nice Murray cod, yellow belly and European carp. Some of the carp were over 10kg and as they are pests, they must be killed and not returned live to the water. They are great sport and are mainly caught on garden worms or flies. They will sometimes take a lure; on this occasion they took lures as long as they were purple in colour.

Call of the Loon with Laurie Axtens

When you're hot, you're hot

Are you confronted by an irritable, inarticulate, hollow eyed insolence? When you plead with your housemates to clean up or just get up and do something useful, do they just continue to stare blankly at the television set?

The first thing you will probably think is drugs. Certainly these are the symptoms that the government has warned us about. However, after a thorough invasion of their personal items and a lengthy interrogation, where you held a fridge magnet to their throats and demanded to know where they kept the stash, you have come up empty handed.

There they slouch, their blank slated foreheads bathed in a cold sweat, incapable of anything but the most rudimentary and belligerent grunts. They emit a series of guttural groans just getting to their feet and weaving their way to the fridge and back again. They don't want dinner and worse still they keep spilling their drinks, breaking glasses and ruining the carpet without the slightest care. They stare as distantly at the shattered glass as though it were lying on a dirt floor in a mud hut in Soweto.

Finally it occurs to you, they've been running about in 40-degree heat for days on end. Perhaps they play cricket on Saturday and Sundays? Maybe they've been surfing five hours per day for the last week? Maybe they've been playing in a tennis or bowls championship? Possibly they are a bit overweight and have a drinking problem and have spent a day in the sun trying to play one of the aforementioned sports?

The symptoms described earlier are of a condition called heat exhaustion. If their over-exposure to heat continues they could suffer heat stroke. Heat stroke is potentially lethal and can cause serious brain damage. Why, I can't even recall how many times I've had heat exhaustion, but that's another story.

There is nothing for it - you're just going to have to let them sit around in a shady spot and sip cold drinks until they recover. Of course an icepack in the groin will speed up their recovery as will one around the neck or under their armpits. It's important to deny them alcohol; it will only dehydrate them further. The anger and aggression is mostly due to a persistent headache, not the application of the icepack or the refusal of beer. Also such caring and sympathetic treatment may encourage them to be a little more thoughtful about exposing themselves to heat in the future.

In my experience, a cold shower cools inflamed passions and over-heated bodies.

Ramping it up

The slimey boat ramp below the SES building has caused a number of accidents recently.

Concerns have been raised about the public safety of the boat ramp that adjoins the Riviera car park near the Lismore wharf. The ramp is extremely slippery and there are a growing number of loose planks across the launching platform.

"My concern is that it's a public area," said Lismore Sports Association member and canoe club regular Theresa Crollick. "We've already had one serious accident, which caused the loss of work time for one of the club members. We are blessed with some top athletes here in Lismore and look what they have to suffer," she said. "We have been promised funds toward a better ramp but at present just some maintenance wouldn't go astray."

Lismore SES Unit controller Lindsay Matterson, who works out of the building above the ramp, agreed the facility needed a revamp.

"A few of our members have had a fall there - it's extremely slimey and needs a blasting. The site could also do with a mow and a whipper snip."

Lois Kelly, from the Lismore City Council economic development unit, said she was "hoping that money will become available in the very near future for a better ramp."

Lois said that river based water sport is one of the areas that the development unit is focusing its attention on. She believes canoeing and kayaking fit in well with the new push to make Lismore a sporting capital while maintaining our status as a waterway conscious community. The canoe club are certainly hoping something can be done in the short term to make it a safer river access point.

Original settlers sort for national squad

Nominations are being sought from interested young Aboriginal people in the Northern Rivers to compete in the Youth Friendship Games in Sydney in July this year.

Following the outstanding success of the first World Friendship Games in Holland in 2004, the games will be brought to Sydney this year and will incorporate celebrations for the UNESCO International Year of Sport and Physical Education.

NSW Sport and Recreation has secured the inclusion of Aboriginal teams across all sports. The Aboriginal teams will compete against Australian and international teams and organisers are keen to fill the Koori sides with the best and brightest players.

Sports to be represented include baseball, soccer, swimming, basketball, ten pin bowling, wrestling, volleyball and tennis.

Those selected will come together as a team at training camps and clinics in Sydney in the lead up to the event.

The games, being coordinated by Contiki Holidays, will be held from July 12-17 and much of the competition will take place at Sydney Olympic venues.

International teams will include the USA, New Zealand, China, Malaysia, Singapore and Japan.

"One of the ambitions of the games is to encourage interaction between athletes from different cultures," said NSW Sport and Recreation senior Aboriginal project officer Anthony Carter. "The friendship games are about more than just sport. There will be a full cultural program, with Aboriginal people performing at the event - telling stories of their culture through dance, art and song."

Young Aboriginal people aged between 11 and 19 years who are interested in being considered for the games team should contact NSW Sport and Recreation on 131 302 for more details and an application form.

Nominations close February 25, 2005.

Premiers back on top

Another all round quality performance by Southern Districts has lifted them to the top of the Hooker League as they dismantled the lowly placed Alstonville at Hill Park Oval on Saturday.

Souths, having accumulated 9-223, thanks largely to the powerful late order batting of Len Blok (51), dismissed the red and white for 134. It was one of their usual tradesmen like displays with big Paul Fredericks finishing with the best figures of 4-18 from 11 miserly overs.

This weekend Nind's green and gold men will take on a resurgent Workers Club at Oakes Oval. Workers only lost five wickets chasing down Easts' meagre first innings total of 93. Alan Glasby (34) scored the bulk of the runs until Ian Gregory made a mess of his stumps.

Workers are blessed with a few very talented youngsters, particularly Jason Caught and Wes Koskela, and with their stable of medium pacers bowling stump to stump there is still hope that they might be able to upset the premiers this weekend.

Easts, in the words of their captain Bruce Jobson, are shattered. The list of their player losses seems to grow daily. So far they have lost Tom Cooper, Daniel Wells and Paul Simes. If losing their entire middle order wasn't bad enough their attack is stunted with only Ian Gregory playing without some form of injury. This weekend they travel to Alstonville to play the cellar dwellers and they will be lucky to come away with a win.

High fliers Casino Cavaliers and Norths Goonellabah RSL (Hawks) both took a tumble last match going down to Tintenbar East Ballina and the Ballina Bears respectively, giving the competition a decidedly seaside flavour. The Cavaliers will be hoping that their pitiful total of 46 against the Bar was an aberration as they go into a match against the Hawks on Queen Elizabeth Park this weekend. The Hawks will be looking to bounce back from their surprise loss to the youngsters from the home of the big prawn. In that game their middle order shrivelled in the salt air to leave them 6 for 56 before Daniel Cox (30) gave some respectability to their total. Who will bounce back better - the Hawks or the Cavaliers? Probably the Cavaliers as Slammin' Sam Irvine slots back into their middle order.

Tintenbar East Ballina are coming home hard and could pinch the minor title from Souths. Two of their last three games are against bottom of the table Alstonville and lowly placed Marist Brothers. This weekend it's the Brethren. Marist lost to Lennox last weekend in a 45 over match in which their hesitant batting managed only 123 runs. It took Lennox only 33 overs to haul in that total with Ben Peterson (34) and Todd Fisher (44) doing the lion's share of the scoring.

In the final match of the round Ballina Bears will take on Lennox Head at Saunders Oval. The two young squads are coming off successive wins and are both poised to force their way into the top four. Cricket is a team game and at the moment these two teams have jelled into complete units - this game should be a pearler. Lennox by a wicket.

A Queensland Curtisy

No sweat: A family of paddlers (l-r) Tony Curtis, Glen Curtis and mother Marion Brown lie down on Lismore wharf after a 10km paddle.

After an excellent season of marathon paddling the Curtis boys and their mother Marion have, once again, been selected in the Queensland squad to compete in the national titles in Penrith over Easter.

Both Glen and Tony Curtis will be competing in the open K1 and will pair up in the K2 to endure the white water of the Sydney Olympic course. Marion will be taking down her new craft to tough it out in the veteran 45 section.

Tony and Glen expect it will be a very difficult competition this year as all the contestants will be vying for a spot in the national team. The Australian team will jet to Western Australia for the World Championship in October. A home championship is an affordable option for many paddlers, granted they make the cut.

To make the Australian team a paddler needs to finish in the top three places and within 2% of the winning time. No easy task, but the Curtis brothers have been knocking out some very competitive times recently and they're definitely in with a chance.

Marion says she is almost in the over 55 years section but don't be fooled, she is a woman of well-tempered steel and could easily come away with the title.

The family of paddlers are all members of the Far North Coast Canoe Club who offer a free come and try day every second Sunday down at the Lismore Wharf below the Laurie Allen Centre. Phone Ed to book a kayak or canoe on 6689 9256.

An Eel in Sharks clothing

Play-maker Adam Dykes could be in for some added attention in the Sharks vs Eels trial match in Lismore next Saturday, February 5.

The high profile five eighth played with Parramatta last year but has joined the Sharks for 2005, and although player loyalty is less common in the modern era, internal issues often get a chance to play themselves out on the field when players change clubs.

Dykes' kicking game will be important in the pre-season encounter and he will be looking to impress with some easy yardage down the flanks or even a 40-20 or two.

Another high profile player, Paul Mellor, who returns from a season in England, will join Dykes in the Sharks line-up. The punishing forward is a good ball runner and will combine well with Dykes to add defensive strength around the edge of the ruck.

The Sharks will need to tightly guard the edges of the ruck as the Eels have picked up some very talented ball runners in the off season, notably Mark Riddell (St George) and Timana Tahu (The Knights). If this pair can develop some combinations with Daniel Wagon, who has moved to inside centre, we could see a host of line breaks.

Both teams under performed last year, finishing 11th and 12th in the 15-team competition, and will be looking to turn around their fortunes this season.

However, even before either team trots on for the big game next Saturday, they will have undergone a tight schedule of appearances. The Eels will be arriving in Lismore next Thursday, February 3, and will spend the next day visiting schools and clubs. The Sharks are due into town on the Friday and will go straight into a training run on Oakes Oval at 3.15pm. During the run they will be offering skills and drills training as well as signatures for the kids. The Eels will get their chance to train on the haloed local turf from 6pm.

On the morning of Saturday, February 5, both squads will be at Lismore Shopping Square from 10-11am to sign signatures and talk up the match.

Trafficking

A massive 5000 vehicles are expected to descend on Lismore as up to 10,000 spectators make their way to Oakes Oval on Saturday, February 5, to enjoy a rugby league extravaganza.

Lismore City Council, the event promoters, and the local constabulary have decided to tackle the parking problem head on.

"The city doesn't usually park anything like that number on a Saturday afternoon," said Lismore City Council's Russell Kelly. "So we've been working together with the promoters and police to developed a coordinated parking plan."

Six car parks are part of a plan that stretches from the CBD across to the netball fields to the south west of the ground. The Rural Fire Service will be acting as parking wardens on Jolly field and point control officers will be in charge of the main intersection when the games are over.

"We're taking it very seriously," Russell said. "We want to do a good job because this could be the first of many such events."

Hollywood and the USA

For a mere $3 you can buy a ticket to the movie length 'Return of the Harrigan'.

One of Australia's greatest ever whistleblowers, Bill 'Hollywood' Harrigan, will be controlling the game between USA Tomahawk and the Casino Cougars next Tuesday, February 1, at Casino's Queen Elizabeth Park. Casino came dead last in Group 1 last year but a big game like this could set them back on the path to league domination. Casino has traditionally been a major force in regional rugby league and they should thrive in the big time atmosphere. Kick off is at 6.30pm.

Karate kids

Ben Skennar and Kylie Kennedy will be putting their best fists forward when they try to regain their places in the Australian National Japan Karate squad, which will be selected after the Queensland Titles in Alstonville in early March.

The pair, who made the national squad in 2002, have the ultimate aim of making the national team, which is drawn from the larger squad. This will earn them the right to travel to New York to compete in the Shoto World Cup in 2006.

Contestants in Japanese karate compete in two different disciples - Kata (or set arrangements) and Kumite (or fighting).

Kata is like the ballet of karate, where judges assess the contestant in terms of the smoothness, accuracy and speed of their movements. In the Kumite, although this style is not full impact, it is a fight where points are earned from successfully aimed blows.

In the recent Australian titles, fought out on the Gold Coast, Ben made the final eight of the open men's Kata and although he lost early in the rounds of the Kumite, he lost that bout to the eventual winner.

Kylie and Ben are part of the Japan Karate Association Northern Rivers and are presently involved in intensive training with Ian Harris - a Shihan Takahashi, or Japanese Master.