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MORNINGTON NEWS
Clubs still face FV fees, charges SOCCER
By Craig MacKenzie A FOOTBALL Victoria statement issued last week has been met with disbelief and derision by local clubs. At a time when all competition and training is suspended at least until 14 April the state federation has said player registration costs and other fees and charges will continue to be levied. In part the statement said: “Clubs remain obliged to pay any competition administration or registration fee, zone/association fee (if applicable), member federation fee and FFA’s national registration fee (governing body costs) out of the registration fees they collect per participant.” Langwarrin, Mornington and Strikers are the only local clubs with junior NPL licences and may face demands for refunds from parents who have paid fees ranging from $1080 to $2200. All clubs also face the prospect of losing revFee furore: Peninsula Strikers president Adrian Scialpi (left) and Langwarrin president Tanya Wallace at this year’s Wallace Cup presentation. Picture: Darryl Kennedy
enue from sponsors whose businesses are affected by the coronavirus pandemic. For Victorian soccer a perfect storm is forming and Strikers president Adrian Scialpi was scathing of FV’s response to the current crisis. “For them to go public and announce that right now is absolutely ludicrous,” Scialpi said. “To think it could be business as usual, well, to be honest I don’t know what planet these guys are on sometimes. “To me they seem to have lost touch with grassroots football as there’s a realistic chance that we won’t get a game in this season. “For them to release a statement like that expecting clubs to still be liable for these registration fees and competition fees just proves how out of touch they are.” While FV’s statement remains on the federation’s website it didn’t last long on its facebook page as it triggered such a strong backlash that it was quickly removed. “These are extraordinary times and have created a situation that has not as yet been resolved,” FV president Kimon Taliadoros said. “We will need to work with the clubs at the first opportunity to recover as much of the season as possible and determine what that then means.”
Riddle Me That takes out Bendigo Guineas HORSE RACING
By Ben Triandafillou THE Matt Laurie-trained Riddle Me That has topped off an impressive campaign with a narrow but decisive victory in the Listed Bendigo Guineas on Saturday 28 March. The three-year-old son of Deep Field kicked off his preparation in fine form with a dominant victory at Pakenham before having a luckless run at Flemington when posted three-wide the entire trip and still managing to secure second place. The gelding turned the tables on the victor from last start, Spend, with a narrow head victory in the $150,000 Bendigo Guineas. Given the perfect ride from jockey Daniel Stackhouse, the gutsy gelding managed to sit one-out, one-back behind Spend in the running after drawing barrier 10. In a three-way drive to the finish between Spend, Riddle Me That and the John Sadler-trained Score, the toughness of the Matt Laurie-trained galloper eventually came to the fore with a length margin covering the first four
past the post. Mornington-based trainer Matt Laurie said the gelding just continues to improve with every preparation. “He’s a tough horse and he’s got that galloping style where he really gets his nose out and it was enough to get the job done today,” Laurie said post-race. “He ran particularly well at Flemington and we had another wide draw here today which was a little bit disappointing, but it was a great ride by Daniel, and it was good to see him get the win.” As for where the gelding heads to next, Laurie said it was currently undecided because of the unpredictable nature at the moment with the coronavirus restrictions. “I think this horse can continue to improve – he’s done that every preparation,” he said. “Honestly, I’d have to go through the calendar and talk to the owners about what we do next time now that everything has been thrown into disarray but certainly this was a target and it was good to get it done.” The victory took Riddle Me That’s rating to 79, with his current record now standing at four wins and four placings from 10 career starts.
Driving finish: The Matt Laurie-trained gelding Riddle Me That sticks his neck out to win the Listed Bendigo Guineas. Picture: Supplied
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Y Mornington News
31 March 2020
PAGE 31