FRANKSTON TIMES scoreboard
Freedman lands Diamond win for Blue Army
Making a change: Melbourne Rebels and Rugby Victoria board member Neil Hay, retired Foundation Melbourne Rebel Lachlan Mitchell, Monash researcher Erik Denison, and Melbourne Chargers coaching assistant Mitch Canning push to end homophobia in sport. Picture: Supplied
Frankston researcher scores VicSport inclusion award FRANKSTON resident and Monash University lead researcher Erik Denison has taken out the 2019 Peter Norman inclusion award at the Victorian Sport Awards on Wednesday 20 February. Denison landed the prize for his world-first research which looks into the prevalence of homophobic and sexist language within sporting clubs and how best to find a solution to the issues. The research, led by Erik Denison, from Monash University’s School of Social Sciences, was delivered during the 2018 season to teenage rugby teams by current and recently retired players from the Melbourne Rebels. Selected by a panel of industry representatives, Mr Denison was awarded the inaugural honour for pushing the boundaries to prove that real, genuine change can be made to ensure that sport is safe, welcoming, fair and inclusive for all. Denison was thrilled to be given the award but said there were many people who put in a lot of time behind the scenes. “This award recognises the work of a large group of people, particularly leaders within Victoria’s rugby union community and players from the Melbourne Rebels, who supported our research focused on ending homophobic behaviour in sport,” Denison said. Denison’s research was supported financially
by the Federal Government, Rugby Australia, Rugby Victoria, the Woollahra Colleagues Rugby Club and by Australia’s first gay and inclusive rugby team, the Sydney Convicts. “It was brave of the Victorian rugby community to support this research so strongly. I know Rugby Victoria says rugby is a ‘game for all’, although sometimes these slogans don’t translate to the grassroots. This was not our experience with rugby,” he said. “Everyone involved in rugby, from national, state and club leaders as well as coaches and players supported our research and efforts to end discrimination in all sports. This level of engagement is unheard of when conducting this type of research.” Mornington Shire Council also managed to land the Victorian Local Government Initiative of the Year award with their Fit N Fun program (All Abilities). The Fit N Fun program allows up to 40 participants to enjoy being with their friends and connecting with the community. Participants develop confidence to participate in sporting and physical activity programs, increase their skills, and are advised on healthy eating and personal relationships. The program is held on Wednesdays at the Civic Reserve Recreation Centre, Mornington.
PINECLIFF-based racehorse trainer, Anthony Freedman (Mt Eliza), has landed Godolphin’s very first victory in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on Saturday 23 February. The famous royal blue silks were carried to victory by jockey Luke Currie as the Freedmantrained Lyre surged from the second half of the field to secure Victoria’s richest juvenile race by half a length. Lyre is one of five Godolphin youngsters that the Freedman stable have under their care, and the only one that they’ve had raced. “This is a great result for our family,” Anthony Freedman said. “Our association with Godolphin has gone back a long time now, they’ve been very good to our family and myself personally in the last 12 months. “They have a great system. [Lyre] came to us, as they all did, in beautiful condition and was beautifully educated. It was just a case of developing her and getting her to keep improving into this race. “She really had made that necessary couple of lengths improvement and it’s more about not losing them backwards and clearly she didn’t go backwards and probably went on with it – she went great today.” Lyre had previously won her maiden in solid fashion at Sale before taking out the Group Two Blue Diamond Prelude (Fillies) at Caulfield on Saturday 9 February. Freedman was confident that she’d be hard fit
for those outings. “She’s obviously a quality filly and arguably she should be unbeaten,” he said. “She’s kept improving with each run. They ran fairly good time and she was the strongest at the finish.” For Freedman, Lyre’s Blue Diamond victory ensured he joined his brother Lee as training the winner of the race. Anthony for years worked as a foreman for Lee as his older sibling officially prepared Knowledge (1997), Danelagh (1998) and Alinghi (2004) to win the race. Anthony’s son, Sam, now works as the foreman for the stable. Lyre’s victory also provided jockey Luke Currie with his seventh Group 1 victory. Freedman’s other two-year-old to enter the race, I Am Immortal, finished a gallant seventh. I Am Immortal’s jockey Ben Melham said the early leader looks to have a good future. “[He’s] a very good colt. He just struggled to see the 1200m out but a break, and next preparation he’ll be fine.” Mornington-based trainer Jason Warren’s two-year-old filly, Brooklyn Hustle, also put in a solid performance finishing a length and a half away from the winner in fifth position. Brooklyn Hustle’s jockey, Beau Mertens, said she had what it takes to win a good race. “She ran really well today,” he said. “She was a bit slow out which put us two pairs further back than we wanted but she’s still learning and putting it all together.”
Blue Diamond: Anthony Freedman-trained Lyre lands Godolphin’s first Blue Diamond victory at Caulfield. Picture: Supplied
Mt Martha lifesavers crowned Masters champs MOUNT Martha Lifesaving Club has been crowned Victorian Masters Champions for 2019 with a victory at Lorne on Saturday 9 February. The 22-strong MMLSC Masters team finished just five points ahead of Mordialloc Lifesaving Club, with 21 of their members landing individual medals. The annual Masters’ event saw more than 30 clubs from across Victoria and more than 300 competitors enter the competition. Mount Martha Lifesaving Club president and Masters competitor, Bec Gibbs, said it was a fantastic day overall and even better to claim the Master championship. “It’s fantastic, it’s great for our club and it’s great for our junior members,” Gibbs said. “A lot of our Masters’ are mums and dads who started out when their kids joined and decided to try out lifesaving themselves.
“They’re great role models for all of our competitors and I’m super proud of all of their efforts.” Overall, the Frankston and Mornington Peninsula region was quite successful at the state championships. Other clubs from the region that competed were: Point Leo SLSC (fifth), Portsea SLSC (seventh), Mornington LSC (11th), Mentone LSC (17th), Aspendale LSC (20th), Chelsea Longbeach SLSC (26th) and Rosebud and McCrae LSC (28th). The Nippers (five to 14-year-olds) followed it up on the Sunday at Lorne after gaining inspiration from the adults, the day before. The Nippers will return to Lorne again on Saturday 23 February for the 2019 State Nipper Titles where more than 1,200 juniors are expected to enter the competition.
Lifesaving champs: Mount Martha Lifesaving Club Masters team celebrate their victories at the Victorian Masters Championships in Lorne. Picture: Supplied
PAGE 22
Frankston Times 26 February 2019
Shooters score gold at Sydney Cup SOME of Frankston Australia Clay Target Club’s and Australia’s top shotgun athletes competed at the annual Sydney Cup on Friday 15 February at the Sydney International Shooting Centre. After a two-year period as the national shotgun coach, FACTC men’s trap athlete Adam Vella made an impressive return over the weekend. Vella shot the second highest qualifying score of 120/125 to make the final and in second place behind New South Wales shooter, Matt Schiller, who shot a 122/125. Both athletes, together with Nathan Argiro, of Mildura, shot a benchmark score (BMS) allowing them to pre-qualify for the 2019 World Championships held in Italy in July. The BMS demonstrates the ability of the athletes to perform at an elite standard required to be competitive at important international competitions. At the conclusion of the final, Vella landed the gold medal, with Argiro finishing with a silver and Melbourne Gun Club’s Mitch Iles claiming bronze. FACTC’s James Bolding also landed a gold medal in the Men’s Skeet, with fellow club member Keith Ferguson securing silver after heading into the final as the top qualifier with a score of 118/125. FACTC’s Mat Costa finished in fourth. The International Shotgun circuit will also kick off this month where Commonwealth Games gold medallist and FACTC shooter,
Laetisha Scanlan, will line up in the Ladies Trap at the Qatar Open. Early next month, Scanlan and Ferguson, will also be representing Australia at the first World Cup of the year in Acapulco, Mexico. Top guns: FACTC shooters tackle the annual Sydney Cup competition. Picture: Supplied