Netball : SOUTHERNERS SPORTS CLUB

Category : Netball

BANGKOK NETBALL LEAGUE OFF TO A GOOD START!

The Bangkok Netball League is off to a good start after a well rested Christmas break! Round 2 got underway last night and will continue through until Songkran break. Congratulations to both Southerners netball teams for their very convincing wins last night in the first game of the Round.

Southerners Black vs Tigers Gold won 50 – 22

Southerners White vs Tigers Black won 42 – 16

Here is the draw for next week. Both teams are playing at 7pm and expected to have one umpire for the 8pm round.
Southerners White – volunteers please?
Southerners Black – volunteers?
Please could you let me know if you are or not available.

Time	Court No.	Teams	Umpiring	Scoring
7pm	1	Patana vs South White	TTB/SOI8	TTB
	2	NIST vs Tigers Gold	SHS/LON	TTB
	3	Transpo vs South Black	DOGS/QUE	TTB
8pm	1	Tigers Black vs Soi 8	BNL/SOW	TTG
	2	Shrews vs Londoners	NIST/TTG	TTG
	3	Mad Dogs vs Queen Vic	TRA/SOB	TTG

Thanks & have a good week
Dee

A GREAT NIGHT OF NETBALL!!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FABULOUS SOUTHERNERS NETBALL SQUAD ON A GREAT NIGHT OF NETBALL!!!

Southerners White – Div 2 Runners Up!
White vs Soi 8 won 15 – 13
White vs Mad Dogs lost 11 – 17

Southerners Black – Div 1 Champions!
Black vs Tigers Gold won 25 – 4
Black vs Transpo won 23 – 17

Southerners White
Brilliant effort ladies! It was to be a tough first game from the very beginning with Southerners White team aware of a closely fought game against Soi 8 the previous week, so the pressure was on! Sanj and Karen played a very strong mid-court game, working hard to shut down the Soi 8 attack while Sylvie and Nicky, aimed to keep the Soi 8 shooters under wraps and out of the shooting circle with their defensive skills. Great effort from our 2 shooters – Sims and Anita – who after settling into their own shooting a moving around the circle routine, successfully managed to help lift the Whites through into a play off for the final against Mad dogs. The opposition proved to be as strong which resulted in a well contested game. Our girls worked hard right through to the very end, leading in goals at the end of the first half. A strong Mad dog team managed to pull through into the lead in the final 10 minutes of the game, but not without a fight! A very well played game by a team dedicated to giving it 110% on the night – Well done ladies!

Southerners Black
Our first game surprisingly shocked us all – what appeared to be an extremely well and hard played game by both Southerners & Tigers- the results proved that Southerners had in fact played a stronger attacking game. The Tigers worked as hard throughout the court but weren’t able to finish off the shots with our strong defense team in their circle and putting the pressure on! This also came from a combination of great driving throughout the midcourt and top shooting! Both Tigers and Transpo proved to have strong players in defense but Hodgie and Em found their mojo and were firing them in from anywhere in the shooting circle! In both games, it was very fast throughout the court, which at times saw the ball travelling a little too quick, particular players finding their footing ‘offside’ (sometimes on purpose, sometimes not!!) and me screeching from the sidelines to ’settle it’, but the game remained clean and fair, which wouldn’t have been possible without 2 switched on umpires! Many interceptions were made along with a little extra pressure coming from our quick mid-courters Emma P, Lisa & Sasha. The shooters in opposition were constantly reminded of how well our defensive team can work – in between the great tips, intercepts and strong rebounds made by Stanners and Mel – our GK also gets bonus points for successfully playing strong and pushing her partner to the point of ‘rolling around the floor in frustration’ – literally!!

What a performance ladies – from a sidelined captain – I’m proud of you guys & damn proud to be a Southerner (emotional enough hey Wagga!)…

A special thanks has to be made to our faithful supporters who have made it week after week to support the girls on court – even more so last night for the play-offs. Hearing ‘Go Southerners’ being shouted from the sidelines makes quite a difference for team morale when on that court but and appreciated a lot (even if you’re sitting on that fence J-Lo..nothing a good shove in the right direction won’t help!!). We hope you’ll continue to support us next Round which kicks off in January.

Thanks also to our sponsors – JP/ Crown for making appearances and supporting & Londoner for “Putting on the Ritz” last night!

Dee & Hodgie

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SOUTHERNERS A-TEAM DEFEATS SINGAPORE’S BEDOK IN FRIENDLY

The organizing only took a couple of weeks and commitment from 7 players. Before we knew it our bags were packed and we were on our way to Singapore. The weekend kicked off with a few bottles of wine at the international lounge of Suvarnabhumi airport, and after a very jolly boarding we realized Air Asia does not serve alcohol (note for next time!). We touched down in Singapore (sober!) and where the flight let us down, duty free stepped in offering us free glasses of Bailey’s mint cream (ice would have been nice but we weren’t to complain). The mood was lifted and after a bite at BKs the rest of us were ready to sample a bit of Singapore night life over a few more bottles of wine (although Joey feeling withdrawls from no in-flight alcohol had to call it an early night, with Liv to follow).

Saturday morning welcomed us with 30 plus temperatures and a bright blue sky. It was the start to a perfect day except when you then realize you are playing netball on an outdoor court where there is no shade. We managed to round up sunscreen and our energy levels for an hour of netball in the blistering sun. The Southerners didn’t let the home ground advantage get them down (despite the fact our regular season is played in an air conditioned stadium – so spoilt!) or the fact we had no spare players (compared to Bedok’s 4 or 5 subs). In true Southerners spirit we were pumped and ready to go down fighting.

For the first 5 minutes of the game, Bedok dominated. There was a brief moment when a few of us thought “we’re in all sorts of trouble” but after we had warmed to the heat by the 8 minute mark, Nic Hodge and Kristina had scored some fine goals and the defence team, consisting of Joey and Rania, had managed some superb intercepts and rebounds to help give Southerners a chance.

By the second quarter we had settled into more of a rhythm! The Southerners hit the lead and by half time we were up by 20 goals. Dana’s ‘bullet’ passes out of the middle helped set the pace, while Joy and Liv worked hard on the wings.

Despite a few injuries (a sprained ankle, cramps and a jarred finger to name a few!) and sporting very red faces (with Hodgy and Liv leading the line up) nothing was going to stop the Southerners team as we all strived for a victory. Bedok were struggling to get a goal in the second half due to our tight defence. Joey’s consistent game, combined with Rania’s constant interceptions made for a cracking combination.

Despite Bedok cheekily snatching a few of our center passes in the final quarter and their late strategy move – with the GD dropping back to block our GS at the center pass – it was too little too late. When the final siren sounded, the score proved a convincing win for the Southerners 50 – 22.

Bedok shouted us burgers and margaritas at a local favorite, BB’s at Clarke Quay. Later that evening the party moved back to Clarke Quay where the ladies really found out what the local term ’sausage fest’ was all about…

The success of this trip for both teams has resulted in Bedok and the Southerners planning a trip to Hanoi in July ‘07. Stay Tuned.

Southerner’s A-team
GS Kristina Zanic
GA Nicole Hodgson
WA Joy Manalansan
C Dana Piggott
WD Liv Thwaites
GD Joey Kukielka
GK Rania Burns

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2005/2006 BNL RESULTS AND BNL END OF SEASON PRESENTATION

Southerners Netball had it’s best results yet this year in the Bangkok Netball League. After last season where we struggled to keep a second team together, we managed to field two full teams. After the first round the league splits into 3 divisions with Southerners A in Division 1 and Southerners B in Division 3.

Southerners A went through the season u defeated except for a loss to Transpo, much to their delight, when we were down on players. What was most entertaining was the effect of the captains “lets kick some arse” email call out for players the next time we played them. All 10 players turned up 30 minutes before the game started, dressed, warming up and psyched in contrast to the rest of the season where the last players dribbled onto court half way through the first quarter! Anyway, we won that game and the rest of the season’s to take out winners of Division 1.

Southerners B after a shaky start with player turnout, managed to turn things around under the watchful eye of captain Libby Elms. They blasted their way through the last round and a half of the season to top Division 3 and we are sure they will be a force to be reckoned with next season!

The Bangkok Netball League End of Season bash was held in May at Livingstones. This was a great night, where Southerners picked up many awards -

1. Division 1 Winners – Southerners A
2. Division 2 Winners – Southerners B
3. Best Dressed Team – Southerners CLub
4. Player of the Season – Joey Kukielka

Crown, a dedicated netball sponsor for Southerners also gave out awards specifically for our club. These went to -

1. A Team – Best and Fairest Player : Kerry Guthrie
2. A Team – Most Valuable Player : Lisa Stirling
3. A Team – Most Improved Player : Pauline Mills
4. B Team – Best and Fairest Player : Joey Kukielka
5. B Team – Most Valuable Player : Alex Alo
6. B Team – Most Improved Player : Kate Friend

Once we had outstayed our welcome at Livingstones, we ventured on to James’ 30th, where some relatively seedy characters were present…see the photos!

Southerners A Team:
Nicole Stanners (C), Emma Perry, Kristina Zanic, Kerry Guthrie, Stephanie Dunstan, Seonaid Anderson, Lisa Stirling, Pauline Mills, Olivia Thwaites, Gill Kruss, Mel Luck, Cath Gallery

Southerners B Team:
Libby Elms (C), Alex Alo, Sasha Minnett, Tarynn Hatton-Jones, Kate Friend, Joey Kukielka, Gill Presland, Melissa Stewart, Melissa Burt, Kim Mc Connie, Sara Lyn, Sarah Black, Sonia Wilson, Emma De Szoeke, Rachael Wood

We would like to say a big farewell to some of our members that left Bangkok – Seonaid Anderson, Mel Luck and Cath Gallery

2005 SPONSORS AND NEW UNIFORMS

2005 saw us change sponsors from Crown to Guinness and to also acquire a sexier, more aerodynamic kit. We managed to pick up a good deal from Adidas and now have a black and white striped uniform with the Southerners and Guinness logos emblazoned. It has caused quite a stir on court and off the court (more later on that one!) and won us best dressed club for the BNL season!!

SOUTHERNERS GUINNESS NETBALL END OF SEASON BASH

Our 2 Southerners Teams had their end of season drinks at Admakers…the scene of many train smash nights, so it was never going to be pretty! Due to the most torrential rain Bangkok has seen in years smashing down on the capital between 6:30pm and 7pm, causing black outs, floods and major traffic jams not seen before everyone except for Mel Luck was at least 1 hour late. Mel thought we had deliberately told he the wrong night and kept texting everyone to ensure we were actually on our way!!

Once we all arrived though, it was a great night. Plenty of dancing, drinking, singing and silly behaviour, although I don’t ever remember two gays guys playing in our teams, who were permanently ensconced at our table! (see photos, they say more!)

Bangkok International Invitational Tournament

Asian Expat teams from Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam and Bangkok, as well as the Thai National Team competed in this event. Southerners entered one team and came Runner Up to the Thai National Team (AGAIN!)

THAI NATIONAL TOURNAMENT OCT 2005

Southerners once again, entered a team into the Thai National Tournament in October. The calibre of teams ranged from novices to the Thai National team, which made it very interesting. We went from one game where, we got our defensive players to actually drop the ball in the opposing circle several times, just to let their shooters have the ball to try for the first goal in the 4th Quarter,, to being walloped (and I mean that literally and physically) by a university team that was pretty much the Thai National Team.

After the pool games we made it through to the semis where we were beaten and then played off for 3rd place, which we won convincingly. The best thing to see was the improvement from one year to the next with the Thai umpires skills and the cleanliness of the Thai National Teams play.

The best part of the tournament week was the night out after our 3rd place win to celebrate and spend our 3000 Baht prize! The dressing rooms at the Thai National Stadium being as undesirable as they are, we ventured out sweaty and in our kit, ending up at Tokyo Joes on Soi 24. There we discovered many new little insights into our team-mates…

- Keep Kerry away from ordering Margaritas or you will end up VERY DRUNK..
- If Alex EVER tries to set you up with someone she thinks is cute…stay away…
- Seonaid has a past life as a BALLROOM dancer and likes to pull out the hand snap stance when she has had a few!
- Nicole has an inability to estimate big bar bills, thinking that 3000 Baht would cover 15+ jugs of Margarita!!
- Wearing Sweaty Netball uniforms out to bars are (1) One way FARANG women can keep FARANG mens eyes away from Great looking Thai girls….apparently they are sexy? (2) Will help you to pick up new sponsors who are astounded at your dedication to sponsor value!

Team special thanks goes to -
Nicole Stanners, Emma Perry, Seonaid Anderson, Stephanie Dunstan, Kerry Guthrie, Pauline Mills, Cath Gallery, Jenny, Donna and Alex for helping us out, as well as JP and Cam for supporting us!

Thai National Netball Championships

From 1st to 8th October 2005 (Date TBC)
Thailand Netball hosts a national tournament once a year. This is a competitive tournament with teams coming from all around Thailand (mostly universities) and also overseas such as Sri Lanka.
Southerners entered a team this year and came in 3rd Training against the Thai Open and U21National Teams Southerners players train and play games against the Thai National Teams. They are often without good competition, so this gives them AND US a good run!

Bangkok Netball League (BNL)

Started 12th September 2005 and runs to June 2006
The Bangkok Netball League is a social, but competitive league made of primarily of expatriate women Southerners has entered 2 teams this year – one more serious and one social. As of 1st December, Southerners A is topping the ladder and after a shaky start Southerners B is now placed in 10th position.