Still crabs in the creeks but all you’ll encounter upstream of the ferry is forktail catfish.

Pity about the wind and swell because the mackerel had turned up at Lennox big-time.

Big tailor off the beaches with bream, whiting and trevally along the beach at Lennox.

Jewfish are OK off the breakwalls with fish to 15kg, and the headlands like Flat Rock and Boulder Beach have some big tailor and bream but the swell is large enough to make these spots very dangerous.

The wind has dropped below gale force at Evans Head but the swell has kicked in big time.

Beaches, most of the headland and offshore are closed out, but there’s a few blackfish around the breakwalls on the top of the tide and the chance of a jew or a bream.

River still quite dirty and the 40mm+ we had last night won’t have helped.

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Byron Bay will host an opening round match on March 27, taking on Port Macquarie FC.

The official draw was released by leading football commentator Andy Harper and Northern NSW Football CEO David Eland, along with representatives from Schweppes Australia and local teams.

Mr Eland is pleased with the response for the Solo Cup in its inaugural year.

“The competition is a Statewide knockout designed to further develop the rich football culture throughout Northern NSW and is a unique opportunity for clubs to compete against clubs from outside their regional competitions,” he said.

“The success of this year’s Solo Cup will certainly lead to women’s and also Over-35s knockout competitions.” 

Northern NSW Football would like to work towards the winner of the Solo Cup progressing to compete against the winner of Football NSW’s equivalent competition.

The Solo Cup will culminate in finals to be held at BCU International Stadium, Coffs Harbour, in July.

The Statewide competition with a total prize pool of $10,000 has attracted 56 teams from across Northern NSW Football’s seven zones.

The Solo Cup launches a new partnership between Schweppes Australia and Northern NSW Football, with both organizations excited about the opportunity to develop the game at grassroots level, commencing with the inaugural Solo Cup.

Schweppes has an association already with Football Federation Australia at a national level and is looking forward to now working with Northern NSW Football on grassroots initiatives with clubs located on the Far North Coast.

“Schweppes is very excited to announce its new partnership with Northern NSW Football, and proud to be a partner of football in Australia,” said Phillip Flanagan, Account Manager, Impulse & Convenience for Schweppes Australia.

“Connecting our iconic brands like Solo with the rapid growth of football in Australia represents a genuinely exciting opportunity for us, and we have been thrilled with the response of the football community to date.”
 
Due to the expansive area covered by Northern NSW Football, the competition is divided into two pools, the Northern Pool and Southern Pool, to determine quarter-final placings.

The Northern Pool will comprise of club teams from Mid North Coast Football, North Coast Football, Northern Inland Football and Football Far North Coast.

Round One of the competition will be held on Saturday 27th March 2010. The winners from Round One will then progress into knockout rounds until the Northern Pool quarter-finalists are determined. 

Round One draw for FNC teams:

• Host, Kempsey Saints FC, Kemp Street Fields (Kemp Street, West Kempsey), Pacific Palms v South Lismore Celtic FC 1pm.
• Host, Byron Bay Rams, Byron Rec Ground (Carlyle Street, Byron Bay), Byron Bay Rams v Port Macquarie FC 3pm.
• Host, Coffs City United FC, Forsyth Park (Maclean Street, Coffs Harbour), Goonellabah FC v Norths United 3pm.

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Bruce at Dave’s Bait Shop in Ballina says there have been mud crabs in the creeks and the lower river (traps banned below the ferry, only dillies/witches hats) with a few bream on smelly baits like mullet gut and chicken gut.

Blackfish and a few whiting on yabbies.

The odd jewfish around the wall on the high tide.

No outside reports, naturally.

Evans River is chocolate after they let the Tucombil Canal go to ease Woodburn flood threat.

Beaches pretty featureless after four days of onshores but low-tide gutters could hold a big jew or a shark.

Bar has been messy, shallow and dangerous.

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Plenty of mud crabs through the creeks and the lower river. River fishable to about Pimlico.

The walls have turned up some jew to about 15kg on lures and soft plastics.

There were some nice tailor around before the blow came through, so there’s the hope of more once things settle.

There were decent Spanish mackerel off Lennox Point just before the blow early in the week but nobody has been out since.

At Evans Head, the bar is fine at high tide but once you get around Joggly Point you’d get hammered, so nobody has been out since Tuesday.

Mackerel were patchy at best on Monday and Tuesday when they did go, but there were also a few decent snapper at times.

The beaches have a few nice bream at the top of the tide; the gutters aren’t too flash at low tide.

Some school jew from the headlands but watch the southerly swell, it’s fluctuating a bit and some days it’s a bit dodgy.

Evans River is clear on the high tide with plenty of bait and well-fed bream and trevally. Murky on the bottom of the tide after the local rain.

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“My office was alarmed to hear that Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), the company contracted to review the Repco Rally, was not going to be undertaking an economic cost benefit analysis. Mike Cahill, the managing director of IMC, confirmed this in correspondence with a resident in the Rally area,” says Ian Cohen.

“I asked the Minister in Question Time today why IMC was not doing an economic analysis and how IMC could possibly recommend the continuation of the Rally to the Minister if such an analysis has not been done.

“The Minister’s initial response was his usual bluster about what a great event it was and how local businesses did such good trade over that weekend.

“Such anecdotal assertions are spurious and mean nothing if not supported by a full economic analysis of the event. I have heard of businesses that actually suffered as a result of the event.

“A proper analysis is the only way to determine if the event was financially viable.

“I have reservations as to how we will discover the real cost benefit of the Rally, since the amount of funding given by Events NSW to the Rally organisers has been kept secret under ‘commercial in confidence’. If we don’t know the initial outlay, how can final figures be determined?

“Many local people fear the review process will go the way of the ‘community consultations’ that took place before the event. Locals were consulted then their concerns overridden by the special legislation that enabled the event and switched off all planning and environmental laws that would have prevented it.

“The Minister must have consulted his own Act and remembered that he is bound by Section 25 of the Motor Sports (World Rally Championship) Act that says, ‘The Minister is to conduct a review of the impact in the Northern Rivers region of the rally event to determine whether future rally events should be conducted in that region’.

“Minister Macdonald announced to the House at the end of Question Time that there would be an economic analysis of the Rally. Whilst an economic analysis is important, the real concern about the Rally is the impact it has had on the environment and the community and the likely negative impact any future rallies will have.”

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Almost 4000 individual competitors from more than 100 clubs are expected to take part.

The State’s leading surf lifesavers will test their skills at the annual competition which attracts crowds of up to 10,000 spectators wanting to see competitors fight it out for glory in the water and on the beach.

The NSW Allphones Masters & Open Surf Life Saving Championships will commence with the Masters hitting Blacksmiths Beach on February 25 and their younger counterparts taking centre stage from Friday February 26 through to Sunday February 28.

Last weekend Manly upset Cronulla’s 12-year winning streak by taking out the overall pointscore at the 2010 NSW Age Championships, while Wanda finished second.

For the last two years the overall pointscore winners in the Open champs have been Manly, after stealing the title from Cronulla, and Manly will be frontrunners to secure another victory this year.

It won’t come easy though – Cronulla SLSC is home to some of NSW’s leading surf stars who will be looking to conquer not only the individual events but the team events as well.

Host club Swansea Belmont will be looking to better its great effort last year when it placed fourth overall.

The club has always been at the forefront of the competitive ranks in the Hunter Branch at NSW and Australian Surf Lifesaving carnivals and this weekend will be another massive effort from the club’s workforce and competitors.

This is the final year in a three-year hosting arrangement for the club.

The Open Ironman event is shaping up to be a battle royal, with a number of top competitors ready to race when the gun goes.

Chris Allum, who won in 2007, hopes to make a comeback. His brother Hayden is also a contender and both are current Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Ironman Series competitors. Mark Simpson is also in the mix.

Last year’s winner, Jono Stock, from Manly is back again, as is second placegetter, Kendrick Louis from Collaroy.

Warilla-Barrack Point’s Ali Day is on fire after finishing sixth overall in the Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain series at Cronulla last weekend. Hayden White will also bolster the club’s chances in his events.

Josh Blair from Swansea Belmont is sure to give these guys a nudge, after finishing ninth in last weekend’s Round 5 of the KNG series.

The big question is whether Manly’s Naomi Flood can collect a sixth successive title win in the Open Ironwoman event. Her chances are good after last weekend’s third place in the Kellogg’s Ironman series.  She will come up against a tough field of competitors, including local Swansea Belmont competitor Nikki Chapman.

Freshwater’s Alisha Miller and Terrigal’s Amy Nurthen will also be hot on her heels. Last year’s second placegetter Maddison Prior from Warilla-Barrack Point will contest the U19 along with the Open Ironwoman. Tahnee Fleming from Byron Bay will also double up in the U19 and Open events.

On the beach, Queenscliff’s Laura Shorter will carve up the sand in both the Open Beach Flags and Sprint events. Jake Lynch from Newport will defend his U19 Beach Sprint and Flags titles and throw his hat in the ring for the Opens.

From the State’s north, Cudgen Headland will put forward some good competitors, including Rohan Small, Jarrad Cain and Scott McCartney in the individual and water teams events. Sawtell’s Kayla Russell and Sarah Tisdell will compete in Open water events.

Hunter club chances include Redhead’s Stewart McLachlan in the Open Board and Isaac Morgan who has moved up to the U17 events. Hannah Trypas will be hard to beat in the U15 water events. Swansea Belmont U17 chances include Kirsty Waugh in the water events and Emily Chaffey who is contesting the U17 and also taking on the Open Ironwoman event.

The South Coast push will be led by the strong Warilla-Barrack Point team. While great things are expected from Ali Day, Warilla’s Jordan White will defend her U17 Ironwoman crown and also line up for the Open Ironwoman. Bernadette Cardillo, now with Bulli, will compete in a range of U17 and Open beach events.

Central Coast star performers are likely to include: Stephanie Carey (The Lakes) who is taking a swipe at both the Open water events and the Beach Sprint and Flags. Terrigal’s Joanna Baxter moves up from the U19 to the Open events, and Ed Gourley will be interesting to watch in the U19 events. Karlee Nurthen is in form after taking home a swag of medals including U14 Ironwoman at last weekend’s junior championships. She will be back this weekend to have a go at the U15 events.

Cronulla’s Elly Graf will defend her U19 Beach Flags and Sprint titles, as well as be a good chance in the Open events, after the retirement last year of Bulli’s Cara Langendam. Kyle O’Brien from Cronulla will be back to defend medals in the U17 water events. Jessica Lauricella, competing for Wanda, is one to watch in the U17 water events. She was chosen for this year’s High Performance Squad and is in good form. Maroubra’s Tara Coleman performed well in the ski and board events last year.

The Championships will come to a dramatic close on 28 February in what will be a massive day of finals with the pageantry and colour of the March Past up first and the prestigious Ironman and Ironwoman tagged as the events to watch later in the day.

Following this year’s event, competitors will say goodbye to Swansea Belmont and head north for the next two years to Cudgen Headland SLSC at Kingscliff.

Round 1 – IRB Premiership

The first round of this year’s IRB (Inflatable Rescue Boat) Premiership will also kick off on Saturday afternoon at Swansea Belmont. Water safety crews from clubs around the State will demonstrate their rescue skills in this fast-paced, action packed event.

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After a very funny warm-up of the crowd by co-speaker, former Australian paceman Rodney Hogg, Richards shared his thoughts on a cricket career which saw him dubbed the Master Blaster for his aggressive and entertaining batting.

Some of it was funny, and some of it was serious.

He told how, during the apartheid years, he was offered a blank cheque to play in South Africa, which was organising rebel tours in an attempt to break an international sporting ban.

If he accepted the offer, ‘I would have to sell my soul. I’m a proud man.’

If he did accept, he was told: “You may have to become an honourary white.”

“I said, f… you,” Richards said.

“If I had gone, because of my tenaciousness, I could have been killed. Or I could have been put in that situation myself (where he would have hit back violently at the mistreatment of black South Africans).”

Richards also was offered the chance, like so many of the world’s best players, to take part in the World Series Cricket revolution which saw the introduction of one-day cricket, coloured clothing … and a good wage.

On World Series Cricket: Kerry Packer was one of the greatest things to happen to the game.

The $25,000 sign-on fee was most welcomed, but not the original choice for the West Indies’ coloured clothing.

“It was shocking pink,” Richards said.

“How can you put 6 foot 9 inch Joel Garner in pink!”

There was also the embarrassment of walking on to the field and copping a verbal shellacking from the Aussie crowd,with their taunts of ‘What’s up today sheilas’.

On the commentary of former England opening batsman Geoff Boycott:

Richards told one colleague that Boycott’s real occupation was an eye specialist.

“How do you know that?” the colleague asked.

“He’s always saying I-this and I-that,” Richards explained.

On his favourite cricketers: Whenever he was asked that question in England, he said it was Ian Chappell, because he knew how much the Poms loathed the hard-playing former Australian captain.

He also mentioned former West Indian quick bowler Malcolm Marshall: “He barked in the opposition’s back yard, and not just in his own yard.” – In reference to Marshall’s ability to take wickets in any country and on any type of wicket.

His favourite Australian fast bowler was Jeff Thomson – the most aggressive of our fast bowlers ‘but the nicest individual you could find’.

Best spinner: He didn’t play against Shane Warne, so it was another leg-spinner, the Pakistani, Abdul Qadir – a ‘very tenacious’ bowler who expected to get a wicket with every ball.

But the highest praise was for West Indian quick, the fearsome Andy Roberts. “He was the hitman of fast bowling. He ended careers.”

Richards told how during one fierce Roberts spell in England, a batsman who was next in to bat put his dentures in a glass of water. “These are pretty new and they’re not going out there,” the batsman explained.

Which batsman, from any era, would he liked to have batted with: “Rodney Hogg, if you wanted to look good.”

His most memorable moment in cricket: It was during a World Series match at Gloucester Park in Perth.

“I scored a beautiful hundred – a wonderful knock,” Richards said.

His batting partner, Roger Harper, interrupted Viv’s celebration. “Look behind you,” Harper said.

A strange thing to say, thought Viv, but he looked anyhow.

“There was this beautiful creature dressed only in her birthday suit,” Richards said.

“I thought, ‘Man, this is not cricket!’.”

The woman fronted up to Richards, held an exposed breast and said ‘Mr Richards, would you mind signing this please?’.

“So for the first time in my life, I dotted all my I’s,” Richards quipped.

PICTURES (from top): Members of the Ned Flanders Cricket Club made the trip down from Brisbane to meet one of their idols.

With Ballina ladies (from left) Lisa Diett, Helen Koellner and Tiffany Lane.

Signing an item of memorabilia purchased by John Casey, of Lennox Head.

Only too happy for a meet and greet session before speaking.

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South Korea, China, Brazil, Germany, Russia, Egypt, Indonesia, England, France, Italy, USA and three Japanese teams have also received invitations to the tournament.

The 2010 Tokyo Youth Tournament will see Northern NSW and Football NSW combine forces in a joint squad for the first time, with eight players representing each federation which includes players from Country NSW representative sides.

The squad will travel to Japan on April 22 where the players will enjoy home-stay hospitality of the Yaizu Football Association while attending a three-day pre-tournament camp, involving matches against teams in Shizuoka Prefecture and possible attendance at the Shimizu Pulse vs Omiya J League fixture on April 24.

The squad will then travel to Tokyo for the Youth Tournament from April 27 until May 2 where all matches will be played at the Kamazawa Olympics Sports Grounds on synthetic pitches.

The full squad is as follows:

Andrew Pawiak  Hunter Valley/NNSW Football

Reece Papas  Newcastle/NNSW Football
 
Willis Nadfalusi Newcastle/NNSW Football
 
Stefan Barrie  Newcastle/NNSW Football
 
Jayden Walker Far North Coast/NNSW Football
 
Kalen Petrie Far North Coast/NNSW Football
 
Je Jacobs North Coast/NNSW Football
 
Benjamin Hay Macquarie/NNSW Football
 
Blake Tuxford Sydney/Football NSW
 
Darcy Madden Wollongong/Football NSW
 
Aaron Calver Wollongong/Football NSW
 
Jesse Taunton Long Beach/Football NSW
 
Joel Steward Dubbo/Football NSW
 
Darcy Pawlik Albury/ ootball NSW
 
Nathan Blaxter Merimbula/Football NSW
 
Jack Press Bathurst/Football NSW

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UNDER 16s

Far North Coast 34 (James Hewetson 4, Jake McIntyre, Rohan Napoli tries, Jake McIntyre 2 conversions) d Sunnybank 14.

UNDER 15s

Far North Coast 39 (Angus MacDougall, Ben Parker, Ben Ivancevic, Dylan Fitzgerald, Nick Egan, Nick Pennisi, James Pankhurst tries, Aaron Booth, Dylan Fitzgerald conversions) d Sunnybank 7

UNDER 13s

Far North Coast 45 (Will Lembke 2, Zac Condon 2, Ryan Graham 2, Vaughan Sandral, Jamie Mau’u, Aidan King tries) d Sunnybank 5.

UNDER 12s

Far North Coast 20 (Callum Mould, Steve Dressler, Lachlan Kennedy, Jacob McRae tries) d Sunnybank 15.

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Being a FIFA World Cup year, it’s a great chance for kids new to football to experience the World’s Biggest Game and support the Socceroos on their World Cup Journey.

Scheduled for Hepburn Park, Goonellabah, this Sunday, February 14, between 9am and 12pm, there will be a host of activities and information for new footballers.

Kids and parents will be introduced to Small Sided Football, as well as have the opportunity to take part in penalty shootouts, win prizes and giveaways plus speak with Community Football representatives from both Northern NSW Football and Football Federation Australia.

The day will also provide parents with all the information they need to have their children play with their local club in the Far North Coast area.

“The morning of activities is anticipated to be a great boost to the activities of Football Far North Coast and their recruitment campaign to get more young male and female players actively involved in sport and leading a healthy lifestyle playing the world’s biggest game,” a Northern NSW Football spokesman said.

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