FOOTBALL: This weekend 150 of the State’s best country footballers will converge on the Riverland towns of Berri and Barmera to compete in the annual South Australian Country Football Championships.
The Championships will feature players competing in six zone teams from all areas of the State. Last year’s champions Southern Districts will be desperate to defend their title but will be up against some fierce competition in Group One from the local side Murray Mallee Barrier and expected big improvers Northern.
Group Two will be equally competitive with top ranked Eyre Peninsula competing against the powerful Central Zone and traditional heavy weights the South East.
Preliminary matches will be played on Saturday 5th July in Berri and the finals the following day in Barmera.
Players will also vie for individual recognition across the weekend with awards given to the Player of the Championships and also the best U21.
In addition, 24 players will be selected to represent South Australia at the Landmark Australian Country Carnival held in Shepparton at the end of the month.
The Northern side is a modification of the previously known Northern Cities. In addition to representation form the SGL, Woomera and Districts and Whyalla Football Leagues the Northern Areas has also joined forces. The addition of the NAFA has improved our chances incredibly an after the North’s improved performance last year the signs are looking goo.
Northern’s chances look to be even further enhanced when the two powerhouse zones since the inception of this competition, Central Zone and Southern Districts has diluted as well.
The Central side looks to be harshly dealt with the loss of NAFA and also the Barossa Light and Gawler league.
Southern Districts have also been ‘weakened’ with the removal of the River Murray League from their zone. Clearly the handful of players from this league has incensed the Southern District zone so much that they have actually announced that they are boycotting the next two championships.
They have still been programmed for the weekend but time will tell whether they will do the right thing and play in the Championships or whether they will play sooky la-la’s and stay home.
The Northern Zone get their first outing at 11.10 on Saturday morning when they meet Murray Mallee at Berri Oval. They are then scheduled to meet the Southern Districts side at 1.30. It’s anyone’s guess whether this will happen, so it may be that our guys get to only play one game and play off in a grand final.
NETBALL: It’s a big round of netball this weekend and quite rightly the immensity of the round is being marked with a Saturday super series of A1 in the stadium (due to volleyball grand finals Friday night).
Buoyed by their great result last weekend Sollies come up against the talented Blue Wren side in the early game, while Central will do battle with Port in the late game.
Sollies showed that their form last year wasn’t a fluke when they produced their best netball for the season last weekend to cause a major upset over Chequers. They meet a Blue Wren combination that isn’t doing much wrong this year and if both teams are in form then this promises to be a beauty.
Port and Central are two teams this season that are struggling for consistency and the last time these two met it was Port that took the points. With the business end of the season getting closer and closer the Central side will need to click very soon if they want to have a say in the major round this year.
Saturday’s 5.15pm clash will see the undefeated St Mark Celtic do battle with Chequers in what will also be a very entertaining clash. SMC will be the red hot favourites and should take the points but they would be considering this to be one of those danger games that even the top teams need to be aware of. Chequers certainly have the potential to take the points but their form would have to improve dramatically from last week.
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The Port Pirie Netball Association have been fortunate this year to secure the services of one of the best umpires in the state for their Friday night games. Daniel Lawlor, who learnt his trade by blowing the whistle in Port Pirie netball has moved back into the region with his work and is now based at Clare.
His family are still in Pirie and so it is no trouble to come up and blow the whistle on Friday nights. Lawlor is a B-Grade badged umpire and his skills on the sidelines certainly make for an improved standard of netball on the court.
SOCCER: Last week’s visit to Port Pirie by the SASI side turned out to be a remarkable performance by the visiting side. Prior to coming to Pirie for the weekend they played a game and then collected a win against both the Northern Demons and Pirie City. This meant that the side collected an amazing three wins in four days to sit them comfortably at the top of the State League ladder. In fact they are now 10 points clear of the second placed Demons.
The good news here for the Demons is that SASI has also played four more games than the Demons, so the local side really know what they have to do in the next few weeks. And the reality is that the Demons are well and truly in with a chance to take out State League honors this
season.
It is a tough run home for the Pirie City side. They are at the bottom of the pile and their chances of lifting themselves seem quite forlorn. However, there will clearly be a commitment by the club to lift their performances and it will hopefully start this weekend when the City boys play host to Western Toros.
The Northern Demons have the weekend off as a result of the clash with SASI last weekend.
Make-A-Wish Quiz Night
The Quiz Night season is rapidly setting upon us and the most popular of all quiz nights is now less than a month away with the Make-A-Wish Quiz Night set down for July 25 at the Ballroom of the Northern Festival Centre.
The local branch held the night there last year and still packed the place out, such is the popularity of the night. A team from the thriving metropolis of Baroota took the spoils last year and they will definitely be back to defend their crown in 2008. Rumor has it too that they are not sitting on their laurels either and that they have recruited strongly in their quest for two in a row.
For the sports lovers of our town, there is sure to be a quiz question or two on sport.
Due to the popularity of the night and with the ballroom only able to hold a certain number of
people, table bookings are essential. Teams of 8-10 are required and entry tickets are $10 per person.
Table bookings can be made to Jenny Degiglio on 86324133 after hours.
FOOTBALL: Sollies may be doing it tough on the field at the present time with the club only winning one match in its three SGL grades at the present time.
However, there will be cause for celebration in a couple of week’s time when the members of the 1988 A-Grade premiership will come together to relive and reminisce their feats from 20 years ago.
The official celebrations for the reunion coincide with the club’s clash against the Lions on Saturday July 19, with the formal part of the weekend being a dinner and formalities at the club from 6.00pm.
It should be a great night with many of the great Solly names being sure to make the effort to be there. One of the interesting ones will obviously be current Lions coach, Duck Davies. It is quite possible that he will be the only bloke there either a in a good mood or a really grumpy mood, depending on the result of the day.
With the show only being a couple of weeks away the organisers are still keen to hear from quite a few people who were involved with the club in 1988.
If you haven’t sent in your RSVP and are intending to go it is important tthat you get in touch with Larry Rawlins or send your response to the Reunion Committee, PO Box 80 Pt Pirie.
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