SPORT
A great honour for Brown For Neil Brown, a love of greyhound racing came naturally. After all, growing up within walking distance - albeit a long walk - from Sandown Park made attending Thursday night races a perfect pastime. Brown, the current chairman of the Sandown Greyhound Racing Club - among many other roles - has been involved with greyhound racing for 50 years and was recently awarded the Ken Carr Medal at the 2017/18 Victorian Greyhound Awards. The Ken Carr Medal - named in honour of the late Ken Carr, a legendary Victorian greyhound racing administrator - is considered the highest award for excellence within the Victorian greyhound racing industry. Completely humbled by the award, Brown reflected on his journey within the sport. “The awards are not something you even think about or look for. I’ve been involved since I was a teenager and it was 1968 when I started going regularly and I’ve dabbled into everything you possibly could in regards to the greyhounds, so I haven’t left any stone unturned,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed every aspect - from the handson training and a bit of breeding, to involvement in the media through radio and writing also... There hasn’t been too much that I haven’t got involved in and even got into some TV work too.” Brown’s love for greyhound racing began when he as lining up for football finals tickets. “I was about 16 and was waiting overnight at the MCG for football finals tickets and someone said you can have your spot saved in the queue by other people and have a couple of hours off,” he said. “A friend of mine said we should go across to Olympic Park to watch the greyhounds and I sort of fell in love with it from there. “I grew up in Springvale, so it was a natural
progression to go to Sandown Park which was virtually within walking distance of my home. “We used to get in for free through a hole in the fence out the back and now I’m chairman of the club, so it’s been quite a meteoric rise over a long period of time.” It’s fair to say Brown has repaid the club for those free entries back in the day, with his tireless work having helped drive greyhound racing at Sandown - and nationally for that matter - to great heights. Brown’s work on ensuring the proud history of the sport is saved for generations to come has been tremendous. “I really took to the historic side of it and I’ve tried to maintain it and preserve it,” he said. “I was very fascinated by the old-timers I used to meet and got friendly with - many of them had countless stories; just story after story of the different periods of greyhound racing and I had such an involvement and memory of my own, so it came naturally to take on the historic side of it.” Having seen some of the very best dogs that have ever raced, there are two who stand out in Brown’s mind as the best he’s witnessed. “I’ve always maintained, up until probably the last year and a half, that Zoom Top - who raced in the late 1960s to early 1970s - was the best I’d ever seen and her records speak for that,” he said. “I think Fanta Bale, who is our recent champion, is probably close to being her equal - I don’t think there’s much between the two of them.” Having been in the industry for 50 years, is Brown considering slowing down? “I don’t think so. I don’t think my passion for the sport will diminish, so I’ll stay involved in a few things and it keeps your mind active as you get older.” There’s no doubt that greyhound racing is greater for Neil Brown’s involvement and the Ken Carr medal is recognition of half a century of dedicated service to the sport.
QUIZ NUMBER 1634 1. WHICH team won the 2017-18 A League soccer title? 2. WHICH Australian Olympian was cleared of charges of taking performance enhancing drugs in 1992? 3. WHO did Evonne Cawley beat in her two Wimbledon triumphs? 4. FOR how many consecutive years did Tommy Smith win the Sydney horse trainers’ premiership? 5. WHO paid $18 million for a racehorse in the United States in 1985? 6. FOR which famous Brazilian soccer club did the immortal Pele play? 7. WHICH Australian golfer was among the pioneers of controversial ‘broomstick’ putter? 8. WHO won the 2018 NBA Playoffs? 9. WHAT was the first Australian yacht to sail for the America’s Cup in 1962? 10. WHAT sport is played by the LA Clippers? 11. WHAT was the name of the bear who was mascot of the 1980 Moscow Olympics? 12. IN which state did former jockey great George Moore begin his riding career? 13. IN which football code did Australia win an Olympic medal at Rio in 2016? 14. WHICH Australian swimming champion of the 1960s was born in the United Kingdom? 15. AUSTRALIA was beaten 17-0 in a soccer international in 1950. Which country handed out the thrashing? 16. WHICH Australian batsman went a record 73 consecutive Test innings without scoring a duck? 17. WHICH city held the 1996 Olympics? 18. WHAT is Australia’s richest professional footrace? 19. WHICH Australian teamed with Czech Thomas Smid to win the US Open Men’s doubles title in 1984? 20. WHICH team won the EPL soccer title in 2014-15? ANSWERS: 1. Melbourne Victory 2. Alex Watson 3. Margaret Court and Chris Evert-Lloyd 4. 33 5. Robert Sangster 6. Santos 7. Peter Senior 8. Golden State Warriors 9. Gretel 10. Basketball 11. Misha 12. Queensland 13. Womens Rugby union 7s 14. Murray Rose 15. England 16. Allan Border 17. Atlanta 18. The Stawell Gift 19. John Fitzgerald 20. Chelsea berwicknews.starcommunity.com.au
Neil Brown was recently awarded the prestigious Ken Carr Medal. PICTURE COURTESY OF SANDOWN GREYHOUNDS
Initial WGCA Country Week squad selected By Russell Bennett
12402956-RC45-18
By Hayley Wildes
The West Gippsland Cricket Asssociation has announced the initial squad of players from which it hopes a strong fist will be made of its first foray into the top tier of Country Week the Provincial division. Selectors Mark Cooper, Rob Elston and Kyle Brooke have picked an extended squad of players that they’re seeking expressions of interest from in regards to their Country Week availability. Cooper and Elston were both key figures in the WGCA’s famous Country Week performance in February, and will prove pivotal in the makeup of the 2019 version. Next year Country Week will be held from Monday, 18 February to Friday, 22 February. A final selected squad of 14 players will be departing the local area on Sunday the 17th. For the step up into Provincial, they’ll also be wearing a coloured WGCA Warriors kit. At this point they’ll be looking to play two practice games against other competitions or turf cricket clubs, and will also endeavour to have three training sessions on turf prior to Country Week.
It should be noted that names can be added to the initial selected Warriors squad at any stage. The initial squad, which features the names of a number of last year’s Country Week members, is: Cardinia - Kallan Braid-Ball, James Giertz, Alex Nooy, AJ Walker, Travis Wheller. Clyde - Daniel Lever, Kiefer Peries, Nick Sadler. Devon Meadows - Scott Clark, Matt Hutchinson, Brad Miles. Emerald - Clinton Marsh. Kooweerup - Chris Bright, Mitch Cammarano, Tyler Clark, Mark Cooper, Jess Mathers. Merinda Park - Daniel McCalman. Nar Nar Goon/Maryknoll - Michael Giles. Pakenham - Zac Chaplin, Rob Elston, Ben Maroney, Troy McDermott, Jack Ryan, Chris Smith, Dale Tormey, Tom Tyrrell, Jason Williams. Pakenham Upper/Toomuc - Brian Kulasena, Sahan Wijeratne. Tooradin - Aaron Avery, Russell Lehman, Josh Lownds, Cal O’Hare. Upper Beaconsfield - Kyle Gibbs, Imesh Jayasekara, Scott Pitcher.
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Thursday, 1 November, 2018
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STAR NEWS 41