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Mildura Weekly : Friday February 6 2015 Vol 9 No 13
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SPORT 45 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2015 MILDURAWEEKLY.COM.AU Merbein South cricketer Aaron Finch suspended over head-butting incident Sidecars head to Mildura • From Page 43 Treloar, who gave an absolute clinic of speedway sidecar rac- ing last week, will be joined by most experienced campaigners in Grant Bond/Glenn Cox, who have ridden more Australian Ti- tles than most, along with their respective sons Hayden Bond/ Brady Cox and the Hudson/Pitt combination. Neither Bond/Cox outfit will need any coaxing to do well at Mildura, as they both enjoy rid- ing at the Olympic Park venue. Grant Bond in particular has wonderful skill at riding the pole line at any track, and will enjoy the new dimensions at Mildura, which should suit him as even though he rides the inside line, he always carries good corner speed in doing so. The younger Bond/Cox team will be keen to do well and show that they are capable of taking over the old man’s mantle, while Hudson/Pitt have also been rid- ing Mildura well of late. A small group of Classic Side- cars will provide an interlude to the Oceania event, with three Suzuki 750cc ‘Water bottle’ ma- chines among the entries. Veterans from Broken Hill Bob Kemp/Peter Harvy, Sydney’s Gregg Griffiths/Nathan McFad- den and Adelaide’s Steve Lewis/ Sean Fiba will all ride the ma- chine which took sidecar speed- way by storm in the 1970s, while local riders Dale Milner/Nick O’Brien and Simon Cohrs/Rex Byrne will ride Honda 750’s, and Brodie and Rod Gebhart will ride their 750cc Kawasaki machine. A junior program is planned to begin at 6.15pm, but could be cancelled due to the forecast heat. Senior practice is from 5pm to 6pm, with rider introductions to be made from 7.10pm. Oceania Championship rac- ing will begin at 7.30pm. Olympic Park has a full cater- ing service available, and patrons are reminded that there must be no BYO by law. Free grandstand accommoda- tion is available trackside, with patrons also encouraged to bring a chair or blanket and sit on the venue’s grassy banks. Olympic Park gates open at 5pm. MERBEIN South cricketer Aaron Finch has been suspended for six Sun- raysia Cricket Associa- tion matches after being found guilty of head- butting an opposition player. Four of those matches have been suspended un- til the end of the 2015/16 season, with Finch to miss Merbein’s two-day Round 12 fixture against Mildura Settlers starting tomorrow, before being eligible to return against Coomealla Wentworth in Round 14. Merbein South have a bye in Round 13. The decision to sus- pend Finch was handed down after a one and a half hour SCA tribunal hearing on Tuesday, with Finch pleading guilty to the charge. He was reported by SCA umpires Rod Poole and Dennis Berry during Merbein South’s Round 11 loss to Mildura East for head-butting East batsman Josh Berry. The incident occurred on the first day’s play (Saturday, January 24), with Berry also reported for using abusive lan- guage toward a Merbein South player and umpire. Berry also pleaded guilty to the charge, and received a one-match sus- pended sentence which will also run until the end of 2015/16 season. By VINNIE RODI THE old saying that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure is one that Mildura mechanic, and long-time superbike enthusiast, Andy Hiscox can relate to. A veteran rider at age 55, Andy is set to return to the track full-time as part of the South Australian Superbike State Championships later this year, with his return sparked by the purchase of a “no-good” Kawasaki ZX-10 motorbike. “It was a real spur of the moment thing,” Andy said. “I found the bike while in Darwin, and was really in- terested in buying it. “The bike had been sit- ting in this guy’s shop for three years and had barely been used. I spoke to a few people I knew who lived in the area, and many were ad- amant that I shouldn’t buy it... that it wasn’t any good.” Refusing to give up on the bargain buy, Andy had a friend based in the area take a closer look at the ZX-10. “He encouraged me to buy it, hinting that half the problems associated with the bike surrounded how it had been set up,” he said. “It was such a good price. I paid half what it’s worth, and the ZX-10 is a bike that is really popular in the Eng- lish superbike scene.” Taking the punt, Andy said he had immediately adjusted the bike to suit his needs, with his first ride on the machine seeing him post some incredible results. “After looking at it for the first time I knew it had plenty of scope to improve,” he said. “After setting it up properly I managed to equal my best ever lap times first time around the track. “I then raced with it and won four races from four starts at the Master of Mal- lala series.” Those four wins includ- ed a personal best lap time, with one race seeing Andy finish five seconds ahead of his nearest rival. “Hardly any of the com- mentators or competitors at the event knew who I was, so I think they were just as surprised as I was!” Andy said his results had gone on to spark consider- able interest in his racing ef- forts, so much so that he has been able to secure sponsor- ship from Sunraysia Petro- leum and M1 Tyres, leading to his decision to contest the South Australian Superbike State Championships. “The support from Sun- raysia Petroleum and M1 Tyres is massive, as it cov- ers the costs associated with fuel and tyres for the sea- son,” he said. “It certainly wasn’t something I expected, and this is a wonderful opportu- nity for someone my age to get back on the track. “At the moment I’ll like- ly line-up in the B-Grade, however race organisers have said they may need to put me in the A-Grade if I keep posting competitive times.” Andy, who is originally from England and has lived in Australia for numerous years, is no stranger to mo- torbikes, enjoying riding and working on them for the majority of his life. Having owned his own motorbike shop where he worked as a mechanic, Andy is also no stranger to the track, having raced in Eng- land prior to his arrival in Australia. Andy said that while he was excited to return to racing full-time for the SA Titles, he wasn’t trying to put too much pressure on himself. “Prior to this I hadn’t raced in quite a while, with any competition I took part in more for fun,” he said. “With this sponsorship and support behind me, it’s my goal to compete in every round of the SA Champion- ships, and hopefully win the title. “The first round is this Sunday at Mallala, and I feel there is scope to go quicker. “If I can get maybe one or two more seconds out of the bike then I certainly think I’m in with a good chance.” Andy turns ‘bargain buy’ into State Superbike contender Mildura Squash enters 14th season MILDURA Squash is gearing up for its 14th pennant sea- son at the Irymple Commu- nity Leisure Centre, with the group anticipating a strong and competitive Autumn competition. Mildura Squash hosts two pen- nant divisions (Division 1 is held on Thursday nights and Division 2 on Wednesday nights), with players rostered to play at either 6.30pm or 8.30pm. Players are placed in a team at the start of the pennant season dependent on their skills, with beginners wel- come. Entries are now open for the Autumn 2015 season, which will get underway next Wednesday, February 11, for Division 2 and Thursday, February 12, for Division 1. More information on playing pennant squash, filling in or casual court hire is avail- able by contacting Mildura Squash on 0439 357 327. Brain Strains Puzzles & Games NO. 0308 & 0008 NOO 0308 & 0008 Last Week’s Answers
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