Sports News
 Bowled Over
A Classic Competition
One of the Workers Heights big events of the year is coming up on Monday and Tuesday, September 3-4.
It is the Open Men's Classic Two Bowl Triples, an event registered with the RNSWBA and the NRDBA, so there is sure to be some hot competition. Another attractive drawcard is the generous prize money of $4500, which will be distributed among the first five placegetters and each round winner. The format will be three games of 21 ends each day, play commencing at 9am.
Entries close Monday, August 27, and can be lodged with the Tournament Coordinator along with entry fee of $90 per team.
There is still time for members of the Lismore Workers Bowling Group to enter the mixed pairs event being held this Sunday, August 19, at Workers Heights BC. For details and to register, phone Secretary Ken Willis on 6628 4110.
A hard core of women are enjoying the Saturday afternoon competition at the Heights, which starts at 1pm each week. Depending on numbers, pairs or triples is the usual format and the women are seeing it as a golden opportunity to hone their skills. Any woman from any club is most welcome to join the group and can phone their name in on 6624 3040 by 12.30pm to be included.
The games played during the week are of a social nature and I wonder if perhaps, in some clubs, a bit of variety would not go astray.
Instead of the normal one game played during a period of 3-4 hours, two games of a reduced number of ends could be played, with winners playing winners and losers playing losers.
This would give players a more equitable competition and allow for social interaction with more players. I know some clubs keep a record of who plays with and against whom so players are given a variety of opponents.
Some clubs also alter the way the trophy winners are decided each time eg. highest winning margin, highest winning score, closest winning margin, highest number of winning ends, highest number of consecutive winning ends, one point for a win and one for each end won, secret margin and winning rink out of the hat.
Variety in all aspects of social games could help engender interest in players.
Coaching Tip
Reading the green: Wind, water (including dew and rain) cloud and sun are conditions that affect the reading of the green.
If wind is blowing across the green, there will be a wide and narrow hand. If blowing diagonally, delivering into the wind will require more force and bowling with the wind, less force.
Wet conditions and cloud will slow the green down. As temperature increases on sunny days, the green speeds up but will slow as temperature decreases.
Umpire's Corner
28A Displacement by a rebounding non-toucher: A bowl displaced by a non-toucher rebounding from the bank shall be restored as near as possible to its original position by the director of the opposing team or by the marker.
Until next week,
good bowling.
 Hook and Slices
with Stan Bendall
District Final at Coraki
NRDGA
The Foxsports men's district 4BBB final will be held at Coraki this Sunday, August 19.
There will be a welcome day for the commencement of the Northern Rivers Golf Classic at Ballina on Sunday, August 26.
From Monday, August 27 until Friday, September 7 there will be 13 days of golf at 13 different golf courses in the Northern Rivers area with the final farewell at Yamba and visitors from all points of the compass.
The NSW championships are being held at Newcastle Golf Club from October 2-4. Entry is $50.
Some very good golf was played at the interdistrict match between Northern Rivers, South East Queensland and Gold Coast last weekend.
Northern Rivers finished in second place. Mick Greber from Casino recorded the best score of the Northern Rivers Opens; Brendon Griffin (Mullum) the best for the colts; Simon Long (Tweed) the best for juniors and Peter Harvey and Roy Gleeson shared the best for the seniors. Gold Coast won the open, colts and juniors while South East Queensland won the seniors. Well done Northern Rivers!
Ballina
The members will play a single stableford (backmarker) event this Saturday and the ladies will play a single stableford.
The club foursomes will be played over 27 holes this Sunday.
The RSL will play a stroke event and round two of the matchplay championships this Sunday.
Brian Hannan won the Legacy day tournament from Peter Wilson last Wednesday; Michael Harvey won A grade; David Wilson B grade; John Middleton C grade and Mark Astley the gross.
Tony Hughes won the single stableford last Friday from Tony Jung and Barry David.
Bill Crane won the day on Saturday from Les Preston and Frank Bray. David May, Geoff Cowled, Barry Audsley and John Hume won the teams event.
Mother and son combination Andrea and Sav Glavocih won the club mixed foursomes from Anne Kafer and Stewie Bradhurst last Sunday with Pam Ellis and Ken Bracegirdle winning the net from Ken and Marlene Leggo. Well done folks!
Casino
The George Gooley menswear single stableford will be played this Saturday.
There will be a single bisque versus par event the following Saturday.
Big hitting Claude Viel took out last Thursday's event on a countback from Jim Dean.
Darryl Hancock and Harry Mackney won the 4BBB stableford last Saturday by a point from Jason Adam and Ian Lynch. Jim Donnelly and John Orr won the net from father and son Warwick and Wade Sweeney.
Plenty of cadets supported the Graham Coe memorial Cadet Day last Sunday. Casino won the teams trophy. Luke Henwood from Maclean won the Graham Coe Shield; Glen Rickwood (Grafton) the A grade gross; Brad McLennan the A grade net; Richard Smith won the B grade gross; Oliver Koch the B grade net; Steve Clapham the C grade gross and Greg Astley the C grade net. Melissa Rumble won the girls gross from Carla Leeson and Belinda Malcolmson won the net from Lisa Cooper. The day was a great success.
Coraki
There will be a stableford this Saturday.
The club will host the Foxsports men's 4BBB district final this Sunday and there will be a four ball played as well.
Roger Wilton won the A grade in the single stableford last Saturday and Cobber McLelland won the net.
Peter Cordery won the overall gross in the Mid-Richmond Plumbers day last Sunday from Dean Ferrier, who won A grade. Another club legend, Jimmy Ormond, took out the overall net trophy; John Kelly won the B grade gross; Walter Wotherspoon won C grade; club legend Aub Scofield won the A grade net; Gary Mulroy the B grade and John Chant C grade. Nicole Jenkins won the ladies A grade gross; Marie Leeson won the A grade net and Pam Kelly won B grade. Good scores were recorded and the course was presented in top condition.
Lismore Workers
An individual stableford will be played this Saturday in conjunction with a two ball.
Lismore will travel to Kyogle the following Saturday for the first round of the Johnson and Johnson Suzuki-Daihatsu trophy.
The 2LM Christmas Appeal day, sponsored by Cummings Retravision is on August 26. Not many slots are left – cost is $20 and includes lunch.
There aren't many spots left for the Holden Scramble on Sunday, September 2 – cost is $25 per head.
The Children's Home Golf Day will be held on Sunday, September 9, names are needed now.
You have to be good to win on Thursdays as last week I managed 64 and ran second to Keith Doherty who had 64. Trimboli won the front nine from Gerry Lynch. Farmer Ray Evans won the second nine from another farmer, Tom Somerville and young club talent, Lloyd Kelly won the gross with a 1 under par 69.
A stroke event was played last Saturday as the second and final round of the Presidents trophy. Rob McRae won overall with 130 with Dack Harris 2 shots away. Mark (Hammer) Hamilton, one of my cadets from 20 years ago, won A grade from Trent Webber and Ken Burke. Harold Crozier won B grade on a countback from Peter Heilbron and Hilton Snow. Max Leeson had a huge form reversal to take out C grade (from previously winning the Bradman's several times) by 3 from Rob McRae and Anthony Magarry. Geoff Haycraft took out the Bradman's by two from Tony Madden, who is now in from overall!
Madge Spooner and Margaret Hayes won the ladies club foursomes recently with Norma Underwood and Heather Sidney finishing second. Well done girls!
Woodburn-Evans Head
A 4BBB stableford will be played this Saturday.
There will be a medley stroke for the RSL Legacy Day this Sunday.
Kerrie Fletcher won the overall trophy and B grade in the ladies single stroke last Wednesday; Debbie McPhie won A grade and Kay Buckley C grade.
Eugene Fogolyan won the vets 12 hole stroke last Thursday.
Merv Cornelius won the day and B grade in the members single versus par last Saturday; A grade went to Keith Marquet; Robert Lassig won C grade. Marie Kerr won the ladies from club secretary Karen Allen.
Joel Morgan won the RSL Social golf day last Sunday.
 What's My Line
with Ian Clark
Commercial or Recreational?
It's not often I get on my soap box and have a say, but this particular issue has been on my mind for a while.
The other day a bloke complained about a commercial fisherman netting some pilchards on Sharpes Beach. When I asked what the problem was the bloke replied that if all the small bait is taken, there will be a gap in the food chain and thus no fish will be attracted to that area.
True.
However, the bloke complaining had been catching some nice fish in the area using pillies. But, and this is where the sermon begins, where did he get his pillies from? That's right, the local bait shop, who are supplied by the commercial fisherman who netted Sharpes Beach.
The argument between commercial fishermen and recreational anglers blaming one another for depleting fish stocks must come to an end and fast.
I am no economist but the system is pretty basic.
A lot of people do not like to fish although they love to eat the many forms of seafood available. So there is a demand to be satisfied. The supply is filled by the commercial fisherman.
Now the other side of the coin is the recreational angler. A person that enjoys the sport and the time spent chasing the elusive big one (well, most of the time).
Both commercial and recreational anglers invest a lot of money in their equipment and maintaining it in good condition in a tough environment.
So get over it. We will be side by side for many centuries to come.
The problem lies within human nature. We are greedy. For a long time we had what seemed unlimited resources for few human consumers.
Now the world is becoming more and more populated, overseas markets are coming closer to our shores through faster transport and communication methods, thus bringing together different cultural needs and a greater general demand for consumption.
I believe that restocking is a key element in this debate but it is not worth the money that needs to be invested if we keep abusing the marine environment.
For example you can keep buying gold fish and putting them into a tank of water. But if the tank water is not clean, the fish die.
This is where it comes back to us. You, me, your kids and everyone who is breathing the air on this planet. This is our ocean to share. It is our environment and we are responsible for either its recovery or its demise.
Just walk along the high tide mark on the beach or along a river bank at low tide and have a look at the rubbish that is polluting the waterways. People have put it there. And that's just the rubbish you can see. What about all the rubbish you cannot?
I could go on further and I still have plenty more to say but I will step down from the soap box for the moment and tell you where the fish are.
The best spots are the South Ballina Beaches. They are getting some nice schoolies and fat bream with patches of tailor right along the beach to Evans.
Off Ballina and Evans there are some good snapper. They are on the wider reefs rather than in close. Gary from Ballina Charters is getting some good catches out there, as well as samson, yellowtail kingies, pearl perch and some rosy jobfish.
That's all I can fit in this week, sorry.
Until next week fun fishing and please start to be environmentally aware.
Soccer FNC
Brazil Connection
 Brisbane Strikers produced a superb exhibition of controlled, attacking play to swamp Soccer FNC's senior rep side 5-0 at Oakes Oval on Tuesday night.
A crowd of more than 2000 saw the Strikers bring one of their best-ever squads to Lismore to overpower the locals in their biggest winning margin in the four year history of the event
Brazillian Fernando Rech starred for the Strikers, dominating the game from midfield with his deceptive pace and uncanny ball control leaving defenders in his wake.
Rech scored both the Strikers first half goals, splitting the defence with an incisive burst to beat the keeper one-on-one for the opener after just seven minutes, before claiming his second with a diving header close to half time.
FNC created a few half-chances on the break, but Brisbane's ability to find space down the flanks allowed the Strikers to build up play from the back and control possession, effectivly shutting FNC out of the game in the second half.
Brisbane's relentless attack provided fertile ground for Paul Foster, the former Goonellabah hero using all his goal-scoring instincts to poach two well-taken goals.
New signing Chris Trajanovski also found the net in his first run with the Strikers, who look well poised for the coming NSL season under experienced coach John Kosmina.Despite being out-classed, FNC never stopped trying with Brad Hicks, Daniel Fung and Troy Percival giving their all, along with late sub Jordy Campbell, but overall FNC was left in the wake of an impressive Strikers outfit.
Premier Division
Maclean Crowned as Relegation Battle Hots Up
With Maclean wrapping up Soccer FNC's pointscore championship last week and four of the five semi finalists confirmed, much of the interest in Saturday's penultimate round will now shift to the three-way relegation battle being waged at the bottom of the ladder.
Two of the trio are destined for the drop and with Goonellabah on 10 points, Alstonville on 11 and South Lismore on 12, the final two games promise plenty of tension for all three clubs and their supporters.
Goonellabah's 1-0 win over Alstonville last week provided a lifeline for the Hornets, who will be hungry for another taste of success when they take on Southern Cross Uni at Oakes Oval from 3pm on Saturday.
The Hornets will field a full strength squad for the vital clash and must be rated a chance to upset the students, who have top scorer Scott Collins suspended and 'keeper Kai Connell nursing a suspected broken finger.
Uni's semi final hopes took a nose-dive with last week's costly 3-2 loss against Rovers, leaving the students needing two wins and other results to suit, if they are to reach the play-offs.
While Goonellabah looks to have a reasonable chance against the disrupted students, both Alstonville and South Lismore face much tougher matches, with Villa hosting Ballina from 3pm and Souths likewise hosting newly-crowned premiers Maclean.
Ballina broke into the top five for the first time with a 2-1 win over Souths last week and will not be giving up their place up lightly when they travel the plateau to Crawford Park.
With no injury or suspension worries the seasiders pose a huge hurdle for Alstonville, who have missed several opportunities to pull away from the danger zone in recent weeks and look down in confidence.
South Lismore faces the biggest test of the bottom three, coming up against a rampant Maclean outfit that secured the pointscore championship three weeks early, with last week's 4-1 win over Workers.
The Bobcats' potent attacking game has swept all before them this season and it's difficult to see even Souths danger man Brett Towner causing the Bobcats too many problems.
If Goonellabah do emerge from Saturday's round as the only one of the three to win, it would reverse the current rankings, putting all the pressure back on Villa and Souths in the final round, when Goonellabah meet Thistles, Alstonville take the dreaded road trip to Maclean and the Celtics host Italo Stars.
Two Out of Three for Rampant Bobcats
Maclean have overcome a faltering start to the season to claim their second pointscore championship in three years with a 4-1 home win over Lismore Workers last week.
A hat trick from clinical finisher Daniel Fung highlighted victory celebrations, which had looked unlikely after the Bobcats lost their first two games.
But the installation of new coach Jamie Harris turned their season around, with Maclean losing just one of their next 18 games to take the coveted title out of Lismore for only the second time in more than 50 years.
After achieving the feat in 1999 but then failing to reach the grand final, the Bobcats are now hungry to make amends by claiming the premiership double in 2001.
The premiers will flex their muscles in Lismore on Saturday, when they meet South Lismore at the Celtics Caniba St. fields from 3pm.
Stars on the rise
After six wins on the trot Italo Stars has grabbed a share of second place and will go in as raging favourites against a Thistles side that has forgotten how to score, when the two meet at Thistles Park from 3pm.
Thistles have failed to score in four of their last five games, costing the Blues their place in the top five.
With several players carrying niggling injuries and confidence down, Thistles look in no shape to disrupt the strong-finishing Stars, who should have all hands on deck for a match that could seal a top three berth for the defending major premiers.
Rovers Set for Ram-Raid
Richmond Rovers have a golden opportunity to take Byron Bay's place in the top three when they meet at the Bay from 3pm this Saturday.
Byron's slump continued last week, with a 2-1 loss to Stars their fourth defeat on the trot, putting the Rams hopes for two bites at the cherry in the semis at risk.
With creative midfielder Todd Knaus missing, the Rams' only threat against Stars' disciplined defence was Bruce Morhaus, and with Knaus still unavailable the Rams have limited options this weekend.
In contrast, Rovers' pacy lineup worked hard for a gritty 3-2 win over Uni last week and traditionally finish the season strongly.
Semi Hopefuls Square Off
Both Lismore Workers and Casino will have their dwindling semi-final hopes on the line, when they square off at Richards Oval from 5pm.
Workers have lost three of their last four starts to drop to seventh, three points short of the top five, with Casino a point behind the Redmen after last week's encouraging 2-0 win over Thistles.
Casino should bring a full strength side spearheaded by Wayne Mortimer and Nathan Scully, while Workers have a few injury concerns and are still licking their wounds after last week's 4-1 defeat at the hands of new premiers Maclean.
LDNA Netball
Rats Terra-rise Comets
Southern Cross University Terra Rats won their first game of the season last Saturday when they defeated Pink Panthers Comets 26-24 in second division Lismore and District Netball Association competition.
Terra Rats struggled in the premier division competition during the early part of the season but since the competition split they have improved their performance and after last weekend's victory are now in second spot in their division.
Terra Rats will take on division leaders Rous 2 this Saturday at 1pm.
Rous 2 had an easy 47-26 victory over Workers Purple last weekend but if the Rats play to their recent best level then they should give Rous a challenge.
Workers will have a chance to repair some injured pride this Saturday when they match up against Pink Panthers Comets at 3.10pm on Saturday.
Workers didn't play their best game against Rous 2 last weekend but should bounce back and demonstrate to Comets how well they can play when they concentrate. Comets have struggled a little this season and unless they can lift against Workers then Purple should come away with the points.
Daleys are looking very strong as their dominance of the top division continued last weekend with a 53-45 win against Breakaways.
Daleys shooter, Jane Wiltshire had her eye in during the high scoring game and Daleys never really looked like losing.
Breakaways should have an easier time this weekend when they take on Cecil at 1pm.
Cecil went down 30-9 to Daleys Reps last week and look to have lost their early season momentum. Cecil will have to improve enormously on last week's performance if they are to challenge the strong Breakaways side.
Reps will take on clubmates Daleys at 3.10pm this weekend in what should be a very hard, tough match. Although Daleys go in with the upper hand, having won their last encounter, games between these two sides are always entertaining, high level netball and this weekend should prove no different.
In first division Southern Cross University Lab Rats continued their good late season form last weekend with a 43-39 win over Daleys White. Andrea Evans defended brilliantly for Lab Rats, forcing many turnovers and making a big impact on the close result.
Lab Rats now take on Rous 1 at 4.15pm, the other undefeated side in first division, in what should be another very well matched game.
Rous 1 disposed of Woodlawn Falcons 47-26 last weekend but it should prove to be a much more even contest against Lab Rats. Rous 1 are a very experienced, professional side but the students have been playing very high quality netball since their return from semester break and it should be one of the most exciting games of the weekend.
In the other first division game this weekend, Daleys White will take on Woodlawn Falcons at 2.05pm.
The young White side have been one of the most creative teams this season and although Falcons have had some very good games they will need to produce something special to dampen White's game. White play a fast, aggressive match and if Falcons don't switch on from the very start they should expect to be left behind.
Soccer FNC Hot Shots
Topcat Wants for Nothing
Tracy Want from the Maclean Topcats has claimed The Echo's Hot Shots award for first division women's soccer.
Want netted one goal in Maclean's 3-0 win over Rovers last weekend, meaning she finished the preliminary season with a massive 20 goals from 16 matches!
Rovers Martene Edwards and Workers Rose Argent both had a shot at the prize, each scoring a goal in their respective games last week but they ended up falling short of the top total by three goals.
Want receives a weekend for two at the luxurious Watermark hotel on the Gold Coast, courtesy of The Echo. Her prize will be presented at the Soccer Far North Coast presentation night at the end of the season.
Congratulations to all players
Women's Tally
20 – Tracy Want (Maclean)
17 – Martene Edwards (Rovers), Rose Argent (Workers)
9 – Jo Collis (Workers)
6 – Natalie Anderson (Maclean)
5 – Kim Wraight (Workers)
4 – Rose Palmer (Workers), Nicole Strong (Workers), Laila Duroux (Maclean), Katie Field (Rovers), Tina Newbold (Maclean), Melanie Elliot (Maclean)
Men
The Echo's men's Hot Shots award is set for a sensational climax over the final two weeks, following some intriguing developments last weekend.
Uni's Scott Collins took the outright lead with his 21st goal of the season, but was later sent off and will now miss the final two games before the semis.
With Ballina's Troy Percival on 20 and Maclean's Daniel Fung up to 19 after a hat trick, both have the chance to overtake the suspended Collins.
Fung has a golden opportunity to claim consecutive titles, with the Bobcats fresh from claiming the premiership crown and playing two of the bottom three sides to finish.
The season's eventual top scorer will receive a weekend for two at the luxurious Watermark hotel on the Gold Coast, courtesy of The Echo.
Men's tally
21 – Scott Collins (Uni).
20 – Troy Percival (Ballina).
19 – Daniel Fung (Maclean).
14 – Grant Nielson (Maclean).
13 – Satis Sthapit (Byron Bay).
12 – Bruce Morhaus (Byron Bay).
Group One Rugby League
Cougars Just Miss Finals
A 32-30 victory to the Grafton Ghosts over the South Grafton Rebels has seen both teams make it through to the Group One Rugby League semi finals.
The Ghosts, Rebels and Casino Cougars, who defeated the Byron Bay Red Devils 50-14 last weekend, all finished the preliminary season with 22 points but superior for and against for the Grafton sides gave them the final two finals spots.
The result means that the elimination semi will be a repeat of last weekend's Grafton versus South Grafton game, as the two sides meet at 3pm at McKittrick Park, Grafton this Saturday.
After the Ghosts' close victory last weekend, at first glance it would seem foolish to suggest the Rebels will win the semi but the Rebels played with twelve players for more than half the match after five eighth Cecil Heron was sent off. Given that they were a man down and still managed to score six tries, if the can maintain discipline and keep all the players on the field then they should win the game and keep their season alive.
Workers Tigers will take on the Ballina Seagulls at 3pm at Kingsford Smith Park this Sunday in the other semi final, while the Marist Brothers Lambs have a well deserved rest and the season ends for the remainder of the first division sides.
Workers had the bye last weekend and should hit the paddock fresh and fired up to have their finals series begin with a win. Workers have been somewhat erratic throughout the season but appear to have come together at the right time and are looking very much like a grand final prospect.
In contrast Ballina have been consistently good during the preliminary rounds but lack some of the Tigers' attacking flair. If the Tigers manage to keep their defensive line and play as well as they did against Brothers two weeks ago then they should come away with the victory.
Ballina had an easy 58-12 win over the Kyogle Turkeys last weekend, which gave them a chance to rest some injured players and blood Shane O'Connor, who played his first top grade game, on the wing. The Seagulls – Tigers game should be a great start to the Group One finals as the result is extremely important to both sides with the winner playing Brothers the following weekend and the loser going into the elimination final against the winner of the Rebels and Ghosts.
Brothers posted a 36-14 win over the Mullumbimby Giants last weekend but didn't appear to be concentrating completely on the game. Brothers normally faultless composure and professionalism seemed to be missing but given the result had no real bearing on the table it probably isn't indicative of how Brothers will perform now that they've hit finals time.
Aussie Rules
Finals Fever
 Byron flyhalf Luke Sullivan looking to bust through the defence of SCU's Patty Love during the Gold Rats' season-saving win last weekend.
‘It is the business end of the season – time to perform!' This is what coaches will be telling their players this week, as it is Finals Time.
All the games won to this date mean nothing once you are in Finals football – drop a game and it could be your last.
And what a last round it was to finish with!
Most interesting is the resurgence of the SCU Gold Rats who have come from a woeful season start to claw their way into the top five placings by beating Byron Bay 32-10 on the weekend.
This has the other First Grade coaches in the zone nervously anticipating the almost predictable resurgence of form that the Students seem to find once they make the Finals.
It happens every year!
Last week, the Gold Rats played fast and clever rugby to beat Byron.
It was a pressure filled game for SCU as a loss or even a narrow victory would have seen them out of contention.
Yet they kept their composure and forced Byron wide in the second half to expose the defensive weaknesses of the Bay side.
Scrums were a problem early on for the students, but hooker, Scott Edwards rallied his pack to correct this.
Once again the fast, expansive, running game of the Gold Rats will be a factor in the Semis, and they only have to win three games now to make the big one and effect an amazing turn-around to their poor season.
The key factor is that they have done this on a number of occasions in past years – scrapping into the semis before fighting their way to the Grand Final.
Other results from the final round of 2001 saw Lismore go down to Ballina 29-10, Casino finish off Wollongbar 47-7 and Grafton beat a gallant Mullum 24-8.
The result at Quays Reserve saw Ballina retain the Minor Premiership to take the mantle of Finals Favourites.
Lismore started poorly, allowing the Seahorses to control the game at their own slow pace.
It wasn't until the last 20 minutes that Lismore started to run the bigger Ballina pack around, and were rewarded with some late dominance.
This showed the key to playing Ballina – run them ragged early on.
If they manage to slow the game through their skilful loose forwards, they then control it.
Lismore can take this into their next game along with the form of fullback-cum-centre-cum-flyhalf, Joe Allen.
Joey made the jump from Under 19's to First Grade three weeks ago and has not looked back, he is a real talent in the making and was the form player on Saturday.
This week bring games at Lennox Head on Saturday and Grafton on Sunday.
At Lennox, Lismore will face Casino for the second time in three weeks, and it will be tough.
Casino have played strongly at times this year, with their forwards creating good ball for the talents of Adam Burley and Dane Gilmore in their backline.
However, like Ballina, they can be susceptible to a face paced game which is outside their big forwards' reach.
Lismore are very capable of playing this style but need to work specifically toward this end, without being caught up in the hype and aggression of finals football.
It is my pick to see the Greens do this and to go through to meet Ballina the following week.
Lismore by 12.
The game at Grafton on Sunday sees the home side tackle the rampaging SCU Gold Rats.
On current form I would pick the students without a doubt, but that is without the home ground advantage.
Grafton are a passionate side and are never stronger than when at home.
This will mean a test of nerves for the SCU team.
If they are flustered by the anticipated fire of the Redmen, then there could be a close game.
If they stay focussed on their game and let their ball fly, I can't see them having a problem.
SCU by 15.
Congratulations must also go to the Minor Premiers in all other grades – Lismore Rugby Club won the title in Seconds, Under 19's (with an incredible undefeated season!) and Thirds to take the mantle of Club Champions from Ballina.
Ed Rummery
Croquet Invitation Doubles
 On Sunday, August 19, the Lismore Croquet Club will hold their Invitation Doubles which includes players from Tweed Heads as well as locals.
A high standard of play is expected and anyone who is interested in croquet or curious as to how the game is played will be well rewarded by attending the Lismore Lawns on Molesworth Street at any time between 9am and 2pm.
Walk, Run or Just Have Fun!
The preparations are underway for this year's Darrel Chapman Fun Run.
The Sports Management students from the university of Southern Cross are organising the annual event as a memorial to Darrel Chapman, a former teacher at Southern Cross and influential figure in North Coast sport who died from cancer in 1991.
The students have chosen a new theme for this year's event, which will be staged on September 16 to coincide with the Lismore Masters Games.
'Our slogan for this year is: Walk or run: just have fun,' said media coordinator, Michael Lee.
'We are encouraging people of all ages to come out and support the day and to remember there are categories ranging from a primary school level to over 35s. So bring the kids, bring the dog and unite as a community to support the NSW Cancer Council,' he said.
For any information regarding the event please contact the Fun Run office on 6620 3767.
Women's Soccer
Business End of Women's Soccer
This weekend sees the semi-finals in Far North Coast soccer with a repeat of four of last week's games.
In First Division SCU will meet Woodburn at SCU on Friday night while Richmond Rovers taking on Maclean at Thistles on Sunday.
Second Division clubs Thistles and Casino will meet at Thistles tomorrow night, while Richmond Rovers will go up Kyogle at Rovers on Sunday.
In last week's games Rovers went down to Maclean 0-3 at Yamba on Friday, while SCU lost to Woodburn at SCU, and Richmond Rovers went down to Workers 1-2 on Sunday.
In the Second Division Casino and Thistles fought it out to a two-all draw in Casino.
Casino managed to repeat the effort with a one-all draw against Workers in Lismore on Sunday, while Richmond Rovers salvaged some pride for the club with a 3 - 0 win over Kyogle.
Wallabies at Oakes on Wednesday
NSW Country Schoolboys will play their only international fixture this year, against English boys, at Oakes Oval at 6.30pm on Wednesday, August 22.
Rugby Far North Coast President, Maurie Ryan is extremely pleased that Lismore has gained the fixture.
'We are very privileged to be staging this important feature, rugby is on the rise and the game gives the general public a first hand look at the top grade open running rugby,' Ryan said.
One of the other exciting features of the night will be the presence of Wallabies Justin Harrison, Joe Roff and David Giffen, who will all be hand to sign autographs.
NSW country Schools coach, Gary Hughes, is expecting a tough game against the English side.
'They'll be pretty good, big and tough and they've just toured through Canada and New Zealand. We'll go alright though. Country rugby have still got a thing or two up their jumpers,' Hughes said.
Four players from Far North Coast have made the squad: Matt Scott, a lock from Alstonville High; Jason Schlossler, a flanker from Maclean High; Ben Rolsten, a scrum half from Maclean High; and Steve Kogias from Jetty High Coffs Harbour.
The curtain raiser will be the Far North Coast under 17 semi final between Yamba and Ballina.
Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for children under 14.
Gates open at 4pm, curtain raiser at 5.15pm and England Schools versus country schools at 6.30pm.
Gymnastics Class
The NSW Department of Sport is conducting a series of gymnastics coaching and development workshops in Ballina and Lismore, on August 27-28.
The workshops cover everything from basic skills required to teach the sport, safety tips, and games that can be incorporated into coaching programs.
The course costs $35 and includes a coaching manual. Further information is available on 13 13 02.
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