Gujarat NRE go from coke to basketball to save Wollongong Hawks
In a last minute reprieve, Indian coke company Gujarat NRE which runs coal mines in the Illawarra has provided the $1m guarantee for the Wollongong Hawks to take their place in the New NBL (National Basketball League) competition.
The $1m guarantee was needed by last Monday evening for the local team to take its place in the new competition. For more on this story go to: http://www.savethehawks.com/
All Wollongong sides score points in Premier Youth League
In last weekend’s round against the Sutherland Sharks, Wollongong’s Premier Youth League soccer teams picked up 3 draws and two wins. The 13’s, 14s and 15s all had draws while the 16s and 18s both had wins.
Results for the round against the Sutherland Sharks were:
Under 13: Wollongong drew 1 all
Under 14: Wollongong drew 2 all
Under 15: Wollongong drew 2 all
Under 16: Wollongong won 4 - 1
Under 18: Wollongong won 2 - 1
After 5 rounds, both Wollongong’s under 16s (4 wins, 1 draw) and 18s (5 wins) are undefeated and top their respective tables.
Next weekend Wollongong teams play against Penrith Nepean United at Cook Park, St Mary’s with the 13s beginning at 9 am on Saturday April 4.
More results and the draw can be found at http://www.soccernsw.com.au/index.php?id=78
Dapto and Kiama strike first blows in Illawarra Baseball
The 2009 Illawarra Baseball League season got under way with only two of the scheduled three first grade games getting on the field. The Wests Cardinals / Berkeley Eagles game resulted in a forfeit after Eagles indicated to the League that the majority of their team was involved with end of season fixtures in summer Leagues in nearby regions.
In the games that were played Dapto Chiefs defeated the Northern Pirates 13-7 at Thomas Dalton Park while Kiama Braves got their season off on a positive note with a 6-3 win over Shoalhaven Mariners at Gainsborough Reserve, Kiama Downs.
In a game that saw Chiefs get away to a 6-0 start in the first two innings and Pirates then come back to tie the game in the fourth and go 7-6 ahead in the fifth, Chiefs managed to take control in the seventh and eighth running in a further six runs.
Jonathan Hall featured in a big way in Chiefs win pitching 3.1 innings in relief and conceding one hit and one earned run. Hall also hit strongly batting 3 / 5 with 3 runs batted in. In Chiefs’ total of 16 hits Craig Leighton and Ben Shepherd also featured with the bat registering three hits each.
Chiefs’ sidearm starting pitcher Aaron Wirth pitched 3.2 innings allowing five earned runs on six hits while his counterpart Mark Kupcinskas pitched 3 innings allowing six earned runs on five hits. Matt Sainsbury featured in Pirates total of seven hits batting with 2 / 3 with 2 RBI’s.
Braves scored a run in the bottom of the first before Mariners equalized in the second. The game remained tightly contested with a 3-2 lead to Braves after three innings and a 4-3 score after six. The result was not sealed until Braves rallied with two runs in the eighth.
The game featured good pitching from both teams. Braves starter Doug Ineson allowed two earned runs on five hits in four innings and reliever Ben Griffin allowed just one earned on one hit in four innings. Closer Matt Sneddon struckout the side in the final innings.
For Mariners Damian Lewis pitched five innings allowing four earned runs on six hits and Blake Mitchell allowed one earned run on five hits in three innings.
Evan Hayes topped Braves hitting with 2 / 5 and Cairan O’Brien was Mariners best with 2 / 4.
Second Grade results: Cardinals 9 Eagles 8; Chiefs 21 Pirates 0; Braves 21 Mariners 2
Third Grade results: Cardinals 14 Eagles 4; Pirates 7 Chiefs 7; Braves 14 Mariners 7
Minor League - Sunday, March 2: Braves 4 d/w Cardinals 4; Pirates 16 Panthers (5) 5; Warriors (1) 18 Panthers (4) 10; Warriors (2) 15 Chiefs 12
In next week’s round two fixtures Shoalhaven Mariners host Wests Cardinals at Fred Finch #2 Field, Berkeley, Berkeley Eagles host Northern Pirates at Eagles Field, Berkeley and Kiama Braves are at home to Dapto Chiefs.
28 sports, 6700 people register for Sydney’s World Masters Games
As at late March 6700 people had registered for the World Masters games in Sydney on October 10 -18, 2009. Over 28 sports will cater for participants of varying standards and ages. For example, tennis has singles, doubles and mixed doubles in ten year age brackets from 30+ to 80+ with A grade for competition players and B grade for social players and beginners.
Registrations close on July 31. For more details go to the World Games web site: http://www.2009worldmasters.com/default.aspx
Call for surfers to participate in injury survey
Surfing has the image of a healthy outdoor sport, but over time the toll on surfers' bodies can be high. Now a new national survey aims to identify the injuries experienced by surfers as the first step to making the sport kinder on the bodies of thousands of Australian surfers.
Margaret Plag, a Masters student in the University of Western Sydney School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, will survey 150 surfers to determine the incidence, severity and outcomes of acute and chronic injuries from surfing.
"Most surfers don't know how to safely exercise and prepare their bodies for their sport. In fact, many probably just go surfing. There's a great physical and emotional satisfaction from surfing, but long term it's also potentially very damaging to your body," says Ms Plag, who has been a keen surfer for five years. Participants in the survey - the most detailed surfing injury study to be conducted in Australia - will complete a retrospective questionnaire about their surfing habits and health over the last 12 months.
"Anecdotally, the list of injuries surfers report is varied from the acute injuries of cuts, bruises and broken bones to chronic lower back pain and damaged knees," says Ms Plag. "The causes of the chronic problems are much more difficult to pinpoint and require detailed study so grommets - young surfers - can take early action to prevent long term damage.
"Older surfers can experience chronic shoulder problems requiring reconstructive surgery. This may be caused by years of paddling the board past the breakers and searching for a wave," says Ms Plag. "About 60 per cent of the time 'surfing' is actually spent paddling which forces the body to work in an unnatural posture - potentially increasing wear and tear," she says. "Years of surfing five days a week for one to two hours at a time can quickly add up to thousands of hours of paddling and other damaging repetitive movements."
Ms Plag's study will focus on identifying the most common chronic injuries as a critical first step to devising ways for surfers to avoid long term damage. Those interested in participating in the study with three or more years surfing experience and aged 18 to 50 years should contact 0404 011 681 or email: 97406251@student.uws.edu.au Once recruited to the trial the survey can be completed online or via hard copy in the mail
From: http://pubapps.uws.edu.au/news/index.php?act=view&story_id=2401
Notices from previous columns:
Cricket NSW runs school holiday coaching clinics. Cricket NSW will be running School Holiday Coaching Clinics at the Power Education Indoor Centre at the SCG on April 15-16. Application Form: http://www.cricketnsw.com.au/nswcoa/AA/2008/ClinicForm.pdf
Information Flyer: http://www.cricketnsw.com.au/nswcoa/AA/2008/ClinicFlyer.pdf
Youth Girls AFL starting in the Illawarra. Go to www.girlsafl.com
Illawarra Cricket hunts for Coaches, Managers and Scorers. Contact Paul Brockley, High Performance Director, Cricket Illawarra. Email: rep_coord@cricketillawarra.org.au
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