Colac Herald

Bonus for football clubs

Rachel Rodger — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:38:09 +0000

Colac district football clubs will receive a $2000 Christmas bonus on the back of a new league administration venture.
Colac and District Football League has signed off on an agreement for Football Geelong officials to manage its administration, a move which will save the league $20,000 a year.
Re-appointed Colac district football chairman Phil Cobbledick said clubs would be the big winners from the new arrangement, with each receiving $3000 before next year.
Clubs received $1000 dividend cheques last year but Mr Cobbledick said the new figure reflected this season’s profit and anticipated savings from the Football Geelong arrangement.
“That’s the highest it’s been since I can remember,” Mr Cobbledick said.
“With the savings of running at a lower operating cost we can return more of our turnover back to the clubs,” he said.

For the full story, see the current edition of The Colac Herald.

Twenty20 worries greats

Matt Murnane — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:34:17 +0000

Past greats say they fear for the future of Colac and district cricket.
Two of the district’s most celebrated champions say the phenomenon of Twenty20 cricket could eventually make the longer version of the game redundant.
City United great Byron Cashion and Colac legend Tom Lloyd have warned Colac District Cricket Association to manage the new game with caution to ensure the art of two-day cricket is not lost amid the spectre of Twenty20.
“I personally don’t like it,” Mr Cashion said.
“I have always liked Test cricket, to me that other stuff is just smash and crash,” he said.
“People who don’t really follow cricket closely probably enjoy it but they need to be careful how they use it,” he said.
Mr Lloyd said a similar form of the game introduced in the 1950s provided insight into the problems Twenty20 could cause emerging players.
“We played 28 overs per side and it certainly didn’t lend itself to learning how to bat, it was a slugfest,” he said.
“From a batting point of view it was just smash and whack. When you played that type of cricket you’re instructions were to hit the ball over the fence. Then when we came to play two-day cricket in Colac, because of all that one-day cricket, it took me a while to learn how to bat properly.”

For the full story, see the current edition of The Colac Herald.

Cricket stars further reputations

Matt Murnane — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:32:05 +0000

Colac continues to enhance its reputation as a Victorian country cricket feeder ground.
Eight of Colac’s top junior cricketers have earned the right to represent the Barwon Rockets in under-age state championships against Victoria’s elite next year.
Promising City United trio Nick Lynch, Callum Buchanan and Lachie Crook have won selection into the Rockets under-18 squad along with Alvie wicket keeper Liam McGuane.
Fellow Alvie teenager Chris McKay has made the final cut of the under-16 squad and will join Colac-based Geelong players Meyrick Buchanan and Jarryd Garner.
Colac junior Jack Spence will also enter the Rockets program in the youngest rank, selected in the under-14 team.

For the full story, see the current edition of The Colac Herald.

BARWON ROCKETS: Colac Trinity College students, from right, Jack Spence, Meyrick Buchanan, Jarryd Garner, Callum Buchanan, Laim McGuane and Lachie Crook have all made Barwon region cricket squads.

Colac expecting a tough contest

Rachel Rodger — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:28:31 +0000

Colac is taking nothing for granted ahead of tomorrow’s Corangamite Bowling Association clash with Simpson.
The match at Colac’s greens has taken on a new-found intensity since Simpson’s shock upset win against Camperdown Golf last weekend.
Colac’s Jeff Turner said the stakes of tomorrow’s match had risen with Simpson’s form and his team would prepare for a tough battle.
Turner said Simpson’s win last round without skipper Leigh Mahoney proved it had the depth to match the competition’s top sides.
“We’re wary of Simpson because they had a good win against Camperdown Golf, so we’ll have to be on our toes,” he said.

For the full story, see the current edition of The Colac Herald.

IMPORTANT: Former City bowler Leigh Mahoney is an integral skipper for Simpson.

Polwarth star swaps sides

Rachel Rodger — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:23:19 +0000

Star fill-in Tony Moloney will swap alliances this weekend to help Pennyroyal overcome the toughest assignment in Polwarth district tennis.
A week after helping Elliminyt destroy Warncoort Newcombe, Moloney will face his former team-mates when he steps onto the other side of the net with Pennyroyal tomorrow.
The swap sets up an intriguing battle between the top three sides, with Moloney, one of the district’s top male players, set to add further firepower to a Pennyroyal side that has stepped up its game in recent weeks.
Moloney will join teenage twins Richard and Brendan White who have the difficult task of stopping the most dangerous men’s combination in the competition in Khan and Max Beckett and Brad Moloney, who returns after missing last week.
Tony Moloney said he looked forward to the challenge of taking on the competition’s premier team, particularly with Khan Beckett in top form.

For the full story, see the current edition of The Colac Herald.

STRONG: Pennyroyal teenager Rhiannon White will provide a tough contest for Elliminyt.

Shield prize up for grabs

Matt Murnane — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:24:41 +0000

City United and Colac cricket clubs will put their rivalries aside tomorrow long enough to honour two of the clubs’ past legends.
More than just four points will be up for grabs in tomorrow’s pivotal Division One clash as both clubs play for a perpetual shield named after City United champion Byron Cashion and
Colac great Tom Lloyd.
Both club legends will be on hand to present the inaugural Cashion-Lloyd Shield to the winner of this weekend’s one-dayer at Eastern Reserve.
City United president Cliff Cardinal said a Cricket Victoria initiative inspired the shield idea.
“We received a grant from Cricket Victoria and a part of that was that they gave us a harmony-in-cricket shield and proposed that we pick another club to play off against every year,” Mr Cardinal said.
“We had a think about it and thought that both Byron and Tom would be perfect,” he said.

For the full story, see the current edition of The Colac Herald.

OLD RIVALS: City United and Colac cricket club legends Byron Cashion, right, and Tom Lloyd holding the shield named in their honour. The pair will present the perpetual shield to the winner of tomorrow’s Division One clash between their old clubs.

Weakness in Irrewarra armour

Matt Murnane — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:21:04 +0000

Apollo Bay captain Ben Knight is talking tough ahead of tomorrow’s long-awaited blockbuster against ladder leader Irrewarra.
Knight said his team was “busting at the seams” for this weekend’s 2006-07 grand final replay and not even the loss of key fast bowler Casey Lang could curb its enthusiasm.
The Bay leader believes his team has discovered a chink in the reigning premier’s armour – its ability to chase totals – and would look to exploit the weakness if it got the chance.
“They have had a bit of trouble chasing down totals this year, got themselves into a bit of trouble, so it is a pretty important toss to win,” Knight said.
“If we can win and bat, with our bowling line-up, we could be a real show,” he said.
Although Lang will miss due to family commitments, the Bay still has fellow quicks Knight and Jake Gillam to lead an attack containing plenty of options.

For the full story, see the current edition of The Colac Herald.

Captain won’t concede season is over

Matt Murnane — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:18:37 +0000

Colac West Division One captain David Lineen refuses to concede season 2008-09.
Even with his side languishing in bottom place and the clock ticking on its chance to break the club’s finals drought, Lineen believes his team has what it takes to turn it around.
The all-rounder said finals were still on West’s agenda, despite having just one win from patches of meaningful cricket throughout the first part of the season.
Last weekend’s morale-shaking 30-run loss to Warrion was another dagger in West’s season, which has been cursed by player absence and inconsistent periods with bat and ball.
But Lineen said his group remained positive and called on any fight and grit left in his players for what could be a season-deciding contest against Stoneyford away from home tomorrow.
“I think it’s still possible for us to play finals,” Lineen said.

For the full story, see the current edition of The Colac Herald.

Goodbye and good riddance

Matt Murnane — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:15:47 +0000

Warrion Division One captain Ryan Lang says his team will be glad to say goodbye to one-day cricket and hello to the real stuff.
Putting aside Darren Murrell’s game-breaking exploits with the bat, Lang said his side had struggled to come to grips with the abbreviated form this season and was relieved tomorrow’s home game against Alvie was its final one-dayer.
The Panthers, three wins and three losses, have been up and down this season – looking both brilliant and mediocre at different times with bat and ball.
Lang said Warrion’s batting and bowling attacks were better suited to two-day cricket where the players had longer to ply their trade.
“It will be good to see the end of the one-dayers,” Lang said.
“I don’t think the one-dayers suit us, that’s the first thing. We have struggled for a fifth bowler and besides that, it’s not really proper cricket,” he said.

For the full story, see the current edition of The Colac Herald.

Early starts just part of program

Zoe Condon — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:11:25 +0000

Colac’s Jessalyn Taylor says getting up at 6am is all part of becoming a better swimmer.
Jessalyn, 14, is a member of the Colac Swimming Club and said getting out of bed early was just part of the process to make her a faster swimmer.
“I joined the swimming club when I finished swimming lessons,” Jessalyn said.
“Mum said that I should give the swimming club a go because I liked swimming and that was four years ago,” she said.
Jessalyn, the daughter of Michelle Taylor, said her favourite carnival was at Warrnambool and her favourite stroke was freestyle.
“My favourite carnival is the Warrnambool and district championship pennant,” she said.

For the full story, see the current edition of The Colac Herald.

EARLY MORNINGS: Colac swimmer Jessalyn Taylor is happy to get out of bed before 6am if it is going to help her swim faster.