Sports News
 Bowled Over
District Women's Carnival coming up
The District Women's Carnival is fast approaching and, as usual, the men of the Lismore Clubs will graciously hand their greens over to the women and look for a game elsewhere.
As is always the case, Alstonville Bowling Club has come to the rescue of those men who need their regular fix of the game. On Wednesday, October 3, there will be a day of Classic Pairs, commencing at 9.30am and comprising three rounds. Cost per team is $24 which includes eats.
On Thursday, October 4, two rounds of classic triples will commence at noon and the cost is $21 per team, again including eats. Over $1,000 in prizes courtesy of the sponsors, Bowling Club Insurance Brokers and Geaghan Funerals, Ballina, will be distributed during the two days. To enter, phone the Bowls Coordinator, Bob Squires, on 6628 3435 or the Club on 6628 7194.
More of John P Munro's Bowls Encyclopaedia from which I quoted last week - he lists a glossary, some terms of which are still in use today and others which are unfamiliar to me.
The absolute: a bowl that draws the shot when other bowls are lying close to the jack.
Bumper: a bowler who, because he/she cannot get down low enough, plunges the bowl on to the green, thereby causing damage to the surface - every greenkeeper's horror!
Come to the party: expression used by the skip when he/she sees a good bowl approaching the jack.
Crack an egg on this one: to deliver the bowl with such accurate weight as just to reach the bowl indicated and to gently push it away.
Hat full: a score of the possible at one end - 4 in singles, 8 in pairs or fours and 9 in triples.
Matching bowls: pairing an opposition bowl with one of your own to provide against a pot.
Pot: a number of bowls of the one team lying near each other at the back to which the jack may be, or has been, trailed or moved across.
Resting on a bowl: when your bowl finishes lying against an opposition bowl.
Wresting: used when a bowl played with two or three yards of running, wrests the opposition bowl from the jack and usually takes its place.
Wally Bleacher: the strategy of taking the mat well up the green and then throwing the jack near the front ditch so as to obtain the minimum length. Originated in Australia in 1915 by the late Wally Bleach.
Coaching tip
Etiquette on the green cont'd.
Remaining within the confines of your rink is essential in order that other players are not distracted or disturbed.
Following your bowl sideways onto an adjoining rink is an unwelcome breach and can, in fact, be a safety hazard to yourself.
When crossing from one end of the rink to the other walk as close to the centre line as practicable without spreading across the rink. Stopping to talk to other players on the crossover detracts from the smoothness and pleasure of the game.
Umpire's corner
Law 54 Delaying Play.
Players shall play their bowl without delay and when players are changing position as part of the play of an end this change of position shall occur without delay.
Until next week,
good bowling.
 Hook and Slices
with Stan Bendall
C'mon Irene!
Woodburn-Evans Head
A single stableford will be played this Saturday.
A four person ambrose will be contested on Saturday week.
The formidable duo of triple club champ Irene Crampton and Joy Mulcahy won the gross section in the NRDGA Classic foursomes last Wednesday.
Gordon Smith (Kurri) took the honours in the veterans' 18 hole stroke last Thursday from Basil Young and Jack Scheibel.
Peter Carey and Barry Tunstead won the members' 4BBB versus par last Saturday from Mark Sneesby and Nathan Gemmel. Margaret May won the ladies section.
Irene Crampton partnered Colin Peake to win the club mixed foursomes last Sunday. This means that in the past month Irene has won the ladies' champos, ladies' foursomes with her good mate Joy Mulcahy and the mixed foursomes! Well done Irene, you are a true champ! Dean and Gail Ferrier won the 27 hole net while dad, Bill Ferrier, won the 18 hole net, partnering Leanne Wunsch-Moore.
NRDGA
The Northern Rivers delegates meeting will be held at the Lismore Workers Golf Club on Tuesday, September 25. The executive meet at 6.30pm and delegates at 7pm.
The Northern Rivers open, colts, junior and two net teams will travel to Tenterfield on October 6-7 for the annual interdistrict encounter against Mid North Coast.
Casino
The second and final round of the Spring Cup will be played at Casino this Saturday.
Mark Patterson had a big day in the first round, taking out A grade, the monthly medal and the lead in the 36 hole event. He currently leads by 1 from Martin Rose. The club's popular golf pro, Ian Halliday, also had a big day, recording a fine 3 under par 67. Wayne Nowland took out B grade. Young Ben Stephens won C grade by 2 shots from Malcolm Marshall (not the West Indian cricketer!).
Lismore
There will be a single stroke today, incorporating the first of two rounds of the Masters Games. The second round will be played this Sunday. There will also be a two ball medley stableford for the Masters played this Friday and Saturday.
The club championships will be played on September 22 and 23.
Bill Carlson won A grade and the monthly mug last Saturday. Lloyd Kelly finished 1 shot away in second place and Paul Merrin won the gross with a fine 2 over par 72. Nathan Hughes won B grade from Jason Fredericks; Gerry Hughes won the gross. Anthony Magarry won C grade from Hilton Parry and farmer Brown, Ray Evans won the gross. Don Wilson, who is yet to peak for the club champos, took out the Bradman's.
 What's My Line
with Ian Clark
The Year of the Volunteer
Being the year of the volunteer there are a lot of people out there that put in the time for others for the pure enjoyment of it or for the love of their community.
On the fishing side the most notable volunteer association is our beloved Coastguard.
I try and catch up with Ron Doyle of the Evans Head Coastguard at least once a month and last week was one time not to miss.
Ron was one of four gentlemen from Evans Head Coastguard awarded medals for 15 years long service with the Coastguard.
The Coastguard is always looking for new members and they also run some excellent courses in radio operations and organise boat driving/licence courses.
If you are interested just look up your local coastguard number in the phone book and they shall put you on course - excuse the pun.
There are many other volunteer run services like the Volunteer Rescue Association based at Brunswick Heads and our rescue helicopters, just to name a couple more.
With little or no government support they really rely on our donations to keep the equipment running. The man hours are supplied free of charge by dedicated and community spirited people.
For the fishing side of things it was a bit of a quiet weekend. Out of it stood some good sized fish.
A couple of school jew, 11.2kg and 13.4kg came in from Lennox Headland while around an 8kg snapper was caught off one of the Ballina Reefs. Sorry but the lads would not divulge any more info.
Bream are still being caught between Patches and Evans using pilchards.
Apparently there are plenty of schools of pillies moving up and down the beach.
Elsewhere the bream numbers are dwindling but a few good ones are still being caught around the bream hole at Lennox using crabs.
Still some tailor around the rocks and walls at night and there are some whiting still in North Creek.
Bait wise try bloodworms. I have tried yabbies. Beach worms are not much better. But the old blood worm is getting the whiting to bite.
That's all for this week.
Have a great weekend and fun fishing.
Academy seeks talented squash players
The North Coast Academy of Sport (NCAS) is looking for talented junior squash players in preparation for selection of their 2001-02 squash squad.
Athletes must be aged between 12 and 18 years in 2002 and reside on the North Coast (Tweed Heads to Port Macquarie).
Criteria for selection will be based on recent regional, state and national performances and rankings. An athlete's willingness to be coached and their commitment to undertake a structured coaching program will also be considered.
Squad size will be limited to only 20 athletes to ensure a high level of quality coaching. Selected athletes will be placed into either the Advanced or Development squad and be provided with a level of training to suit their age, fitness and skill level.
The program will run from October 2001 to September 2002 and will consist of nine training weekends. While the Development squad will train only on the Saturday of each training weekend, the Advanced squad will be required to commit to both days of the weekend.
Coaches for the program include Steve Pilley and Craig Simmich. An additional coach in Danny Woolbank has also been appointed to learn from, then replace, Craig Simmich when he leaves for Darwin later this year.
Yamba Bowling Club sponsors the NCAS Squash program. Their financial support is part of their commitment to regional junior sport development.
NCAS is a non-profit, non-government and community-based organisation. It currently runs ten sport specific development programs as well as initiatives such as Sport Smart, Athlete Subsidies and the North Coast Coaching Conference.
NSW Sport and Recreation and Southern Cross University are foundation partners of the NCAS and both provide annual funding and advice to support the NCAS's initiatives and administration.
Application forms for the squash program must be received by September 21. Forms and further information can be obtained by phoning the NCAS on 6620 3073 or can be downloaded from www.ncas.org.au.
Lismore junior cricket
The Lismore district junior cricket competition will start on October 20.
The first general meeting of the Lismore District Junior Cricket Association will be held Monday, September 17, from 7.30pm, at the Station Hotel, South Lismore.
Items on the agenda include tentative team nominations, distribution of rules for age divisions, interdistrict trial details and interdistrict coach and manager nominations.
Inquiries to Barry Cooper 6628 4397 or Ian Knapman 6625 2989.
Start this softball season with a home run!
A two-day workshop is being held at the Lake Ainsworth Sport and Recreation Centre on November 3 and 4 to provide North Coast community members with an opportunity to gain their Level 1 Softball Coaching Accreditation.
Targeting those people who may already be contributing their time and efforts toward the sport of softball without formal qualifications is a major agenda of the program.
Coach your team to their first of many home runs this season!
'The two-day workshop is being offered to those who are currently involved in softball at a reduced cost - only $22 for the entire program! At this price the program is as cheap as chips to help Volunteers who would like to receive formal accreditation to help them deliver more advanced tuition to their players,' said Ms O'Bryan-Reeves.
'Aboriginal participants are also being encouraged to attend, as Indigenous coaches are few and far between in local competitions and this is somewhat contributing to low Aboriginal participation rates in some areas,' said Ms O'Bryan-Reeves.
All interested persons are advised to call the North Coast Regional Office of NSW Department of Sport and Recreation at their new Lennox Head Office on telephone 13 13 02 for further information and to enrol.
Places for the program are limited and enrolments close Monday, October 22.
Junior baseball grand finals spread amongst clubs
The under 18 grand final saw minor premiers Redbirds upset convincingly as Workers pitcher, Michael Scanlon pitched a complete game victory allowing only 5 hits for a 14-3 win.
Workers' scoring started in the first as Martin Tucker led off with a double and Michael Scanlon walked. They both scored on Chris Daleyís single.
In the second inning Michael Scanlon tripled and with the help of 2 errors and Chris Daley's second hit, 4 more runs scored.
Martin Tucker and Daniel Clark scored 2 runs in the 3rd inning on 2 hits.
Workers had another big inning in the 6th inning scoring 6 runs behind 2 home runs by Michael Scanlon and Chris Daley and Jorn Smith's single.
Michael took the pitching and batting honours with a single, triple and home run closely followed by Chris Daley (2singles and a home run and Martin Tucker with 2 doubles and a single.
In under 16s Eastern Division, the well drilled Alleygators from the Gold Coast made short work of Workers 15-4.
The Under 16s Western Division saw Casino defeat Robina 15-4.
Norths took the under 14 major premiership 13-8 over Redbirds.
Rams lock horns with Stars
Defending premiers Italo Stars and new kids on the semi final block Byron Bay will vie for the right to meet pointscore champions Maclean in Soccer FNC's premier division grand final, when they lock horns in the preliminary final at Stars' Barrow Lane field this Sunday from 3pm.
Maclean earned the right to contest their first grand final with last week's impressive 2-0 home win over Stars, leaving the defending champions determined to set up a re-match against the Bobcats in the Oakes Oval decider by disposing of Byron Bay on Sunday.
But the Bay is on the crest of a wave after its best ever season and a 2-1 win over Richmond Rovers in last week's minor semi, leaving the Rams hungry for their first taste of grand final action after ten lean years in the top ranks that have yielded just two semi final appearances.
Their previous best was the same fixture back in '94, when the Rams fell one hurdle short of the decider, but with a young, well drilled squad under the guidance of experienced coach Graham Bird, Byron has the potential to go all the way and they pose a serious threat to Stars hopes for consecutive titles.
The only hitch in the Bay's preparation is the absence of key striker Bruce Morhaus, who incurred a yellow card last week, ruling him out of the preliminary final.
His finishing touch and ability to set up players around him will be sorely missed, but his replacement Satis Sthapit is an unpredictable striker with a powerful shot, who scored a swag of goals early in the season.
Each side has scored a win over the other in their two premiership meetings, but Stars' greater experience in semis and home advantage should give their full strength lineup a slight edge.
Players such as midfield general Jason Monk, defenders Rick and Jamie Austen and striker Jeremy Pollard all have plenty of semi final experience and with skilful young players around them such as Craig Wiblin, Nick Harris and Jock Olley to work with, Stars have a well-balanced lineup.
Their ability to score from anywhere makes Stars difficult to contain and with a well organised defence, the defending champs have every chance of consecutive titles.
With a place in the season's ultimate game spurring both sides on, it promises to be a fast and furious affair between two talented young sides, that should keep what is expected to be a large crowd on their toes to the end.
Rovers reserves show nerves
An engrossing struggle for dominance in premier reserve division will move one step closer to resolution on Sunday, when pointscore champions Richmond Rovers host Casino at 12.30pm.
Rovers swept all before them in the premiership rounds, winning all 22 games, but choked in last week's first semi, losing 2-1 in extra time to their arch-rival Italo Stars.
Rovers must now overcome a confident Cobras to force a re-match against Stars in the grand final and will be hoping semi final nerves don't get the better of them for the second week running.
Casino thrashed Maclean 5-1 in last week's minor semi and with nothing to lose will be prepared to try anything against a Rovers side now exposed as beatable.
Crunch time in lower divisions
There'll be plenty of pride and passion on show at Oakes Oval on Saturday, when grand finals in four of Soccer FNC's senior men's divisions are contested.
Bangalow and Rovers will bring a season of intense competition to a climax when they square off in both the first and first reserve division deciders starting at 7 and 4.45pm respectively.
Rovers will be playing for the premiership double in firsts after claiming the pointscore championship, with Bangalow looking to do the same in reserves.
Second division minor premiers Nimbin will also be chasing the double when they meet Casino at 2.30pm, but in third division, minor premiers Goonellabah have crashed out, leaving Ballina and Brunswick Valley to vie for the honours from 12.30pm.
The Over 35's grand final between defending champs Thistles and arch rivals Stars will be held before the premier and premier reserve division deciders on September 22.
Local champs take on State's best
The best of the region's junior soccer teams will provide a feast of action on Sunday, when they take on the leading clubs from Manly Warringah in the opening round of the state-wide Champion of Champions competition.
Games will be contested from grades 10-17 in boys divisions, along with grade 16 girls and open women's.
Venues are Crawford Park, Alstonville (9am-1.30pm), Nielson Park, East Lismore (9am-11.30am) and Richards Oval, Lismore (9am-12.30pm).
Juniors' big day gets bigger
The future of soccer in the region seems well assured, if the ever-increasing number of junior players is any indication.
Such is the popularity of the code that Soccer FNC had to take the unprecedented step of spreading the 18 junior grand finals over three days and two venues last weekend.
Oakes Oval and Riverview Park hosted the juniors' big day, with the best club performances coming from Alstonville, Casino and Goonellabah.
Alstonville and Casino both won four major premierships (each having two joint premiers), while Goonellabah emerged on top in three divisions.
Thumbs up for Fun Run safety check
The School of Exercise Science and Sport Management students at Southern Cross University walked the Darrel Chapman fun run course in East Lismore last week and gave it two thumbs up for safety.
With the fun run on this Sunday, September 16, organisers have inspected the course to ensure participants' risk of injury is kept to a minimum. The run has an impeccable safety record and the students are sure that this record will be sustained come this Sunday afternoon.
Mitch Lowe, Route Management Co-ordinator is confident that the event will go off without any hitches.
'The course has changed slightly this year. The course is in a much more condensed area to minimise disruptions to traffic.
'The safety check went well today and we have minimised all risks and prepared a detailed risk management report,' Lowe said.
The event is held in memory of the late Darrel Chapman, who lost his battle with cancer in 1992. Darrel was the founder of the School of Exercise Science and Sports Management at SCU and played an integral part in developing sport in NSW.
Organisers are encouraging as many people as possible to participate as all money raised is donated to the Cancer Council of NSW. The day will be fun filled with random prizes and other activities. Don't forget your hat!
For further information about the run contact the office on 6620 3767 or you can register at SCU from 6.30am on the day.
Master plan
With most of the local Winter sport seasons over (except for soccer and Aussie Rules, don't worry, you haven't been forgotten!) the sporting focus turns to the Lismore Rainbow Region Masters Games, which begin tomorrow and will continue throughout the weekend.
More than 2200 competitors will vie for the honours in 20 sports so don't be surprised if you feel like Lismore is hosting the Olympics this weekend!
Games manager John Bancroft is extremely pleased that the Lismore Masters will be able to improve on their strong beginning in 1999.
'It's absolutely sensational. I'm incredibly happy. We wanted to have a certain number of entrants and we've well and truly exceeded that so now we can make sure we deliver a wonderful event,' he said.
'The better the games are the more chance there is that people will come back. If we all work together then we can build a good reputation for Lismore - you can't buy that, you have to earn it,' Bancroft said.
The number of participants has increased from 1596 in 1999 to more than 2200 in 20 sports for this year.
'One of the best things about the Masters is that we have over 800 local participants. It'll be very enjoyable. Last time the games were widely enjoyed and well organised - obviously we did a good job then. This time we'll do even better,' Bancroft promised.
Anybody wishing to check out the action at the Masters Games should contact the Games office situated at the Lismore Workers Club. Players are reminded that they can register from 5pm on Wednesday, September 12.
Breakaways' day
 Breakaways with their trophies after winning the Lismore and District Netball Association premier division grand final last Saturday. Breakaways defeated minor premiers Daleys 50-36.
Breakaways caused a major upset in the Lismore District Netball Association grand final by convincingly defeating minor premiers and last year's champions Daleys 50-36.
Breakaways played superb, mistake-free netball to hand Daleys only their second loss for the season, in the game that mattered most of all.
 Right: Echo business manager, Heather Williams presenting the Echo Netballer of the Year Award to Chloe Duncan from Breakaways. Chloe fought off tough competition in what was a very closely decided award. She received a weekend for two at the Watermark Hotel on the Gold Coast.
Breakaways shooting pair of Susie Robinson and Sarah Cowan managed to bamboozle the normally impenetrable defence of Lisa Brown and Nicky Krause (who swapped positions for some reason) and were both nailing goals from everywhere in the circle.
Breakaways centre Chloe Duncan also had a fantastic game, forcing turnovers and her tight defence causing Daleys to resort to wild, erratic passes that often missed there mark.
Breakaways saved their best netball of the season for their final appearance; they outplayed the normally faultless Daleys in all aspects of the game to finish the season with the grand final prize.
In other divisions:
Southern Cross University Lab Rats handed out a lesson to Daleys White, winning the division 1 grand final 42-30; Rous 2 never looked in danger in division 2, defeating Workers Purple 52-29.
In division 3 Workers Gold beat Daleys Maroon 33-27; division 4 Coastal Waters RSL defeated Rous 4 by 37-26; division 5 Rous 3 were victorious over Summerlanders Sliders 36-16; division 6 Summerlanders Sapphires just defeated Pink Panther Predators 28-26; division 7 Rous 5 beat SCU Power Rats; division 8 Workers White beat Workers Aubergine 29-20 and in division 9 Italo Stars Starstruck proved too strong for clubmates Blonde Stars by 24-21.
The Echo Netballer of the Year Breakaways centre Chloe Duncan fought off some very stiff competition at the top of the table to win the 2001 Echo Netballer of the Year award.
Duncan capped off a fantastic season by not only being part of the premier division grand final winning team but by also earning herself a weekend for two at the luxurious Watermark Hotel on the Gold Coast.
Congratulations to all participants in the top three Lismore netball divisions. More than 100 players received points in The Echo Netballer of the Year competition, showing that the standard of play is extremely high and the teams extremely competitive.
Lismore Cup
Lismore's biggest sporting day, the Lismore Cup, will be on next Thursday at the Lismore Racecourse.
There are eight races on the card with the first at 1pm. The horse to watch in the feature race this year is Ballina Cup winner Maltese Beauty. Maltese Beauty is trained by Ballina trainer Stephen Phelps.
The Fashions in the Field should be worth entering this year with first prize for the women a trip for two to Bali. The best dressed male wins a weekend for two at the Broken Head Resort. There is also a prize for the most interesting hat.
There will be lucky racebook prizes.
The Harley Smith band will play between races, and for those unsure how to place a bet Gary Kilese is running a punters club.
The night before there will be a dinner dance and a Calcutta at the Lismore Turf Club. Jockey Malcolm Johnston will be the special guest speaker, local race caller Bob Lane will give a phantom call and the Bohemian Cowboys will put everyone in the mood with their music.
Lismore Council Road Safety Officer Wendy Johnson has organised a Best Bets campaign to encourage people to plan their day at the races to include a safe method of travelling home.
'In fact the slogan for the Best Bets Campaign is, Leave Your Car At Home,' Mrs Johnson said.
'If you have the keys with you there is a really big chance that you will drive home, whether you've been drinking or not. Leaving the car at home on a day when you plan to have a few drinks removes the opportunity to take that risk.
'If you are planning to drink, plan NOT to drive. Arrange a lift, take a taxi or jump on a bus. Free buses will operate to take people home, running through the most populated residential areas of Lismore.
'A 'Best Bets' Booth will also be set up at the Race Meeting so people can conduct their own blood alcohol content (BAC) checks before driving home,' she said.
Seahorses gallop to five
Lismore's pack played bravely last weekend but could not contain Ballina in the Rugby Far North Coast first grade grand final.
The end of one long but enjoyable season has arrived with only the memories to remind us of what has gone before.
Congratulations to Ballina Rugby Club for winning their fifth Far North Coast rugby premiership in a row.
Ballina again showed why their professional outfit is the dominant side of the zone by absorbing a mountain of pressure from the fired-up Lismore team before controlling the game to run away 27-11 winners at Casino rugby grounds on Saturday.
This brought to a close one of the most entertaining local seasons on record, with the standard of rugby never higher.
The main game was a tough affair with Lismore opening the scoring with a superb try to winger Stephen Paisley after Lismore executed one of their favourite backline moves, bringing the pacy blind-side winger into play off fly-half Ben Lynch.
The half time advantage of 11-7 brought a cheer to the Lismore crowd but it was from here that the Seahorses began to dominate.
With Ballina's Roger Gould-like fullback, Kane Scott, sending play deep into the Greens' quarter with his booming right foot Lismore could not maintain a consistent attack.
Ballina then worked their phases to build a 17-11 lead through tries to Scott and winger Adam Gaiter.
Lismore fought hard to stay in touch and did look to be lifting when Scott put the issue to rest with a monster 40 metre penalty shot.
From here it was all over bar the shouting and Ballina again crossed through a good effort by long serving centre, Jamie Coote.
Ballina are to be commended on their commitment, especially towards the end of the season when no-one looked to be close to them.
The Lismore side also deserve credit, not only for making the grand final, but for the passion and determination they showed on Saturday.
This Lismore team is brimming with youth and should their coach, Tony Montgomery, manage to keep them all involved and uninjured, they could be a dynasty in the making.
Other results from the grand finals saw Lismore absolutely cream Ballina in reserve grade, a joint premiership between Lismore and Yamba in Under 19s, and Lennox Head win an extra-time thriller in thirds.
The Lismore reserve grade side saved their best game of the year for the grand final - and they never looked like losing.
Fly-half Ben King played a dominating role in setting up the 26-0 victory with Lismore legends, John Lisetto, Craig Whitby, Gav Tulk, Heath and Brett Conlan and Scott Theuerkauf also playing vital roles.
Coach Ron Cox also deserves mention for the work he has done all year in this trying grade.
There was drama at the end of extra-time in Under 19s with no-one really knowing how to feel about the decision to award Lismore and Yamba joint premiers at 17-17.
The game itself was very close, with Yamba defending like champions and Lismore fighting bravely after losing many of their starting line-up to injury.
Yamba deserve a mountain of credit for the improvement they made throughout the year - with their standard of play extremely high at the end of the season.
Lismore Under 19s were undefeated all year and were rightly the dominant side of the comp - well done on one hell of a year boys, you all have big futures ahead of you!
Third grade was another extra-time nail biter.
Lismore played bravely but could not stop the Lennox Head lads from stealing a late victory through a good try to captain, Mick Sheather.
Next week's Echo will feature the final rugby installment of the year with a pick of the many highlights from the wonderful season we have enjoyed both locally and nationally in 2001.
Ed Rummery
Big Brothers five
 Paul Latta walking on air during Marist Brothers 26-2 grand final victory over the Ballina Seagulls.
The Marist Brothers Rams capped off an already successful season with the sweetest victory of all last weekend in group one rugby league: a 26-2 win over the Ballina Seagulls at the Seagulls' home ground.
The win was especially gratifying for Brothers as several of their longest serving players have now retired.
Coach Michael Woods was ecstatic after the game.
'It's not just that we won, it's how we played - and we played really well,' Woods said.
Brothers did play extremely good football for the entire game in contrast to Ballina, who couldn't get it together when it really mattered, making basic errors in both defence and attack (including failing to ground the ball when over the try-line).
Brothers dominated the game from the very beginning, scoring a try in the first few minutes when winger Niko Vakararawa dodged the Seagulls defence to cross in the corner.
Ballina scored their only points of the game when Darren Marsh slotted an easy penalty shot.
Centre Dylan Coleman had a fantastic game, scoring three tries on his way to taking out the player of the match award for the Rams.
Vakararawa crossed the line three more times during the match but was only rewarded with one extra try as Brothers were judged to be in front of the kicker.
Brothers were a level above Ballina in the grand final, an apt finish to a season where the Rams have dominated the competition. Brothers' fifth grand final win in a row provided a fitting career farewell to two of their longest-serving players, lock Terry Dardengo and halfback John Love.
Brothers also won reserve grade, defeating Workers Tigers 48-40.
Ballina didn't finish the season without a victory as the Seagulls under 18s took out the premiership 28-12 over the Kyogle Turkeys.
Brothers celebrate their fifth group one rugby league grand final win in succession.
Workers all the way
Easts Redbirds started the scoring in both games of the best of three series but that was the end of their leads as Workers kept up the pressure to pull the major premiership off in 2 games.
Game 1 on Friday night saw a good-sized and noisy crowd on a perfect night for baseball. Workers took the opener convincingly 9-2.
Workers: 032 031 00. 13H, 9R, 1E. Winning pitcher - Troy Pruess. Hits: W Devlin (D,2S), D Knapp (3S), S McClelland (HR), M McClelland (S,D), S Devlin (D), T Pruess (T,S), N Olley.
Redbirds: 100 000 001. 3H, 2R, 0E, Losing pitcher: Matt Best. Hits: G Snape (D), M Newstead (2S).
The second game was classic one run baseball as Workers led off in the first with Dallas Knapp hitting a 2 out single and scoring behind singles to Scott and Mick McClelland.
Workers pitcher Steve Devlin got the final batter to ground into a double play to end the game with Workers winning the grand final 5-3.
The game was evenly matched in so many ways. The pitchers, Andrew Ferris for Redbirds and Steve Devlin for Workers pitched 131 and 129 pitches respectively. Each struck out 5 batters. There was one unearned run for both teams and both teams had 12 hits.
Workers: 101 020 100. 12H, 5R, 2E. Winning pitcher: Steve Devlin, Hits: W Devlin (2S), D Knapp (3S,T), S McClelland (2S), M McClelland, S Devlin (3S).
Redbirds: 110 010 000. 12H, 3R, 2E. Losing pitcher: Andrew Ferris. Hits: G Snape (D), T Clifford (2S), R Pruess (2S), M Newstead, M Best, A Ferris, A Smith, B Clarke (3S).
Redbirds finished the year with the club championship but could not pull out the major premiership. In other grand finals, Norths Legends took another major and minor premiership in division 1 defeating Workers 16-14. In division 2, Redbirds downed Norths Bears 25-5. Kyogle took out Ballina in division 3 23-8 and Workers slipped past Norths in Division 4 by a score of 18-14.
While the 2001 season is finished, baseball continues for the next three weekends with the Masters next weekend, a major league invitational tournament on September 22-23 with teams First Grade teams from Brisbane and the Gold Coast and the under 18 Queensland State Championships from September 28 to October 1.
Butterfly collection
 Petria leading the 100m butterfly final.
Far North Coast swimming star Petria Thomas has had the most successful year of her career so far.
Thomas won the 200 metres butterfly at the World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, clocking a personal best time ('PB' in swimming talk) of two minutes 6.73 seconds, making her the fourth fastest swimmer in the event ever and setting a new World Championship award. She then followed up this impressive performance with a second gold medal performance at the world Championships in the 100m butterfly and then a third in the 4 by 100m medley relay!
These results are even more remarkable when you consider that Petria has had reconstructions done on both of her shoulders.
During this time she questioned whether she should continue.
'I just looked at the pool and I was so down that I couldn't imagine getting into the water and swimming,' Thomas said.
However, they say champions are made of different stuff and back into the pool Thomas went and she is now a triple World Champion and an Olympic medallist.
You can now have something to commemorate this local athlete's fantastic achievements.
Celebrate Petria Thomas' World Championship winning performance with the addition to your wall of a beautifully framed signed swimming cap and two 7 by 5 photographs of Petria at the recent World Championships in Japan.
For more information or to order please contact Petria's manager, Ken Anstey on (03) 9331 7150 by faxing (03) 9331 7229 or by email at ken@astey.com.au
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