FRANKSTON TIMES scoreboard
Mitchell punches through the pain By Ben Triandafillou CURRENT WBC world number 13, Jayde ‘J-Mitch’ Mitchell, of Blairgowrie has undergone surgery following his last fight when defending his WBC OPBF title against Aniwaer Yilixiati on Friday 4 August. Mitchell “flared something” in his neck a couple of weeks before his fight against Yilixiati but ignored the pain as he prepared to take on his toughest opponent to date. “Yilixiati was the highest rated contender in my region so I had to ignore the pain as the fight was at the forefront of my mind,” Mitchell said. “I had a bit of pins and needles
and numbness in my left arm but I wanted to push on with the fight and got caught a couple of times on the top of the head. “Because he’s such as powerful puncher, it compressed the vertebrae’s in my neck and ruptured one of the disks which was pinching my nerve cord and digging into my spinal cord.” Mitchell was referred to the head of the Department of Surgery at the University of Melbourne, Professor Andrew Kaye, and underwent surgery on Thursday 14 September. “He squeezed me in and just made it happen. He said the “surgery went exactly as planned” which is great
news,” Mitchell said. “I’ve got a good team around me and I have all the faith in the world that they will help me return early next year.” Mitchell won’t be able to throw any punches until December but if all goes to plan he can start running and working on his fitness again in four weeks time. “I’ll be chomping at the bit by the time December comes but hopefully if I pass all the fitness tests I can be back sparring in January. We will be in the hunt for a world rated opponent and continue to pick our way through the ratings,” he said. Steady hands: Jayde ‘J-Mitch’ Mitchell prepares with Professor Andrew Kaye ahead of his neck surgery. Below, after surgery. Pictures: Supplied
Surfing siblings hit the waves in Sydney IT will be an action-packed holiday for surfing siblings, Sara and Lucas Dickson, as they travel between Victoria and New South Wales to compete in several national surfing events on Saturday 23 September. The siblings will compete in two nation-wide Ripcurl GromSearch events as well as the Hurley’s BL Blast Off with their journey starting at Jan Juc, Victoria. Sara, 9 and Lucas, 11 have been surfing since the ages of three and four and these school holidays they will compete in the Ripcurl Grom-
Search under-12 events. Father and keen surfer, Michael Dickson, said that the family has always been into surfing so it was only natural that they’d enjoy it too. “They picked it up at an early age and have more recently competed in the GromSearch events,” Dickson said. “They’re really excited for the trip as they’re hoping for warmer water and warmer weather.” Following the Jan Juc Ripcurl GromSearch, the pair will travel to Palm Beach, NSW to compete
Surfing siblings: Lucas (11) and Sara (9) take to the waves. Picture: Yanni
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Frankston Times 25 September 2017
in the BL Blast Off on Tuesday 26 September. Along with 348 other groms, the local charges will hit the waves of Sydney and receive world-class coaching and performance feedback from surfing greats such as Barton Lynch, Layne Beachley and Tom Carroll. They will then head to Maroubra, NSW to face some of Australia’s most talented young surfers at the second Ripcurl GromSearch event of the season.
Aussie star: Jackson Boyd, 17, competes at the under-18 Baseball World Cup in Canada. Picture: Supplied
Boyd competes against the “world’s best” By Ben Triandafillou BASEBALL pitcher Jackson Boyd, of Langwarrin competed against the “world’s best” at the under-18s Baseball World Cup in Thunder Bay, Canada earlier this month. This was Boyd’s first time representing Australia at the World Cup and he helped the side finish just one win shy of playing for a bronze medal. Boyd, 17, said the tournament was a good challenge to see how his pitching would hold up against baseball players from around the world. “It wasn’t easy but I was able to see how my game goes compared to the best,” he said. “It was something I have never really done before so it was great to have the experience. “The way they go about their baseball is just a whole other level. They’re like robots compared to us, USA just don’t do anything wrong. “I would have thrown over 100 pitches in a match and then have four
days rest but the Japanese and the Koreans would just go out and do it again the next day.” The Australian side was defeated in the opening round by Korea but Boyd said they were still understanding what the World Cup was about and the nerves might have just gotten the best of them. After having his first taste at competing at the top level, Boyd relished his second match and the Australian side went on to win their next three games. They then faced Canada for a chance to play for a bronze medal but their streak came to an end when defeated by the host country. The Australian side then faced world number 1, Japan, in the super rounds of the tournament to have one last crack at making it into the bronze medal play-off. Being highly competitive, the side didn’t go down without a fight but was narrowly defeated by one run.
Blues sign on Harms as head coach THE Frankston Blues basketball club has signed on SEABL point guard Andrew Harms for a further three years as head coach of the Blues senior men’s program. Harms, who has had a junior and senior career at the Blues as well as a SEABL career leading the Dandenong Rangers to multiple conference championships, will continue his role he took on mid-season this year. Harms will head into the 2018 season with greater awareness having spent some of last season working with the playing group. “The interim role was a valuable one for me in many respects,” he said. “It provided a chance to assess the program holistically, from training standards and game preparation, to on-court performance and player depth charts, along with off-court and how committed the club are to building an elite program.” Frankston Blues chairman Chris Beattie said having Harms signed on again for next season is a positive step moving forward for the club. “There was a genuine buzz around the club when Andrew stepped in as interim coach for the club last season and his impact was immediate,” he said. “I have no doubt that he will define our club moving forward.” Upon joining the Blues program mid-season, the Blues increased their team and individual productivity with Harms at the helm. Blues co-captains Jake MacAulay and Bennie Lewis saw first-hand Harms’ way and spoke of how Coach Harms “redirected the groups focus” while creating a sense of “accountability”. Former NBL representative Bennie Lewis whose scoring, rebounds and assists increased under Harms last season said Harms’ “attention to detail”
was clearly evident and that preseason could not come quick enough, with Lewis adding “I can’t wait for season 2018.” MacAulay, who shouldered much of the point guard duties in 2017, feels “its exciting news for the club and most importantly the playing group. Andrew brings SEABL experience along with his knowledge playing under some great coaches during his playing career.” Having been the starting point guard on Frankston’s most recent conference championship winning team (2009), Harms’ immediate focus is to recreate a culture of high performance. “I have had a long history with the Blues program, being my junior club,” Harms said. “I was fortunate enough to be part of a successful period with the SEABL men’s program as a player, so I’m eager to get the club back to being consistently competitive again leading this time as head coach.” With the club intending on entering development teams in Big V, Harms sees the off-season as an opportunity for the senior men’s program to establish the standards which season 2018 will be built on. Harms will be looking to Frankston’s next generation of senior Blues, with “a considerable amount of youth being provided the opportunity and resources to improve their skills and physical attributes” leading into pre-season. With recruitment also being at the top of his mind, Harms believes “finding the right experienced talent and import combination is critical to helping us back towards playing finals again”.