Sidelines

Newcastle Herald

Monday January 12, 2009

Edited by MICHAEL PARRIS

Jets curse hits women

DOMINATING possession and

swift ball movement in the

midfi eld, but unable to put the ball

in the back of the net.

It sounds like the Newcastle Jets

A-League team in their torturous

title defence, but the curse also

spread to the Jets womens side on

Saturday in their 1-0 semi-fi nal loss

to Canberra.

And womens Jets coach Gary

Phillips thinks he knows why.

I blame myself for sitting with

[A-League coach] Gary van Egmond

until half-time. I got the A-League

curse of not scoring goals, he

joked.

Van Egmond and his assistant

coach, Mark Jones, sat with Phillips

in the western grandstand until halftime,

when Phillips moved to the

sidelines.

Woolmer bobs up

AUSTRALIAN Country Cricket

Championships organisers

have done a sterling job of keeping

The Herald informed about the

tournament in the Barossa Valley.

But their match report from the

NSW Country game against Victoria

at Eudunda Oval raised a chuckle

when it crossed the Sidelines desk.

Leg spinner Bob Woolmer added

to his impressive effort with the bat

by securing 3-22 from 9.2 overs,

the press release said.

Ben Woolmer is the Merewether

leggie who plays for the Bush

Blues. Bob Woolmer is the Pakistan

coach who died in his hotel room

during the 2007 World Cup.

Get into Opera

ADVERTISING mogul John

Singleton is giving eight punters

a chance to share in the winnings of

a $270,000 white fi lly.

Singleton bought the rare white

racehorse  now named Opera

House  in conjunction with Andrew

Johns at the Magic Millions sales

last year.

At the Bluetongue Cup meeting

at Wyong on February 22 he will

give away eight stakes in the fi llys

winnings as part of a Bluetongue

beer promo in the Hunter and

Central Coast.

Opera House is a three-quarter

sister to Melbourne Cup winner

Might And Power. The fi lly has been

trained in Newcastle by Kris Lees

and will begin racing within the next

few months.

Kiwis freezing

TWO rugby players from New

Zealand collapsed on the pitch

suffering from hypothermia a minute

from the end of a match in Scotland

on Saturday.

Irvines lower-league home

encounter against Aberdeen GSFP

was abandoned with a minute

remaining after Irvines fullback,

Lance Elrick, lost consciousness

and centre Matt Kenny had to be

taken to hospital because of the

cold.

Referee Finlay Clark had no

hesitation in calling time.

The score after 79 minutes was

0-0 and it was almost certain to go

into extra time, he said.

It would clearly have been a

danger to other players if we had

continued.

Irvine play in the Scottish Hydro

Electric League Championship.

Red, red whine

TWO former Newcastle soccer

players fell foul of referees in

crucial games yesterday.

Danielle Small, playing for

Sydney FC, was sent off for dissent

midway though the second half of

the W-League semi-fi nal against

Queensland when the score was 1-1.

Sydney went on to lose on

penalties and miss the grand fi nal

this weekend against Canberra.

Ex-Newcastle Jet Troy Hearfi eld

was marched for a soft headbutt on

Sydneys Alex Brosque in the fi rst

half of Wellingtons A-League game.

Wellington, who are trying to break

into the top four, lost 1-0.

Laura round for sale

FANCY playing a round with

Laura Davies?

Its not every day you get to

stroll the fairways with a golfi ng

superstar, but for the right price,

you can have your very own tee

party with the big-hitting Pom.

Fans can bid in an on-line auction

for the chance to play alongside

not only Davies, but also Australias

Sarah Kemp, on the opening day

of the Branxton ALPG Pro-Am on

Saturday, teeing off at 8am.

As of yesterday, the highest bid

was $550. All proceeds go to the

Rescue Helicopter Service. Bids

close on Wednesday at 8pm and

can be placed on the website

www.golfwithlaura.com.

Annika picks golf club for hitch and run

SWEDISH golf star Annika Sorenstam married Mike McGee in

Florida on Saturday, four weeks after ending her Hall of Fame

career. McGee, the son of former US PGA Tour player Jerry McGee,

has been managing director for Sorenstams business brand since

2006. And, yes, they tied the knot at a golf club, the exclusive Lake

Nona country club in south-east Orlando, before fl ying out for a

skiiing honeymoon.

Great advertisement for the women's game

THE red and blue seating of the

Andrew Johns Stand at the WLeague

semi-fi nal between Newcastle

and Canberra United made the ground

look like EnergyAustralia Stadium on

Saturday, and the Newcastle chants from

the 2889 fans sure made it sound like

EnergyAustralia Stadium.

Yet something was not quite right.

Maybe because the ground looked

slightly like Canberra Stadium.

Northern NSW Football, which runs the

Jets W-League side, did not have any

billboards to run around EnergyAustralia

Stadium for the televised clash, so

Canberra were asked to bring theirs.

So instead of promoting local

businesses, signage for visitcanberra.

com.au, Westfi eld Belconnen (pictured

in the background), the Australian Sports

Commission and CFMEU was posted

around the ground.

At least the Jets side were able to

fi nally wear their navy training uniforms

in the warm-up before Saturdays game.

The uniforms, which were meant

to arrive before the season began in

October, reached Newcastle on Friday.

Second serves

I definitely want to

go to Europe. That is

where the money is

at. With all the cars

and the diamonds I want

to purchase I have to make

the money.

 Jets young gun TAREK

ELRICH on his long-term goals.

I do not think if you get

to the Asian Champions

League there is ever a soft

draw, but we have dodged

a couple of bullets.

 Jets coach GARY VAN

EGMOND after the Asian

Champions League draw.

He normally plays left

wing, but maybe hell play

up front, and if he does, Id

love to come up against

him. Ill be in a good frame

of mind to kick him about.

 Jets defender ADAM

GRIFFITHS on playing little

brother Ryan, who is with

Beijing Guoan, in the ACL.

Shes not in a good way.

Shes blown up like a

balloon  like someone has

cracked her with a cricket

bat across the face.

 TREVOR WOOD, the father

of Jets W-League player

Sammie Wood, after she

suffered head injuries in a

freak boating accident.

I hadnt even given it any

thought. I thought he was

joking when Australian

coach and chairman of

selectors Cameron Curtis

rang to tell me I was in the

squad.

 East Cessnock lawn bowler

MICHAEL CRONIN after his shock

call-up to the national side.

Were not going to give up

on that until the death. We

desperately want him to

play for us.

 Knights CEO STEVE

BURRASTON is still trying

to find a way to fit Adam

MacDougall under the NRL

clubs salary cap.

I think deep inside I did

not really want to get out

there.

 South Africa captain

GRAEME SMITH on his heroic

decision to bat with a broken

hand and bung elbow in the

third Test against Australia.

Ultimately, it will be my

call when I look at that

bloke in the mirror. The one

I talk to every day, and he

says, Mate, it is time to

go or saddle up, pull your

socks up and go to South

Africa and the Ashes. 

 MATT HAYDENS take on

his cricketing future.

We are a laughing stock at

the moment, we are a total

shambles and Pietersen is

to blame for that.

 Former England batsman

ALLAN LAMB after Kevin

Pietersen quit as captain.

Theres nothing in the

manual to help you here.

 Heartbroken Warriors

captain STEVE PRICE

after teammate Sonny

Fai went missing in

heavy seas.

© 2009 Newcastle Herald

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