Sports News

Blake In-line for greater honours

Australian Under 12 In-line goalkeeper Blake Scofield has a quick rest before getting into some serious training with the senior players last Thursday night at the Lismore Skating rink.

Blake Scofield is one of the best in-line skating goalkeepers in Australia. He is also an early on-set diabetic who needs to inject himself with insulin two or three times every day.

It's a tricky procedure, assessing your blood sugar levels during the breaks in the game, but Blake does it without blinking an eye.

Blake was diagnosed with diabetes only three and a half years ago, but has bounced back from the life threatening complaint in a truly inspirational fashion.

The youngster recently won selection in the national team, which will be travelling to Detroit in the United States in July to take part in the World In-line Cup.

To get there however, he needs to do a heap of fund rasing. He's already out there door knocking.

His grandmother, Glad Watts, is helping him get the money together. She will be at the Lismore Shopping Square on May 5, 6, 7,19, 20 and 21, as well as June 9, 10 and 11, selling raffle tickets, while also organising a pie drive for May 25. The pie drive will have the pair delivering pies all over the district. People interesting in ordering a pie or buying raffle tickets to help young Blake should give Glad a call on 6625 1123.

Aiming for higher ground

Tom Lawrence lines a shot up at the Goonellabah RSL Sports Club - the new home of the RSL Air Rifle Club. Tom has been a member of the Air Rifle Club since 1970, when he moved to Lismore from New Zealand.

The Lismore RSL Air Rifle Club has undergone many changes over the years.

During the early days, after WWII, shooters used to aim at a bell suspended over the river.

"But the waterbirds didn't like it much," said club stalwart Bob Marriott, "so we set up inside the old RSL."

The club itself wasn't formally established until the 1980s and from that time on they maintained a regular interclub championship against Twin Towns and Ballina.

Then Martin Bryant went on a killing rampage around Port Arthur.

Since that time the rules and regulations have been tightened significantly.

However, the club survived and even reopened its interclub shooting challenge with Twin Towns recently.

Then the Lismore RSL went belly up. So the club had to make the move up the hill to the Goonellabah RSL Sports Club. Now they practice on Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings in the Table Tennis Centre.

The club is, as ever, keen to expand its membership and interested people should phone Raymond on 0416 242 854.

All shooters are required to have a shooters licence or a shooters exception while their shooters licence is being finalised. A shooter exception usually takes about one month to come through and forms can be obtained through the club.

To get a shooters licence you need to be over 14 years of age and have no criminal record.

Academy strokes ahead - Swimming

The North Coast Academy of Sport (NCAS) swim program is going from strength to strength. Last week the 26-member Academy swim team brought home 13 medals from the Australian Age Swimming Championships in Brisbane. The medal haul is the largest in the Academy's small but successful history for the age championships.

Of the academy's success stories, 13-year-old Lynton Hurt from Suffolk Park was the best placed of the local swimmers, taking out silver in both the 200m and 100m breaststroke and reaching the final in the 200m individual medley. Lennox Head swimmer Keatyn Simpson took out silver in the girls 13 years 100m breaststroke and bronze in the 50m breaststroke.

Lennox was well represented on the dais as Gemma Johnson swam away with a bronze for the 14 years 50m freestyle. Jessica Henshaw, Kate Johnson, Karrisa Lisha, Dean Mackay and Hayley Thomson also performed well in their age events.

"We are attributing our overall success to the structure of the program, which only selects national age qualifiers, and requires each swimmer's local coach to also become an Academy satellite coach," said NCAS executive director, Tony Clarke.

"This focus on a coach-driven program has seen 13 club coaches from throughout the Far North Coast and Mid North Coast swimming districts come together with their swimmers in a camp-based program. This has allowed our coaches to share ideas and training programs."

Redbirds are go! - Baseball

Easts Redbirds are forcing their more fancied rivals to sit up and take notice.

Under the skilled eye of their young coach, Nick Shailes, Redbirds have knocked off both Marist Brothers and now last year's finalists, Norths. On both occasions the young side has rallied late in the game to snatch victory. On Friday night the Redbirds waited until the eighth innings to make their charge, posting four runs and tying up the game at 10-all.

The Norths' bullpen is depleted at the moment and Paul Simes, who has been struggling with fitness himself, was forced to carry the team's prospects on the mound.

When Easts scored again in the last dig thanks to the Shailes, Norths had no reply.

In the Saturday game the Workers juggernaut continued on its merry way as they steamrolled Marist Brothers 12-3.

Workers have an excellent array of pitchers and on this occasion they used Troy Pruess to shut down the Brethren's batting. He did an excellent job. On the other side of the equation, Workers offensive line-up teed off with Michael McClelland and Dallas Knapp each smashing four hits, while Scott McClelland clobbered three.

Interleague

Next weekend the Interleague competition resumes on Saturday when Marist Brothers run on against Runaway Bay at Runaway Bay at 2.45pm. However, the match of the round will be in Lismore where the perennial Gold Coast premiers Mudgeeraba Redsox take on our own predominate Workers squad on Saturday at Baxter Field at 2.45pm. The Robina verses Redbirds match on Thew Field promises to be an even match up as well.

Call of the Loon with Laurie Axtens

A game the whole family can play

I tell ya, we could have done with a ref at home. Someone in a penguin suit who could have ordered the washing up like a scrum with just a little toot on the whistle instead of all the bellowing and threats.

Think how many red cards my father would have got. How many times would he have been up in front of the judiciary? Then again, I imagine we boys (I have three brothers) would have been marched more than the odd 10 metres for backchat. I wonder how many weeks my brother would have got for burning down the back shed?

It could have been wonderful. Just think if our blessed mother could have appealed to an umpire for some house keeping money and had her appeal upheld.

Though umpiring in the bedroom is not a concept I'd like to have much truck with it does bring a whole new meaning to 'going upstairs to the video referee', the 'turn over' and penalising hands in the ruck.

Alas there aren't any set rules for families - no governing bodies, no appeals tribunal, just the police and the Department of Community Services, and they don't want to be whistle blowers. You think that sports crowds are violent and unruly. Try dropping in to take away someone's children.

As a child I wished that I could have grown up in a 'reasonable' household. Later in life I realised that all families are somewhat dysfunctional and it's hardly surprising, considering parents aren't coached at all and the game of family doesn't even have any written rules.

Fortunately junior sport offered uniformity and structure for me, and for many kids since I suspect. It also provided respite for my parents. That's probably why I loved sport - it filled my deep-seated need for structure and consistency and got me the hell out of that mad house.

The brains behind the brawn - FNC Rugby Union

Daniel O'Brien finds touch for the galloping greens against Casino at Lismore Rugby Ground on Saturday afternoon. The chunky play maker kicked well throughout the game and crossed for City's first try to set up the win.

Daniel O'Brien scored a massive 16 in Lismore City's gutsy 21-12 win over Casino in the Far North Coast Rugby Union in Lismore on Saturday. The fly half kicked well and on more than one occasion put his hard running centres, Chris Pirlo and Mitch Mowle, into space as the pair made plenty of ground.

The Casino scrum was very powerful and on a couple of occasions turned the ball over. However, the defence of City's loose forwards, particularly James Oliveri, managed to win it back even more often.

The line-outs, which City's forwards were looking to dominate, ended up being evenly shared with both sides finding it hard to control possession from the throw.

Over at Maurie Ryan Field on Saturday, Southern Cross University newly christened fly half, Damien Thom, played another gem for the students as they snatched victory from the Seahorses 20-14. Thom kicked two conversions and two penalties and crossed late in the game to seal the victory.

Meanwhile, the Wollongbar Alstonville squad were too big and too fast for Yamba at Lyle Park on Saturday as the Pioneers ran in four tries in the 32-12 pummelling.

Ballina almost comes unstuck - Hockey

Ballina are yet to really sure up their defences since the loss of Brett Crawford and keeper Matt Campbell from last year's premiership side. Last Saturday even Alstonville, who are still only finding their feet in the top flight, scored three times against the seasiders. Admittedly Ballina responded with four goals of their own, but not before being given a good scare.

Ballina have been haemorrhaging goals of late, allowing three in both their matches against Northern Star and Coraki. It doesn't bode well for the seasiders for the upcoming district competition.

Alstonville's halves are young and aggressive; particularly Adrian Crispo and Daniel Lidbetter and they starved Ballina of possession for much of the match.

In the other match at Hepburn Park, Coraki overpowered East Lismore 4-nil.

Easts keeper Nathan Hughes kept Coraki out for the entire first half with some spectacular saves but in the end the weight of possession and territorial advantage was too much. In any case Coraki have a very creative and aggressive forward line and few teams would be able to perpetually defend their goal against them.

Coraki's centre half Ben Moss has fantastic stick work and enjoys taking on the defence. He scored twice on Saturday before a clash with Hughes caused him to leave the field.

Ballina secures first spot - Rugby League

Ballina's superstar Milton Thaiday might have made the move to the Newcastle Knights during the week, but it did nothing to douse the fire that is burning amongst the Ballina Seagulls. The blokes in the sky blue and black have been turning it on since round one and their dismemberment of the South Grafton Rebels on Kingsford Smith Park, 66-20, was just more of the same last weekend. Thaiday's substitute, young Mitch Aubusson, crossed four times as the seasiders ran in 12 tries during the rout. The Rebels had been undefeated before the weekend and must still be in shock at the speed, efficiency and flair of the Ballina side.

Marist Brothers, who had also managed to win all their encounters until Saturday, are also in shock after going down to Lower Clarence by a single point, 21-20. Lower Clarence hadn't managed a single victory until they snuck past the Brethren with a field goal in the dying moments.

Tweed Seagulls maintained their winning ways when they overcame Cudgen 40-24 at Cudgen. In the other games, Murwillumbah massacred the Kyogle Turkey's 62-26, Casino out-muscled Grafton Ghosts 44-20 and lasts year's premiers Mullumbimby got off the mark with their first win over South Tweed 30-10.

Round 5

Sunday, May 1:

Cudgen host Murwillumbah

South Tweed host Seagulls

Byron Bay host Mullum'y

Marist Brothers host Ballina

Kyogle host Grafton Ghosts

Casino host Lower Clarence

Play it again Sam

Equaliser: Goonellabah's Matthew Olley heads in at the far post after a skillfully worked corner at Crozier Oval on Monday afternoon. The final ended in a draw due to failing light and will be replayed on either May 11 or May 18 at Oakes Oval - free entry.

The Soccer Far North Coast preseason Anzac Cup final at Crozier Oval on Monday afternoon had everything, except a result. There was a late send off, a disallowed goal from a long distance free kick, a large braying crowd and chances aplenty, but in the end the game finished in a 1-all draw. Normally one would expect the game to go into extra time and then finally to a penalty shoot out, but that was not to be as failing light brought an early end to proceedings. Officials have announced the game will be replayed at Oakes Oval on either May 11 or May 18 depending on ground availablity.

Goonellabah started on top in the gripping encounter, with some sharp interplays on the edge of the Ballina box creating two clean-cut chances, but Matthew Olley and Ben Andrews both failed to find the mark.

Ballina's Clint Colless wasn't so wasteful when he broke away midway through the half. Against the run of play, Colless ran onto a loose ball, skinned the keeper at pace and cleaned up the rebound off the post to give Ballina a shock 1-nil lead.

That's how they went to the half time break.

The second half started just as the first had with Goonellabah's little men running riot through midfield. Despite their dominance of possession the Hornet's again found it difficult to score. When they did find the back of the net with a long-range free kick it was disallowed for offside, much to the displeasure of half the crowd. Finally, Olley managed to find the equaliser when he headed in at the far post after a clever flick on from Adam Barnes.

From that moment on the game became frenetic as the ball travelled from end to end as each team strove for a winner. As the shadows deepened Ballina looked set to steal the prize when Justin Stockham bundled onto a wide pass, only to be taken out by Goonellabah keeper Brett Chaplin, just outside the box. Chaplin was promptly given his marching orders but Ballina frittered away the free kick and wasted another free kick inside the box moments later as the game petered out to a frustrating draw.

The Constellation Hotel Golden Boot ranings after Round 2:

4 - Adam Bostock

3 - Peter O'Neill

2 - Anthony Alvos

Workers women on top

Last year's premiers, Workers, continued their outstanding form by taking out the pre-season Callan McMillan Shield in a gripping penalty shoot out against Byron Bay on Monday afternoon at Crozier Oval.

All smiles after their big win were the Workers team (rear l-r) Kristal Gollan, Nicole Feletti, Hilaree Bradwell, Sheree Coubrough, Jenna Gollan, Kim Wraight, Sandy Thompson and Renee Cowan, and (front l-r) Jessica Davidson, Alison Bell, Karlie Aquilina, Abbey Moss, Karina Duley, Nadine Toniello and Kate Whitney.

It must be noted that women made up the great majority of the officials for the women's A and B grade finals. In fact the whistle blowers for the B grade were all women. Renate Hatka ran the match and was ably assisted by Hilaree Bradwell and Karlie Aquilina, with Julia Hanson the fourth official. In the A grade final Julia Hanson was the woman in the middle while Renate Hatka and Amanda Towner controlled the lines.

Golf

with Stan Bendall

Unbackable favourite Bill Ferrier lost the club championship at Woodburn Evans Head Golf Club on the weekend when 18-year-old Brett Forrester recorded a stunning last round to snatch victory by three shots.

Brett went around in 299 from 72 holes. Brett has been hitting off a 6 handicap but that is likely to drop to 5 soon.

Lismore Workers Golf Club will be hosting the Red Cross Charity day this Sunday, May 1. The four-person Ambrose competition costs $25 including lunch. Tee off is at high noon.