SPORT
with ANTHONY BARBAGALLO
sport@oclife.com.au
Waratahs give CYMS a reality check in dominant derby win Orange CYMS suffered another heavy defeat in the Western Premier League after Waratahs beat them 6-1 in the local derby on Saturday evening. It’s an almost identical loss to that in Round Five, leaving the same bitter taste in the mouths of the CYMS players.
Terry and Carl’s doubles triumph
AT COUNTRY TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS Orange tennis doubles team, Terry Kastrounis and Carl Buchtmann, claimed a remarkable hard-fought doubles victory at the 2022 Priceline NSW Country Championships. Playing three matches on the one day to secure a spot in the final against players from across the state in Forster, the pair went toe-to-toe with the very finest in NSW before taking out the top prize. Their path to silverware glory on the traditional grass courts, couldn’t have been more challenging, yet rewarding, according to Terry Kastrounis. “Carl and I had early exits from other divisions we entered in these championships, but those elimination setbacks fuelled us to succeed in the Open Men’s Doubles Tier 2 competition,” Terry said. “With wet weather cancellations and some gruelling matches on the path to the Grand Final, we developed more character and pushed ourselves to go all the way.” Terry and Carl were one of 18 teams in the Open Men’s Doubles Tier 2 division for regional players outside of the Greater Sydney area. The duo enjoyed a bye in Round 1, which gave them plenty of time to brush up on their skills and in certain areas. But it was still a mountain they had to climb,
as wet weather cancellations caused program issues along the way. This included overcoming adversity in the second round after dropping the first set 7-6 in a close tie-break. With their experience and nerve, however, the two came back to win the second set 6-3 and then claim a 10-4 victory in the super tie-break, booking their spot in the Quarter-Finals. The heavy rain following their first match, however, meant that the pair had to play three consecutive matches on Monday to reach the final. “Carl and I played super tie-breaks in all matches. In the professional grand slams, the doubles format requires a full third set when the score is level after the first two sets. But we didn’t play a full thirdset in this recent NSW Championship, as we instead played a super 10-point tie-break,” Terry explained. There were similar scenes in the quarter-finals, as Terry and Carl lost the opening set 4-6. But again, rallied to win the second set 6-3, once more sending the match into a super 10-point tie-break. The Orange team finally clinched the match, winning 11-9 in a nail-biting third set, successfully overcoming a draining one-hour and 25-minute contest. During their semi-final encounter, Terry and Carl got off to a flying start after an
impressive 6-3 win in the first set. But the Orange pair couldn’t finish off the match in the second set, losing 1-6. On the brink of elimination, Terry and Carl dug deep and fought back to win the final set 10-3 and punch their Grand Final ticket. Just a few hours later, Terry and Carl held aloft the Open Men’s Doubles Tier 2 Premier’s plate. The Orange pair secured victory 3-6, 6-3, 10-6 — their fourth victory in a super 10-point tie-break. “After winning the semi-final, we hardly had any time to rest before the Grand Final later in the evening,” Terry said. “We had a 10-minute warm-up before our match, and then somehow, we were holding the title a few hours later. It was definitely a surreal experience.” Having an understanding of each other was one of the key factors that helped Terry and Carl play some mesmerising tennis in the doubles competition. “Carl and I have played soccer with Saints FC for several years, so we have that understanding when we play doubles in tennis. “I think because we even play soccer in the backline, this is a bonus that helps our tennis chemistry. Soccer also helps with positioning, and that’s helped us tremendously in tennis when it comes to serving or hitting the ball in the right place,” Terry concluded.
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In the CYMS camp, the players and coaching staff seemed more optimistic after two consecutive victories before facing a Tahs side who were still licking their wounds from a 3-2 loss to Orana in the previous round. But given CYMS’ wins came against lower-placed opponents, the green-and-gold received a reality check once they faced off with a topfour side. CYMS started well, playing high-pressing offence and keeping it tight in the backline. But, after 15 minutes, Waratahs’ experience paid off and they scored the opener off a CYMS mistake in the middle of the pitch. This involved Adam Scimone dispossessing t a CYMS midfielder which ultimately set up Guy Burgess to tuck the shot away. Things only got worse for the green-andgold when a poor clearance just minutes later, presented Burgess again with a goal-scoring opportunity inside the 18-yard box. A foul on the Waratahs striker gave the referee no option but to award a penalty for the hosts. Craig Sugden coolly dispatched the spot-kick into the bottom-left corner to double the Sky Blues’ lead. Will Bennett however quickly halved the deficit for CYMS in the 22nd minute after pouncing on some shaky Waratahs defence and scoring a tap-in from close range. Just as the green-and-gold were on the cusp of keeping the scoreline 2-1 at halftime, though, Sugden capitalised off a goal-keeping error to score his brace and give his side some breathing space going into the break. After the interval, the defensive nightmares only continued for the young CYMS side. An unmarked Lachie Peet put the Tahs 4-1 up in the 54th minute after a delicate cross picked out the attacker who calmly slotted it past the keeper. With CYMS camped inside their half, it only took another 11 minutes for Waratahs to find their fifth goal. A fine through-ball from a Tahs playmaker found the feet of Sugden who rifled a low shot into the bottom corner to seal his hat-trick. Tahs’ sixth goal came in the 72nd minute through a Hugh Thornhill penalty to cap off another stellar attacking performance. This much-needed victory propels Waratahs into second spot with 29 points, the same number of points as competition leaders, Panorama FC. As for Orange CYMS, they slip back into ninth spot before they travel to Dubbo this weekend to take on Dubbo Bulls FC.
AROUNDTHEGROUNDS with ANTHONY BARBAGALLO
Western Premier League action
BARRACKER THE
PARTICIPATION RATES AND BUSH FOOTY Time was when growing up in Australia, that playing sports, riding your dragster bike around your suburb, and building flimsy tree houses, were the main activity for kids during the school holidays. Australians had a not wholly undeserved reputation as outdoorsy, open, friendly, egalitarian, if not-too-cerebral, people. Recently in Orange, a new “Ninja” training facility opened with the purpose of teaching kids those running, climbing, and clambering skills they used to learn in scaling fences, swinging into the local dam on “Tarzan ropes”, and hanging upside down on monkey bars. The increasingly sedentary style of our lives, a trend only exacerbated by the last two-and-half years of lockdowns, is reflected in sports participation, even in country areas like Orange. While participation rates for young kids is still pretty high due to parental choices and the encouragement of schools and government, it is in the adult years that the decline of our football codes has been most pronounced. The Group 10 rugby league, now reduced to eight clubs playing in a “cross-over” competition with Group 11, used to field a number of now-defunct sides including Bathurst Charleston’s, Railway, Penguins, City, and Waratahs. Teams like Cowra would play on a Saturday, and then turn around and play against neighbouring towns like Young in a southwest slopes and plains competition, The Maher Cup. Lithgow had six sides, Shamrocks, Small Arms Factory, State Mine, St Patricks, and Western Suburbs, of which only “Workies” is still playing. Orange had the Aces, Our Boys, Rovers, and Waratahs, of which only Hawks and CYMS are still playing. Towns like Oberon, Kandos, Katoomba, Millthorpe, and Portland swelled the comp to the point that it was divided into Western and Eastern Zones between 1948–1951. It’s worse for our oldest football
code, rugby, with the Blowes first grade premiership now down to six teams, Orange Emus and City, Bathurst Bulldogs, Cowra Eagles, Forbes Platypi, and Dubbo Roos.
The “southern game”, Australian Rules Football, which has spent vast amounts of money to establish itself in NSW and Queensland as a rival to the two rugby codes, has only a four-team local top-line competition with Orange Tigers playing off against Bathurst Giants and Bushrangers and Dubbo Demons. Football — our giant as far as participation goes — has, with the re-establishment of the Western Premier League, seen it’s B and A-grade competitions combine, as well as its C’s and fourth division, where, up until recently, they all had separate and distinct competitions. Loss of senior player numbers is one of the main reasons that all football codes, and other traditionally male games like cricket, have turned their attention increasingly to female participation. This has helped swell player numbers that have, to some degree, masked the decline in male adult participation. Envious rugby and league fans used to look at the huge crowds that attended Australian Football VFL (Victorian Football League) matches in Melbourne. At the time when average rugby league crowds in the NSW Premiership were about 10,000, VFL crowds were often double that. “There’s nothing else to do down there!” northerners would say of Melbourne, then considered a grey old town that, literally, shut up on Sundays. No football was allowed to be played, no street life, cafes, restaurants, or coffee shops open and, for decades, amazingly, they didn’t even have Sunday papers! Now, we’ve all got so much more to do, is it any wonder that sport is no longer the central leisure and recreation activity in our lives?.
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Barnies return to their winning ways After a shock loss to Lithgow Workies in Round 15, Barnstoneworth United bounced back with a midweek 6-1 win against Macquarie United and a 1-0 victory over Bathurst 75’ in Round 16. Barnies hosted Macquarie United last Tuesday evening in a catch-up round, where they ran away with a 6-1 victory. The dominant performance restored some confidence among the players before they travelled to Bathurst to take on a challenging 75’s outfit on the weekend. On Saturday, the red-and-whites clinched a famous 1-0 victory against Bathurst 75’ at Proctor Park. The fact that the hosts couldn’t get on the scoreboard, shows that the Barnies’ backline is back to full strength. With these two recent wins, Barnies now jump into third spot with 29 points. Barnstoneworth is also on the same points as second-placed Waratahs and competition leaders Panorama FC, creeping ever so close to the summit of this season’s Western Premier League.
AFL Central West first-grade action Orange Tigers almost cause upset in Dubbo Orange Tigers put up a decent fight in their 64-69 loss against Dubbo Demons last Saturday at South Dubbo Oval. The Demons, however, displayed a little more quality upfront to get them over the line and keep their second spot in the standings. The Tigers were surprising leaders 14-9 after the first quarter, but that was the last time as front-runners for the entire game. While the visitors always kept the scoreline close, the Demons somehow managed to snatch a slim victory in the final stages of the contest.
Rugby Union: Blowes Cup first-grade action Emus successfully get past Forbes Platypi Last Saturday, Emus recorded their sixth victory of the season by defeating the Platypi 21-12 in Forbes. A successful conversion rate and an aggressive attack, helped the Orange side overcome the difficult away-game test. The hard-fought victory keeps the Emus in third spot with 33 points, a healthy position to be in for the last three regular rounds before the finals. Cowra Eagles too strong for Orange City Orange City is still winless in 2022, with their latest defeat coming against Cowra Eagles. The competition leaders cruised to a 38-7 win, rubbing more salt in the wounds of the Lions. It’s been one of the most frustrating seasons for Orange City in recent times, but they are a young side who still have a lot of room to grow and improve their game. While they have a point differential of -253 and are nowhere near fourth spot in the standings, the Lions can still use the last three games to experiment with some formations and at least try to push for their first win of the campaign. Their best chance of gaining a victory is in this weekend’s fixture against Forbes Platypi.
Rugby League: Peter McDonald Premiership Round 14 action CYMS escape with slim win over brave Parkes Spacemen Orange CYMS scraped past Group 11’s Parkes Spacemen last Saturday, winning 32-30 in what looked like a finals footy game at Wade Park.
ORANGE CITY LIFE | JULY 28 — AUGUST 3, 2022
sport@oclife.com.au
CYMS’ creative attack was firing on all cylinders with plenty of aggression narrowly forcing their opponents into submission. The green-and-gold, however, struggled to show any resilience in the defence, allowing Parkes to score five tries and stay in the contest. Patrick Williams’ goal-kicking inconsistency in front of the posts, was another major factor that made this game tighter than it should have been. Still, his penalty goal in the 54th minute, proved to be the crucial difference in the end. This vital victory means CYMS remain in second spot and keep the pressure on Group 10 leaders, Mudgee Dragons. Daniel Mortimer’s side may be dangerous going forward, but they still need to tighten things up in the back with finals footy around the corner.
Forbes Magpies survive early scare to cruise past Orange Hawks Forbes Magpies stunned the Hawks on Sunday with a 36-14 win at Spooner Oval. After causing an upset in last week’s derby with CYMS, the Hawks were looking to record another crucial victory for their top-four ambitions. The Two Blues led in the early stages, but the Magpies soon rallied with a strong attacking display that tore apart the opposition defence. As a result, Forbes charged home to beat the Hawks by 22 points.
Orange Netball is back! Senior Women’s Division 1, Round Nine After a month-long break, local netball resumed this past weekend. With the comp back on, the race for a finals spot is intensifying in the Senior Women’s Division 1. League leaders, Orange City Craig Harvey Mechanical, ran riot in their 71-28 derby victory over Orange City Our City Real Estate. Their flawless win keeps them undefeated and three points ahead of second-placed Vipers. The OHS Hornets beat a struggling seventh-placed LS MID West Eyes 54-25. This victory has propelled the MID West Eyes into third spot with 19 points. The Vipers clinched a four-point victory over fourth-placed LIFE STUDIO, beating them 56-52 in an intense match-up. This crucial win keeps the pressure on the competition leaders. Orange Hawks Marvasti Security prevailed in their 48-36 win over last-placed KWS Firsts. As a result, the Hawks have now moved into sixth spot.
Do you have a sporting story you would like to share with the community, we’d love to hear from you. contact Anthony at
sport@oclife.com.au
SPORTSCAM
with HENRY DEROOY
Junior Sport Highlights Orange school students are back in the classrooms and back on our sporting field! We sent Orange City Life photographer Henry DeRooy out and about to capture a few highlights from the weekend’s junior sport.
ORANGE CITY LIFE | JULY 28 — AUGUST 3, 2022
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SPORTSCAM with CEC TILBURG
Netball U12s Red division It was the first week back for the Orange Netball Association on Saturday (23rd July) after their three week break. In Orange U12’s Red division the Hawks Anything Plumbing took on OPS Orions, the final score 25-10 in their favour.
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ORANGE CITY LIFE | JULY 28 — AUGUST 3, 2022
OCLife | community life
Mission Australia: Jess Silva, Pene Webb and Ann Maree Ryan
Dee Healey, Katrina Housier, Caleb Lee, Jason French, Jasmine Kind, Joanne Wright and Faith Vincent
Kyeisha Lane, Katrina Lane and Katalia Lane
Students enjoying a game of UNO
Dee Healey, Jodie Baker and Kristen Smith
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ORANGE CITY LIFE | JULY 28 — AUGUST 3, 2022
community life | OCLife
Canobolas Football Team
Molong Central School hosts NAIDOC Sports Day
Katrina Housier, Katrina Lane and Jason French
— PHOTOS BY HENRY DEROOY — Molong Central School held a NAIDOC celebration on Thursday, July 21, with a day full of league tag, footy, traditional Aboriginal dances, food and games. Held at the Dr Ross Memorial Recreation Ground on Thursday, Molong Central School and Canobolas High School students attended and enjoyed fun-filled day of games. The event Co Ordinator, Katrina Lane presented a great day for all the adults and kids who took part. The event was sponsored by local Alcohol and Drug Outreach Service – Lives Lived Well.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Melissa, Sophie and Meg
Molong Central and Canobolas Girls Football Team
ORANGE CITY LIFE | JULY 28 — AUGUST 3, 2022
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