Fans in states of confusion
State titles are on
There is going to an empty feeling at most games when the Goulburn Valley, Kyabram District and Murray football/netball leagues resume their seasons this Saturday after the COVID-19 lockdown.
All GVL and Kyabram League games will have no supporters but Murray League clashes in NSW are intriguingly allowed 5000 supporters.
Parents or guardians of players involved in junior games can attend games if they adhere to the strict COVID-19 protocols.
Leagues are now sweating on a decision from the State Government to allow spectators at community sports in the state, hopefully for the weekend after next.
The current situation has been described by Murray League boss Dale Norman as ‘‘ludicrous’’ given the current COVID-19 situations in both states.
This Saturday’s Murray League clashes between Victorian clubs Tongala-congupna and Echuca United-nathalia will proceed without spectators while Numurkah is keen to shift its clash with Rumbalara to a NSW venue.
Picola and District Football Netball League was able to stage two games in NSW last Saturday but a third clash between Jerilderie and Tungamah at Berrigan was thwarted by the Berrigan Shire Council.
‘‘They (Berrigan Council) didn’t want anyone coming into the shire from outside and stopped the game. The two clubs will now share the premiership points,’’ said league operations manager Shane Railton.
‘‘But Jerilderie players ended up at Tocumwal watching the game there which is also in the Berrigan Shire so it was all a baffling decision.’’
Hall of Fame postponed again
The Goulburn Valley League has again had to postpone its Hall of Fame Induction ceremony due to the current State Government COVID-19 restrictions.
When the decision was made, event numbers would far exceed allowable numbers at indoor venues.
Originally postponed from early June to this Sunday, August 8, the event will now be rescheduled by the The Hall of Fame Committee.
Hopefully it will be a date when third time proves lucky.
There is a possibility it may be even delayed until 2022 given the lateness of the season.
Bowls coach steps aside
Kyabram Bowls Club and its coach Dane Gade have parted ways.
Cobram-based Gade has cited travelling and work commitments behind his decision to step down after only one year in the job.
Gade intends to line up with Cobram Bowls Club in the Murray Playing Area in the coming season which he said was only ‘‘a two-minute walk from work and four-minute drive from home.’’
The inaugural Goulburn Murray Bowls Region board has been appointed.
Ann Argent (Alexandra), Grace Kenworthy (Avenel) and Stephen Mcgregor (Seymour) are the Goulburn Valley Playing Area directors while Alan Rogers (Numurkah), Joe Luci (Numurkah Golf), Archie Ellis (Barooga) and Marjorie Mcdonald (Cobram) hold the same roles for the Murray Playing Area.
Rogers is chairman and Mcgregor is secretary of the two regions with two director seats to be filled after there was only seven nominations for the nine positions.
Echuca talent joins AFLW
Echuca has produced its first AFL Women’s draftee with Annabel Johnson picked up by Geelong at pick 15.
Johnson has made an impression with the Cats’ VFL Women’s team this year and the 20-year-old has always had ambitions of playing at the elite level.
Always Ready to win an award
A trotter with Kyabram interests has carried off one of Harness
Racing awards.
Always Ready claimed the Four Year Old Trotting Entire/gelding award at the virtual Gordon Rothacker Medal ceremony last week.
Kyabram’s Phil and Trudi Plumb, Stuart Laidlaw, Terry Gregory and Geoff Berry are in the syndicate which races the now five-year-old trotter which won 11 of his 15 starts and $127,000 in his four-year-old season.
Despite missing his three-yearold season with injury, his impressive career record now stands at 15 wins, five seconds and one third from 28 starts which netted $245,000 in prizemoney earnings.
He resumed his racing career at Ballarat last Friday night finishing sixth in a hot field in the $25,000 John Slack Memorial Trotters Cup.
Victoria’s 2019-2020
Trotter beats favourite home
Merrigum-trained pacer Keayang Alex burst back to the winner’s list in style at the Ballarat trots meeting last Friday night.
The four-year-old son of Roll With Joe came from last over the final lap with a three-wide tow to finish over the favourite His Dream Lives On.
Trained by Luke Bryant, Keayang Alex was making only his eighth appearance on a racetrack and his fifth appearance for Bryant who part owns the pacer.
Keayang Alex had a win in his first three career starts when prepared by top trainer Marg Lee.
He is out of the Art Major mare Missing Letters which won 20 races and more than $123,000 in prizemoney earnings.
Girls only at Auskick
Interesting to see that a girlsonly Auskick program kicked off in Deniliquin last week and drew 40 participants.
The program is being run AFL/ Murray Development coordinator Chloe Beck who was stoked with the turnout because programs at other venues had drawn only 10 to 15 participants.
The Victorian Par 3 Championships will go ahead this weekend in Kyabram at Parkland Golf Club.
The women's championship was initially scheduled for last weekend, but Victoria's fifth COVID-19 lockdown forced it to be postponed to this weekend.
The men's and the women's championship will both take part in competition over Saturday and Sunday, across 36 holes.
A total of 140 entrants are expected to make their way to Kyabram for the championships,
Chloe said girls from five-yearolds to 12-year-olds were among the girls to attend the four-week program which was most satisfying.
The weekly mixed Auskick program which runs on a Sunday at Deniliquin has 100 registered participants but most are boys. with 84 men and 56 women locked in.
Championships chairperson Naomi Cartwright said there would be a contingent of Goulburn Valley locals, including Kyabram's Nathan Richards and David Cartwright, as well as well-known Victorian golfers like Toby Walker and Jeneath Wong.
They will tee off between 8am and 1pm on Saturday and Sunday, and while spectators aren't allowed, Cartwright said she might livestream some of the holes on Facebook late on Sunday.