FRANKSTON TIMES scoreboard
Waves continue surge for finals NETBALL
By Ben Triandafillou PENINSULA Waves’ under-19s netball side is the only Mornington Peninsula team left in contention for the VNL finals which get underway on Wednesday 22 August at the State Netball and Hockey Centre. The under-19s side, who currently sit at fourth on the ladder, faced off against DC North East Blaze last Wednesday 1 August, with both teams hungry for a win to place them in a favourable position ahead of the finals. A one goal lead continually alternated between the Waves and the Blaze across the first three quarters, until the Blaze opened up a four goal advantage by three quarter time. The Waves were determined to continue the battle and with less than a minute to go in the final quarter, they had levelled the score. However, a turnover in the Blaze’s favour saw them gain possession of the ball, with the Blaze’s GA, Abbey Ellis, taking the opportunity to score in the final seconds of the game to win the match, 52-51. Despite the one goal loss, the Waves are still in the running for the first round of finals. While none of the other Peninsula netball sides are able to qualify for the finals, they still put in cracking performances last Wednesday night against the Blaze and the Ariels. Despite the absence of key midcourter Kate Kelly-Oman, the Waves’ championship
side played an outstanding game against last year’s premiers, DC North East Blaze, with Sacha McDonald and Madeline Morrison standing out as star members of the team. However, the ten goals scored by the Blaze in the second quarter paved the way for them to score a 19-goal victory. The Southern Saints had better luck in their game, and demonstrated their drastic improvement across the season with a 13goal win over the Ariels. Even with the absence of Emily Wilson, the Southern Saints remained consistent throughout the game, failing to concede a quarter to the Ariels. Southern Saints GK, Mardi Cunningham, said that their performance was “one of the best games we’ve played in attack”. The Southern Saints defenders also did a great job in preventing the Ariels from levelling the score with several key turnovers throughout the match. While the Southern Saints are out of contention for finals, their development this season looks to set them up well for the upcoming season. In division one, the Peninsula Waves played in a thrilling game against the Blaze. Even though they too are out of contention for finals, the Waves came out with a point to prove and delivered a shock to their Diamond Creek opponents. In the absence of captain, Bridgette Barry-Murphy, Waves midcourter Claudia Whitfort stepped up and played one of her strongest games to date, with her teammates
Big V finals underway
following suit. Alex Maher and Chloe Phillips also shot with an impressive 95 per cent accuracy throughout the game. While the Blaze weren’t as accurate, both of the sides stayed within one goal of each other following each break. The Waves dug deep in the final quarter and shot 13 goals from 13 attempts, but the Blaze weren’t giving in and fought back to level the score by the final siren to tie the game up at 53-53. The Southern Saints came up against the Ariels in their division one game, and despite the Ariels holding the lead for three quarters of the game, the Southern Saints claimed a two-goal victory by the final whistle. Tension was showing in the final quarters with the Southern Saints’ shooting accuracy dropping to 50 per cent in the third quarter, and the Ariels dropping to 55 per cent in the fourth. However, both teams persevered despite the setback to engage in a highly competitive game of netball. The Southern Saints under-19s game against the Ariels concluded the round with the Ariels prevailing with a 12-goal victory. Kara Morrison and Grace Kelly were particularly valuable for the Ariels with their shooting efforts scoring at 86 per cent accuracy. In round 17, the Waves will face City West Falcons, while the Southern Saints will come up against the Selkirk Sovereigns at the State Netball and Hockey Centre on Wednesday 8 August.
Giddy up: Kerry, left, and Anne Marie enjoy ride around Mornington racecourse’s new purpose-built venue. Picture: Ebony Elise
BASKETBALL
By Ben Triandafillou THE Big V finals series has arrived with four sides from the Mornington Peninsula ready to make their mark on Saturday 4 August. The high flying Chelsea Gulls will enjoy a bye in the first week following their 14th straight victory against Whittlesea (92-79) in round 18, while the other three sides will contest the opening round. The Southern Peninsula Sharks state championship women’s team were striving to land a home final and jump to fourth on the ladder following their round 18 match against Keilor Thunder, but were narrowly nudged out by the Hume City Broncos, despite their victory. The Sharks will head into the finals in hot form having had just the one loss from their past six games, but will meet the team that handed them that one loss, Hume City Broncos, in the first round. Southern Peninsula Sharks men’s division two side have also made their way into the finals and have secured a home game against the Melton Thoroughbreds. The Sharks will head into the match brimming with confidence following their 11-point win over the Maccabi Warriors (75-64) in the final round of the season. The last time the Sharks faced Melton, the Thoroughbreds got the upper-hand and secured a three-point victory in round 13. The final side to secure their spot in the finals is the Western Port Steelers division one men’s team who will also head into the finals series with confidence after defeating the Shepparton Gators by two-points (89-87). The Steelers were unlucky not to have jumped to second place on the ladder and land a bye through to the second round of the finals after bringing up their fourth consecutive victory. The Steelers took their tally to 17 wins for the season and equalled that of Keysborough (second) and Shepparton (third), who both sit at 17. Due to their winning percentage, the Steelers finished fourth on the ladder. However, unlike Keysborough and Shepparton, the Steelers head into the finals in good form having won their last four games. They’ll face another side in hot form, the Warrnambool Seahawks, who have claimed wins in their last five matches. The Steelers will get the benefit of having a home final.
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Frankston Times 6 August 2018
New clubhouse a short-priced favourite By Ben Triandafillou COMMUNITY groups needing a space to meet and practice with a kitchenette, audiovisual equipment, air-conditioning and toilet facilities, can rest easy. They can now use a purpose-built venue at Mornington racecourse with plenty of outdoor space as well as an adjoining riding track. The clubhouse was paid for by the racecourse management committee, Racing Victoria, and Melbourne Racing Club Foundation. Racing Victoria donated $50,000 in unallocated prize money from the 2016 Ladbrokes Stakes, won by Winx. The race attracted only three horses as many trainers declined to enter, knowing Winx would likely win, so fourth place prize money went unallocated. Although all groups are welcome to use it, the clubhouse best suited Riding for Disabled Mornington. The 32-member group has
been using the members’ carpark for their twice-weekly program for about 30 years. Those with disabilities, or wheelchairs, ride in horse-drawn carriages, enjoying the physical and emotional therapy, exercise and social interaction. MRC Foundation chairman Patricia Faulkner said the clubhouse was a welcome addition to the charity. “Organisations such as RDA are exactly why we created the MRC Foundation,” she said. “The local charity group provides a fantastic service to our community with the healing and physical education powers of horses. “We cannot commend RDA highly enough and are happy to help them continue their great work.” Racing Victoria CEO Giles Thompson said he was pleased the $50,000 donation was being used in this way. “The new clubhouse is a fantastic facility
and will make a huge difference to community groups, especially the Mornington branch of RDA, which does much to enrich the lives of people with disabilities,” he said. Mornington Racecourse committee-ofmanagement chairman Tony Hancy said the racecourse was a “key part of the Mornington community” and that other groups were welcome to use the clubhouse. “As a committee we are dedicated to working for the betterment of our local area,” he said. “One way we can do that is by opening up the racecourse to the wider community so that more may benefit from our state-of-the-art facilities and expertise.” Community groups or small organisations wanting to use the clubhouse can contact Mornington Racecourse 5975 3310 or visit their website.