coresportgib issue12 24 03 2016

Itsinternationaltime!!

CoreSportGib 24.03.2016

Football

National team coach Jeff Wood might not havebeen happy with the fact his team had little time toprepare for the first international friendly againstLichtenstein, four days only, but as he pointed out "inan ideal world I would have preferred more," adding"at least this time they have league football behindthem," referring to the fact most players had not hadmuch football prior to the qualifiers in September andOctober.

Woods was adamant to point out that things hadchanged. Gibraltar was already known by the "parkingthe bus" policy, but as he pointed out he wanted his

... 24hrs before the match

http://www.corephotographygibraltar.com/CoreSport


Football

team to come out and "causeproblems to the opposition." Woodshad a new route forward forGibraltar's national team, "parkingthe bus was a thing of the past," hesaid, "that’s been and gone now wecan put it behind us." He wanted histeams to play football and causeproblems to the opponents.

Criticisms over his squad selectionwere also very much put to oneside, commenting that the playershe had selected had shown in theleague that they were the bestplayers at the moment and at thetop of the league, in clear referenceto Lincoln Red Imps players whowere the bulk of the Gibraltar teamand which many observers hadcriticised for being selected.

FOOTBALL CAMEHOME!


Football

6pm - Bayside Roadseemed quiet butsomething was amiss. Thiswas not the usual day, andindeed it wasn't police werepresent in the area, men,children, erm women, yeswomen, were arrivingslowly but surely, somewearing red and whitescarves, others donningflags, all with something redon them, somehow itseemed. Gibraltar wasplaying 42nd UEFA ranked

Lichtenstein in the first ofthree friendly matches.

Already 3/4 of the stadiumseats had been sold out,this was to be Gibraltar'sfirst home match, at its realhome, since the qualifiers.The Spanish sports mediaexpected Gibraltar to lose,the UK media expectedGibraltar to lose, actuallyeveryone but Gibraltariansexpected Gibraltar to lose,even the "13 fingered"

... 2hrs before the match


Football

Spanish sports journalist(after all if you can countthe number of winsbetween Liechtenstein andGibraltar with the fingers ofboth your hands and it addsup to 13 you must be tellingpeople you have thirteenfingers, are you not?),sarcasm to one side; thesame journalist that claimedLichtenstein were about toget their next win.

Television crews were

positioned everywhereacross Victoria Stadium,even the police mobile unit,for crowd controls had beenbrought into the area, toensure everything was inplace.

Gibraltar's coming home offootball had brought somesunshine, and to many afootball fan a hope, bettersaid an expectation, thatGibraltar would do betterthan getting beaten by 7, 8

or even 9. Actually the worddefeat just wasn't inanyone's vocabulary.Gibraltarian fans weretalking of "we can actuallywin this one", "we actuallyhave a chance of winning",there were no "if we cankeep it under four it wouldbe good."

There was an air ofoptimism, but a silent air ofoptimism. Gibraltarian fanshad learnt many lessons

during the Europeanqualifiers and one of themwas how easy it was frombeing over-optimistic, asGibraltar had been when itfirst entered UEFA, tohaving to learn to acceptthere would be defeat afterdefeat against the topnations in Europe,especially the likes of theworld champions.

Yet Gibraltar still believedthat it could take on the



Football

smaller nations, the lowerranked nations. Gibraltardid not aspire to be 54thranked nation in UEFA, itfelt very equal to the likes ofLatvia, even Lichtenstein.

As the teams arrived on thepitch to warm up there wasa mooted sense ofexpectation. The crowdswere filling the stadiumslowly, the usual Gibraltar"slowly". It was not until fiveminutes before kick off that

the stadium was actuallyfilled.

The lights had gone off.Once again the stadiumlights seemed to think forthemselves and falter justbefore a big match. Worriedofficials seemed to questionthe contingency, but with aback-up generator the lightswent on without a problem.There had been no problemwith the lights since wellbefore January, and

... minutes before the match

suddenly on internationalmatch day the lightsseemed to have their ownmind and switch off before amatch.

To the applause of theseveral thousand fansGibraltar stepped out ontothe pitch alongsideLichtenstein. The flashgunsof the double handful ofphotographers who hadgathered, some never seenon football pitches before,

the majority thoughpermanent features in theGibraltar football sceneheightened theexpectations. This was thehome-coming match andeven the press had differentrestrictions imposed thanthose they usually found innormal match-days. Theyalso had decisions to make,neutrality or focus on oneteam? The answer to thatquestion would soon bedecided.


As Captain Roy Chipolinacompleted the toss a voiceby the touchline asked whathis decision had been onwhich side to play from, thevoice unusually from aphotographer, a localphotographer wanting toknow which directionGibraltar was shootingtowards. A smiling facelooked around in his familiarway and pointed to the sidehis team would be playingfrom. Gibraltar were going

to end the match shootingat goal in the direction oftheir Rock of Gibraltar, andit seemed quite correct todo so in a weird way.

2hrs had gone by sincearriving at the stadium andGibraltar were about to kickoff. The scene was verymuch that of aninternational match about totake place, abide be itbetween minnows. It wasan eerily feeling as yourealized it had been quitesome time since Gibraltarhad played at home, in frontof its home crowd.

As a section of the eastside stand erupted incheers and chanting, whichthey continued to do for therest of the 90 mins, thewest stand remained silent.The twelfth was on thestands but they were not


Football


Football

making much noise to showthey were there.

As Lichtenstein, dressed inall white, controlled the ballfrom the start, the silencewas more prominent. Thefans seemed not to knowhow to make noise, how topush their team forward.This would be the tonic forthe rest of the match, asonly the eastside standwould remain the vociferousside.

The occasional cheers,applause, shouts wouldemerge, as the crowdsreacted, but very little inway of chanting, singing,egging on their team wouldbe seen coming from themain west side stand.

Gibraltar maybe had twolessons to learn this week.How to regain theirconfidence in their ownfootball in the international

scene, and how to standbehind your team and pushthem forward through morethan just your merepresence. Maybe it was the130 odd VIPS that might bethe difference in the future.VIPs tend not to be asvociferous as "real" fans.

Gibraltar went out to causeLichtenstein problems justas Jeff Wood had saidbefore the match and cameaway with a respectable 0-0

draw. Lichtenstein ranked42 in the UEFA standingsstarted controlling the initialpace making Gibraltarchase the ball at first.However, a well disciplinedback four for Gibraltar keptthem well away from thedanger areas throughoutmost of the match. AsGibraltar settled into thematch they soon begun togain confidence.

Gibraltar who had started



Football

nervy soon found that theirpace upfront, especiallywith Kyle Casciaro andGeorge Cabreras runningdown the flanks wascausing Lichtensteinproblems. Liam Walkersoon came into his stride inthe middle and was soonspreading the ball around.Gibraltar were breakingthrough the centre, with afamiliar Lincolnesque styleto their play Gibraltar wereforcing Lichtenstein back,

and forced several goodsaves from their keeperJehle.

The best chance of the firsthalf came at the feet ofAaron Payas, fromManchester 62, who struckthe ball from the edge of thebox cleanly and forced aflying save from Jehle.

Kyle Casciaro andCabreras forced severalsaves from the Lichtenstein

keeper as their runsallowed them to break intodanger areas. Cabreraswas to become a menaceto Lichtenstein who foundthe young forward chasingafter every ball, and many atime stealing the ball andrunning into danger zonesas Lichtensteinbacktracked.

Young Jayce Olivero whobecame the youngestplayer to be selected gave

a solid account of himself.His overlaps forwardprovided Gibraltar with afurther weapon up front attimes, knowing his backwas covered by the likes ofChipolina. The latter, alongwith Bardon providedsupport in midfield whichhelped Liam Walker providethe many passes to thefront men that were causingLichtenstein so manyproblems. Bardon,Chipolina and even Garcia



Football

were also very muchinvolved in spreading theball and changing the paceof the game with theirsupport forward.

Towards the end of the firsthalf Gibraltar seemed torelax their stance andallowed Lichtenstein to goforward more. A free-kickjust outside the area was toprove a false hope forLichtenstein as thesubsequent shot went well

over the bar. The closestthey had got to goal by far.

The second half sawLichtenstein start much thesame way as the firstcontrolling possession.They continued to find itdifficult to penetrate pastGibraltar's defence, whowere solid at the back withRoy Chipolina in commandand Perez in goal. Thelatter having little to doduring most of the match.

Although unable to scoreGibraltar had the mostchances at goal. The fewattempts at goal byLichtenstein went wide offtarget. Although Gibraltarthemselves had not had asmany chances as the fanswould have hoped, theirattacks presented greaterdanger than Lichtensteinwho struggled to control thegame beyond being able tokeep possession longer

than Gibraltar. who wouldrun at the defence with theball.

The match saw RobertMontovio get his chance topull a Gibraltar jersey on.His introduction into thematch, alongside Guilingfrom Lynx and Erin Barnettfor Roy Chipolina changedthe look of the Gibraltarsquad and proved to be awise move.



Football

The very fact Chipolina hadbeen replaced by a youngermember of the squadseemed to highlight JeffWood's intention of playingand replacing well knownfaces such as that of RoyChipolina.

Gibraltar suddenly saw itsmostly Lincoln orientedattack style changed to anew dynamic whichseemed to catchLichtenstein out of play.

With just ten minutes to go,the changes forced severalchances for Gibraltar toscore with the ball goingjust wide over the crossbar.

On the 88th minute theGuiling/Montovio inclusionwas proving to be a masterclass in tactical changeswhich left the fans with theirhands on their heads as theball agonizingly scrappedover the crossbar. Theeffects of the changes was

a Jehle, Lichtensteingoalkeeper swaying hisarms in anger at hisdefence and having to becalmed down by his centraldefender. Lichtenstein'skeeper was clearlyhighlighting that they hadlost the tactical battle,although with the minutesticking past they had notlost the game.

Although Gibraltar had thegreater number of chances

the match had been wellbalanced, Gibraltar provedthat they were not there tostand and be defeated atevery opportunity. Instead,Gibraltar proved a hungerto want to win atinternational level.

Gibraltar now play Latvia onTuesday. Maybe anotherchance at coming awaywith a goal, and even a win.



Football


Football

Over 300 images from pre-match to the end ofthe match available atcorephotographygibraltar.com

http://www.corephotographygibraltar.com/CoreSport/Football/Gibraltar-v-Lichtenstein/i-mq5DqPh



Top Level changesin first division!


Football

As the Gibraltar first divisionenters a quiet spell with theforthcoming internationalmatches two major changeshave taken place in the past24 hours which hassurprised many observers.

The first news to rock thecore of football has beenthe resignation of ChristianHook President of StJoseph's. The resignationhas been confirmed by StJoseph's officials who havealso described the loss ofthree points following asanction by the GFA as the"icing on the cake."

The resignation has beenfollowed by football blogreports alleging the formerpresident has criticised theGibraltar FootballAssociation and called forits members to resign.

St Joseph’s FC are still toofficially issue their ownstatement.

Lincoln Red Imps have alsoseen Head Coach RaulProcopio leave.

In a statement issued bythe club on social mediathey state: "Lincoln RedImps and Head Coach Raul

Procopio have reached anagreement for purelypersonal reasons that willsee the Head Coach moveto the position of TechnicalAssessor for the club untilthe end of this season.

"Raul will continue to beactively involved in thepreparations for the squadsetup for next season. Theclub has appointed MickMcElwee as interimmanager until a new HeadCoach is appointed.

"The club would like tothank and acknowledgethe great work RaulProcopio has done for theclub until now in hiscapacity as Head Coachand look forward tocontinue this professionalrelationship into thefuture."


Lincoln andEuropa couldface each other


Football

The Rock Cup semi finaldraw has set Europa FC vs LionsGibraltar FC and LincolnRed Imps F.C. vsManchester 62 F.C.

The scene is now set fortwo encounters in whichEuropa could secure theirentry into Europe if theywere to meet Lincoln in thefinal. Win or lose, bymaintaining their runner'sup position in the leaguethe club would be

guaranteed entry into theEuropa League if they wereto get past Lions, andLincoln were to beatManchester 62.

The semi finals also providethe possibility that both toptwo teams could fail toreach the final and leavethe final to be playedbetween two mid tableclubs, neither of which haveshown great performancesduring the season.

Lincoln en route totheir doubleambitions


Football

Lincoln maintained theirroute to a league and cupdouble reaching the semi-finals of the Rock Cup aftera 4-0 win against GlacisUnited. However, notwithout a struggle toovercome Glacisdynamic counterattacking style offootball whichlast week sawthem beatEuropa.

The first half was a goalless affair but not without itsexcitement with Lincolnfailing to score twicefrom penalties. Thefirst struck over thebar, the second by

Liam Walkerput out for

a cornerby thesupermansave fromJamie Carlin.

The Glacis keeper was alsothe focal point of many ofGlacis' attacks as hecombined first with bothLopez and Sastrie and thenwith Sastrie alone afterLopez walked off injured.Jamie's long butaccurate kicks out tothe front men,equalled that ofhis defence andmidfield inputting the frontmen into openspaces or

forcingLincoln's

defence tochase afterthem throughthe middle.

Jamiecommunicating at

times with his strikers onwhere he would be placingthe ball even before he hadreceived it. The players

already running into spacebefore he had even kicked.This proved as problematicto Lincoln as it had to

Europa,

althoughSastrie did not have thesame pace and efficiencyas Lopez had shownagainst Europa.

It was Glacis who posed the



Football

greatest threat in the firsthalf with their long ballchases and front runnerswho were outpacing thelikes of Roy Chipolina andJC Garcia.The score remained 0-0 inthe first half. It was not untilthe second half that Lincolncame into their own,beginning to take somecontrol of the midfield andstarting to cut the long ballswhich were going over theirmidfield and straight to thefront runners to chase.

Glacis keeper once againbecame the focal point witha fantastic save that sawthe ball put out over the barfor a corner after apowershot from outside thearea. With Lincoln pressingand the match very muchentering periods of tensionsa clash between KyleCasciaro and Jimenez, who

had come in for Lopez sawthe latter yellow carded.

Not contend with the firstyellow, as Kyle picked upthe ball at the edge of thepenalty area just momentslater, Jimenez seemedintent in having a personalbattle with the Lincolnplayer and ended uptripping him inside the areafor Lincoln's third penalty.Jimenez was given hismarching orders as hereceived the second yellowcard, and was subsequentlyshown the red.

This time Calderon madesure it went in, but notbefore it hit the crossbarbefore bouncing downbehind the line for the firstgoal.

Jamie Carlin, Glacis keeper,who had been struck twice


Football

on the head just prior tothe penalty and wasalready showing signsof a lump on hisforehead requiredfurther treatment. As thegame restarted Lincolnpushed forward quicklyand saw Cabrerasrunning for a lose ballon the flank. Carlincame out to meet theball but was unable toget there beforeCabreras who lobbed itover for the second.

Before another ballcould be kicked Carlincalled to the officials tostop play and called fora substitution signallingthat he was feelingdizzy and could notcontinue. Glacis now

having lost their secondkey player saw theirgame play changedramatically. Sastriewho had been a keythreat was no longerreceiving long balls tochase, as Glacis optedto play through themiddle where Lincolnwere at their strongest.

The change in tactics,very much due to thekeepers reluctance tokick long balls forwardand insisting in keepingit back led to Lincolnstealing balls in themiddle. In two of thissteals Lincoln sawLivramento break free,the first time down theright flank where hebeat the new keeper

Simon with a clean strike atgoal. The second, beating theoffside trap he rounded off thekeeper, before rounding off adefender and nearly walkingthe ball into goal.

Glacis, with ten men on thefield and four goals down triedto push forward but wereeasily beaten off by Lincolnwho maintained their strongdefensive posture andallowed the ball to be spreadforward quickly to pin Glacisback.

Lincoln with a 4-0 wincontinue into the semi finalswith a chance of completingthe double if they canmaintain their present lead atthe top of 8 points.Glacis, whose season hasvastly improved in



Football

Lions win by asingle penalty


Football

Lions have reachedthe semi finals ofthe Rock Cup butonly thanks to asecond half

penalty against GibraltarUnited.

A tightly knit defensiveperformance kept Lionsaway from goal throughoutmost of the match. Repeating most of theirsuccess from their lastencounter Gibraltar Unitedfrustrated Lions play closingdown the centre where theylike to play through.

Although missing Buhagiar,


Football

Perez and Goldwyn due toa two match suspensionover accumulation of yellowcards, Gib Utd maintainedtheir form. Montovio provingto be a stubborn andpotentially dangerousopponent to Lions defencewho had to keep playersback to mark him.

The first half was a dullaffair with Gibraltarattacking through long balls.

Lions had few shots on goalforced to play down thesides as Gibraltar closedthem down on the middle.They did have their bestchance when number 13won the ball in front of goaljust a metre away, butsomehow pushed it wide.

Lions came into the secondhalf much the same way asthe first. A tackle in the arealed to a penalty that was

well slotted in past thereplacement keeper.

Gibraltar tried to come backonto the game but watchedhow Montovio's efforts forone hit the wrong side ofthe post or were saved orcleared by Liam Neale,Lions keeper for the night.lions kept their lead until theend in what many in thestands later described as adull quarter final. Lions

mediocre season, which initself is progress after lastyear's bottom of the leagueperformance will now headinto the semi-finals. With aplace in Europe at staketheir performances in thecup could ensure theirmediocre season is soonforgotten if they were tosucceed. Lions will joinManchester, Lincoln andEuropa in the draw.



Football

EuropaoutgunAngels


Football

EuropaoutgunAngels

Any thought of asurprise in this cuptie was soon pushed

out the window by Europawith their first goal. Angels,much improved sinceChristmas were no realmatch against a Europaside whose fortunestowards their hopes inEurope were firmly on theirprogress in the cup. OrLincoln winning the doubleand their expectations ofsecond place in the leaguesecuring entry, somethingthey could not risk leavingin the hands of their biggestrivals.

Angels did push Europaback at times. Threateningto score. Europa keeperbringing out two great stopsin the first half alone tokeep them out.

Europa, though finding itdifficult to get into dangerareas, nevertheless,showed that they werelethal in front of goal. Filohowas forced to make severalstops before Europacreated their second goalout of thin air.

An attack down the leftflank opened up Angelsdefence which saw the ballcrossed wide to Javi whowas left alone on the right.

Europa scored their secondand went into half time witha comfortable lead.

Europa increased their leadfurther before Angels hitback.

On the 90th minute Europasealed the match with the4-1.



Football


Football

LynxFC haveleapfrogged St

Joseph, after the latter werededucted both the pointsand goals scored againstManchester 62. This hasplaced Lynx third in thetable equal in points to StJoseph, and equal in goaldifference.

The deduction of points toSt Joseph has beenofficially confirmed via theGFA website that shows thescore between Manchester62 and St Joseph as 3-0 toManchester 62 (eventhough in actual physical

playthey lost).

The league table also seesManchester 62 leapfrogBritannia, placing them onepoint above Britannia. Lionsare now just three pointsfrom St Joseph’s and Lynx,with the third place spotnow open to be challengedfor.

The decision claimedManchester 62 sourcescame after St Josephfielded a player who wascarded during the match

Lynx leapfrog ! Saints drop!

againstAngels and shouldhave had a one matchsuspension. St Josephwere due to play Glacis in areserve match next but didnot field a team, forfeitingthe match, allegedly. Thesuspension was thereforenot enforced and wouldhave been carried into thenext St Joseph match whichwas against Manchedter62.

Followingthe tabling of therules before the GFA theplayer was found to beineligible and Manchester62 were awarded thepoints.

In other news, Lincoln’s LeeCasciaro, who received ayellow card on the previousalong with Gibraltar

Lynx leapfrog ! Saints drop!



Football

United Goldwyn,Buhagiar and Perezdid not play in theRock Cup QuarterFinal due to a twomatch sanctionimposed after themanner in which theyellow cards wereobtained.

In an interview on BBCWorld Service both Nationalteam coach Jeff Wood andGFA Chief Secretary DenisBeiso have admitted thatthe balance of foreign

players in Gibraltar isnot conducive to

the

development of local home-grown players.

Speaking to the BBC WorldService Jeff Woodcommented that he was“not always sure for thefuture it is the best thingbecause it is stunting thedevelopment of localplayers.”

Denis Beiso GFA ChiefSecretary stated that

“its a delicatebalance to

strike,


Football

Woods & Beiso admit foreign input is a problem

butwe(GFA) havethe wrong balanceat the moment, I wouldagree with those peoplethat say there are far toomany foreign players thatare coming at this stage ofour development.” Furtheradding that he believedyounger home-grownplayers were not coming inand that he was worried itwould affect the nationalsquad progress.

Beiso indicated that therewas a need to provide abetter balance that would

allow for foreign playersto come in to

increase thelevel of

footballin Gibraltarbut not restrictlocal home-grownplayers from developing.

For his part PeterCabezutto, Director andowner of Europa FCexplained the reasons as towhy foreign players arebrought in to compete andwhat attracts them toGibraltar.

Revealing a player of hiswas wanted by one of theEuropean teams theyplayed against in theEuropa League

qualifiers.

Woods & Beiso admit foreign input is a problem


CM CHECKS OUTSMALL PITCHWORKS WITHGOVERNOR


Football

CM CHECKS OUTSMALL PITCHWORKS WITHGOVERNOR

The Chief Minister FabianPicardo and Minister ForSport Steven Linares

showed the new Governor workswhich are being undertaken atthe small football pitches aftershowing him the newly createdSports Annex.

The works which were forcedupon the sports authorities aftercomplaints that ball were landingon the airfield by the new RAFStation commander are believedto have cost the government£90,000. The installation of thenew nets and wires have alreadyraised concerns over the effectsto matches as they are aroundfour feet below the height of thefences around the pitch. Alreadysome teams are indicating thatthey will not be willing to playwith such low nets.

The works are expected to befinished within the comingweeks, ready for after the easterbreak.


Not happy

with

the nettin

g


Football

The recent decision tocancel all official junior andwomens league matchesfrom the small pitch whilst anet is installed over the topof the pitch has led tofurther controversy as theinstallation of the wireswhich will hold the net areput in place.

A network of wires hasbeen installed some fourfeet lower than the top ofthe actual fencesurrounding the pitch. Thecrisscrossed wires justabove the pitch are viewedas being too low to allow aproper match being playedon the pitches. Playershave pointed out that anyhigh ball will bounce off thewires and cause chaos tothe trajectory. The addedindications that a dead ballsituation ruling will be put inplace during matches whenthe ball hits the wires has

further aggravated theconcerns over the mannerin which the netting is to beinstalled.

Already CoreSportGib hasbeen told by one managerthat he might pull out histeam from the rest of theseason until the women'sleague is given otherfacilities to play at if thenetting is to continue as itlooks at being installed.The manager, who wasalready annoyed at the factthat his team have not hada competitive match forweeks, without any otherallocations made available,explained that he believedthe netting was too low toallow a proper match frombeing played.

The installation is believedto have cost £90,000 and isseen as a temporarymeasure until June. Another


alternative installation is expected to be lookedat for next season and installed during thesummer months before the start of nextseason.

Women's football has remainedstalled played since the decision.Junior and youth football havebeen moved to the mainpitch, with women'sfootball not givenany alternativepitchallocation.


Football

Mons Calpetake the lead inDivision 2


Football

An early goal sealed thethree points for Mons Calpeagainst ten man BocaJuniors on Sunday in amatch which placed them atthe top of Division twothroughout the Easterperiod.

Mons Calpe who weresecond to Europa Point bytwo points jumped overEuropa Point who are notscheduled to play until the10th April their next match

against Pheonix. The battlefor the top second divisionspot will then intensify thatsame week as Mons Calpeplay Magpies the followingday, and Europa Point playRed Imps on the Sunday.

Magpies closed the gapwith a 3-1 win againstOlympique, now just sixpoints from the leaders, andfive points from a play-offplace.

Mons Calpetake the lead inDivision 2

The top spot is still open tohow the three teamsperform in the comingweeks. The runner up willthem be expected to playagainst the second lastteam in the first division fora place in the first division.This could see the likes ofMons Calpe and EuropaPoint or Magpies who arestill within distance to closethe gap playing against thelikes of either Gibraltar

United, Glacis or Britanniaor even Manchester 62 whotoday received threeunexpected points aftertheir initial defeat against StJoseph was reversed.

Angels are not expected toclaw back the gap of tenpoints between them andthe team directly abovethem which is at presentGibraltar United.


GLSA underreview


General Sports News

This was revealed by theChief Minister during theopening speech of the newsports annex. Thecomments made during thepresentation were verymuch off the cuff andrevealing, giving the firstclear indications of changesunder which the GSLA willbe working under.

CoreSportGib recentlyrevealed that thegovernment was reviewingGSLA policies toincorporate new conditionsin which certain commercialavenues could be

implementedin the future.

The reveiw,as confirmedby today, willalso includethe workingconditionsand contractsunder which the staff at theGSLA work under.

Recently the GSLA saw anew facilities manager putin place, with a mediamarketing division alsoexpected to be put in placein the near future. Areas of

commercial interest arebelieved to include allowingsponsorship and advertisingaround the stadium which ispresently not allowed, andreviewing when charges willbe implemented for the useof the facilities. This couldaffect football where the

extensive use of thefacilities means a large partof the cost is on theallocation use for matcheswhere now players have afinancial benefit inparticipating in the sport butno fees are charged for theuse of the facilities.


Scorpions andMan 62 inpunch up


Futsal

The informalities whichreign across Futsal wereonce again evident,possibly due to the Easterbreak coming up. The firstmatch affected was theScorpions versusManchester 62. Scorpionscame up with four players,whilst Manchester turnedup with five.

In other matches teamswere just not fielded andthe matches cancelled.

Scorpions took the leadvery early on demonstratingthat the lack of numberswas not going to deterthem.

With still six minutes of firsthalf to go the Azziz/KarimScorpions combinationstruck again for the 2-0.

Scorpions begun to tiretowards the end of the firsthalf and were forced to abacks against the goal. At

one time clearing off theline.

Refreshed from the halftime break Scorpions struckearly again for the third.Manchester eventuallyscored with 17mins to gofor the 3-1.

With ten minutes to gowhilst Manchester couldjust not put the ball awayScorpions had no issue.

Karim stole the balland rounded the sametwo Manchester playerstwice before he walked theball in for the fourth.

With five minutes to goalthe numbers on the pitchwere equalled asManchester lost a player toa second yellow. Fouragainst four neither teamseemed to be affectedmuch at first. Scorpions

soon settled intoidea they had anadvantage andwent to score the5-1.

Manchester couldstill not score withwink making somegood saves.

The match ended


Futsal

withthreeeach asKarim andWayneclashed and hadto be separatedafter punches werebeing thrown.

With just a minute leftscorpions put two moreaway winning 7-1. BothKarim and Wayne couldnow face hefty sanctionsafter the incident which sawred cards shown directlyfollowing the violent

reactionsby bothafter a foulwas called.


Eventfulweekend in Futsal


Futsal

The top of the league remainsmore or less the same after thisweekend's results with Lynxkeeping up their momentum, asexpected, by beating bottom ofthe league College 1975 15-1.

Scorpions leapfrogged overGlacis United after beatingManchester 62 in a controversialmatch that ended up in a punchup between two players. Bothteams had entered the matchwith team members missing from


Futsal

the bench, in Scorpions case, also on thepitch. Scorpions played with four men fromthe start. Scorpions who had led all theway, even one man short, finished 7-1ahead shortening the gap at the top.

St Joseph's, who lost crucial points againstScorpions last week shared the points withGlacis United, losing further ground to Lynxand now just five points in front ofScorpions.

Some tensions were also seen in othermatches, including the first match onSunday between Lions FC and Rock SolidFC.

The second match on Sunday seconddivision Mons Calpe shortened the gapmomentarily between themselves andGunwharf with a comfortable win againstYoung Boys.

Gunwharf were later to be awarded thepoints with a 3-0 score-line in their matchagainst St Joseph South Trade for a non-appearance.

Division 1

Manchester 62 FC 1 vs 7 Gib Scorpions FC OptimaCannons FC 3 vs 10 Gib Phoenix FC EclipseCollege 1975 FC 1 vs 15 Lynx FCGlacis United FC 1 vs 1 St Josephs FC Spark Energy

Division 2

Lions FC B 1 vs 14 Rock Solid FCYoung Boys Gib FC 1 vs 10 Mons Calpe SCMaccabi Alef 5 vs 9 Gib Scorpions FC BGunwharf FC 3 vs 0 St Josephs FC South Trade


Futsal

New sportsannex openedofficially


General Sports News

The new sports annexextension which includes amedia centre, changingrooms, to studio space,doping room and VIPfacilities was opened todayin time for the forthcomingGFA friendlies.

The annex meets UEFAstandards but will be usedby all sports and had takeninto consideration all sports.

In a press statement the

Government announced.

“The Chief Minister, the HonFabian Picardo QC,inaugurated the Elizabeth IISports Annex at theBayside Sports Centre inthe presence of HisExcellency the GovernorLieutenant General EdwardDavis CB, CBE andMinister for Sport StevenLinares, amongst otherinvited guests.The Annex is the final

stage of the four-stageproject at the BaysideSports Centre undertakenby Sharrock Shank Ltd, andincludes:

• Players’ first aid room• Doping control facility• Players’ changing rooms,

showers, sanitary facilitiesand physiotherapisttreatment area• Umpires’ changing rooms,

showers and sanitaryfacilities

• Match officials’ office• Press conference room• Media centre• TV studios• Spectators’ bar facilities• Spectators’ sanitary

facilities• Spectators’ first aid room• VIP lounge• Security/control room• Four press boxes with

power and data points• TV camera platform• Additional needs viewing

platform



General Sports News

• Dedicated press seatingwith power and data points

The Annex was originallyconceived as a means ofbringing the Bayside SportsCentre’s facilities up to astandard to permit specificcategories of internationalfootball matches to beplayed. In order to achievethis, the UEFA StadiumInfrastructure Regulationswere used as a basis forthe design brief. However,

the multi-purpose facility willbe used by any sportingorganisation requiringaccess to such resources.

Other areas of the projecthave included theconstruction of an extensionto the Boat House Centre toprovide a dedicated single-storey facility for the Stay &Play activities for those withadditional needs. Stay &Play was designed with theneeds of specific users in

mind and followed a periodof consultation with some ofthe agencies who haveeventually utilised thefacility. The extensionincorporates soft wallfinishes, adaptive lightingand dedicated sanitaryfacilities incorporatingappropriate equipment. Itwas handed over in time tobe used for the 2015Summer Sports Stay & PlayProgramme and proved avery welcome addition to

the Bayside Sports Centre.Since then the extensionhas been used regularly bythe Guardian AngelFoundation.

Next was the relocation ofexisting lecture rooms andcafeteria in the mainAdministration building;these works have seen there-location of the existingground floor lecture roomsto the first floor togetherwith the addition of a



General Sports News

boardroom. On the groundfloor a basic shell wasprepared for use as acafeteria which wassubsequently fitted out bythe end user. The facilitywas opened three weeksago and is proving to be awelcome asset, as wasevident during the recentEuropean Netball Under 17Championships. The lecturerooms/board room werecompleted by the end ofsummer 2015 and since

then have been used by theGSLA and other entities.Finally, eight first floor

rooms have been added inthe Hockey Stand byinserting mezzanines in theexcessive headroom of thechanging rooms, to makethe best use of thestructure. The worksincluded the erection of anexternal steelwalkway/stairs and fitting alift for all-areas access.Allocation of these to

sporting entities will takeplace shortly.

Energy efficient LEDlighting, controlled byoccupancy sensors, hasbeen installed in all of theimproved areas. TheAnnex’s main water heatingsystem incorporates heatpumps to minimise energywaste.

All areas of the works havebeen designed with open

access for all and, tofacilitate this, lifts havebeen installed in the Annexand Hockey Stands. Oneinnovation with the lifts isthat they incorporate apower backup facility whichpermits the lifts to continuein operation, for a specificperiod of time. This willpermit those with additionalneeds to continue to moveabout the building, ifrequired, during any poweroutages.



General Sports News

The Chief Minister, theHon Fabian Picardo QC,said: ‘I am proud to beofficially opening thesefantastic facilities, whichwill be enjoyed for yearsto come by the entiresporting community. Aswe celebrate the 90thbirthday of Her MajestyQueen Elizabeth II it isfitting that the Annexcarries her name’.”

CRUCIAL WINSFOR SECONDDIVISION & U16


Basketball

The last set of gamesbefore the Easter breakthrew up crucial wins forSecond Division leadersEuropa B and Under 16leaders Isolas Blue Stars.

Europa B and nearest rivalsIsolas Blue Stars Reservesengaged in a low-scoringdefensive battle, edged bythe former by 47-46. Theblack and greens took thefirst 2 quarters 13-12, 15-8but the blues hit back to

take the third 16-9 and setup a last quarter whichended 10-10, and they stillhad 2 free-shots at the endto tie the game but onlymade one. SeanMcGlashan 11 and OmerUziely 10 led the winnersand Aaron Santos hit agame-high 21 for the losers.

Things got even better forthe leaders as the othercontenders for the title,Valmar Wrighttech

Reserves, burnt theirchances by failing to turn upagainst Europa Youth.

Isolas Blue Stars beatsecond-placed ValmarWrighttech in overtime by77-71 to open up a 2-pointsgap at the head of the U16League table. This was thesecond win by IBS overVW, and with 4 games toplay, the leaders can affordto lose twice and still claimthe title on a better head-to-

head. The score went oneway and then the other, asVW edged the first quarter14-13, IBS took the second24-15, VW the third 21-11,and IBS the fourth 17-15and the extra period 12-6.Julian Smart had animmense game, hitting 41points for the losers, withteam-mate AimadBenYoussef getting 16.Rafa Aradas 19, AlexGarcia 18, JulianHernandez 17 and Jamie



Basketball

Mesilio 17 were top scorersfor the winners.

In another game, Europa(Liam Santos 14, EthanPenfold 10, EstebanEspada 10) beat CSBayside Argus (MikeyJeffries 19) 67-31.

In the Under 18 League,there were wins for the jointleaders, who will play eachother twice in the remaining3 fixtures. CS BaysideArgus (Nicky Lopez 27,Jayron Sevilla 15, LeePerez 10) narrowly beatValmar Wrighttech (IanYeats 20, Adrian Castellon16, Julian Smart 13) 65-60;and Isolas Blue Stars(Jamie Mesilio 31, SergioGil 25, Aaron Santos 13,Rafa Aradas 12) beatEuropa (Liberto Carande14, Antonio Pozo 10) 92-62.

In the Women’s League,Mons Calpe Giants (AnnikaPerez 20, Karla Gomez 18,Courtney Ferrer 10, SusieEdwards 10, EmmaSanders 10) beat Sparks76-30; and Panthers(Caroline Robba 18, ValerieDoherty 15, LouiseGonçalves 10) beat Jets(Celine King 15, CamilleDignat 12) 62-42.


Basketball

Athletesneed a newtrack its thatsimple theysay


General Sports News

Athletesneed a newtrack its thatsimple theysay

Young athletes are at risk ofhurting themselves, thatwas the warning given bythose involved in athleticsat the Victoria Stadium asthey explained how thetracks lifespan was well andtruly over.

Young athletes who spoketo CoreSportGib explainedthat they had been trainingfor some time without usingspikes after they werecontinually hurtingthemselves due to thecondition of the runningtrack. The hardened,cracked surface was nolonger providing the grip ithad, and many athletesnow felt safer wearingtrainers than spikes.

Although the black rubberbits from the artificial pitchmade running on the trackwithout spikes a greater riskto them due to the potential

of slipping or losing theirfooting, the injuries causedby the use of spikes wasseen as a greater risk tothem in the lead up toraces.

CoreSportGib wasinformed thatthe trackcould berecalledto havebeenlaidsome30yearsback,with itsactuallifespan notmeant to belonger than twentyyears. The track as waspointed out shows signs ofaging, with cracksappearing in many places,even around bends. Its



General Sports News

constant use over theyears, and the fact it is usedas one of the main thoroughways for persons crossingthe stadium meant that itsuse exceeds that for whichit was originally intendedfor.

Although Minister StevenLinares has already statedpublicly that a new track willbe laid before the 2019Island Games, athletes areadvising that a track needsto be laid much earlier thanjust before the games ifathletes are to develop. The

risk of injury is alreadyputting a dampener onathletes, some worriedabout the effects the track ishaving on the progress.

The Government hasnevertheless not committeditself to relaying a new

running track, with budgetsamong the key issueswhich are claimed to bedelaying any firmcommitment to replacing itanywhere soon.


Agones - TheGib/Malta Linkfor a future insport


Football

If you think you mighthave heard the namebefore you are probablyright. Agones has anetball team and a

volleyball team, in placeslike Malta it has a lot moreand it hopes to do the samein Gibraltar.

Agones is actually what wecould describe as a multi

sports club catering fordevelopment of sports andsports people. Offering thechance to link up with abigger network of sportspeople in its variousEuropean clubs (mainlyMalta) to broaden athleteshorizons and offer moreopportunities.

Recently established in

Gibraltar and slowly makingthe type of progress whichhas seen half of the Under17 Gibraltar Netball squadcoming from within theirranks, not that they will harpon about it as that is nottheir style or objective.

What is Agones SFC? Wellthat is one thing we wantedto find out more about so we

asked Warren MuscatPresident of Agones SFC ifhe could shed some light.CoreSportGib-Let's startwith probably the simplestquestion but the mostdifficult one of all. Whatexactly is a multi sportsclub?

Warren Muscat - A multisports club is a sports club



Sport Feature

that opens its arms todifferent types of sportdisciplines. It aims to givethe community theopportunity to practice asmuch sports disciplinespossible. A member in amulti-sport club gets theopportunity to practicedifferent disciplines orsimply focus on thediscipline he loves topractice most. There is along list of advantages in allthis not only for the

members but also for thesponsors which are alwaysan asset to be able tomanage such a bigframework.

CoreSportGib- Agones hasa netball team, participatedif I'm right in Triathlon, has afitness class and now has avolleyball team. What othersports will you beconsidering?

Warren Muscat - It is very

important to point out thatAgonesSfc is based in 2countries, Malta andGibraltar with a strongtwinning bond with a club inBrighton called BTRS(Brighton Triathlon RaceSeries) Both the Malteseand the Gibraltar section ofthe club fall under the sameclub statute making it notonly a unique experience forboth counties but anamazing experience andopportunity to tap into for its

members. It opens doors fortwinning opportunities,intercultural experiences astraining camps and jointteam participation. InGibraltar we now have theAgones-Alwani Netball teamcomposed of some amazingyoung talented players anddedicated coaches which weare extremely proud of andrecently launched theAgonesSfc – Np Estatesvolleyball team who alreadybrought the club immense



Sport Featuresatisfaction by winning theautumn national league. Weare also looking forward tostart holding the club’sbeach fitness sessions onceagain and hopefully in thecoming months launch therunning training group. Yetthis is just Gibraltar at themoment. The club in Maltaoffers its members manyother disciplines.

Triathlon, road, mountainbike &Downhill cycling,Road running & Trailrunning, Sea & poolswimming, Adventure racingas well as many otherservices such as spinning,core and swimming classes.It is very important to pointout that any athlete inGibraltar can make use ofthe opportunities given tothe Maltese athletes.Therefore let’s say we havea cyclist in Gibraltar. That

cyclist can travel with theother club cyclist and takepart in the various tours andcompetitions the club takespart in around the world. Soit can be said for triathletes,runners etc. Most of theseopportunities are partlysponsored and costs keptlow and therefore it’s a greatopportunity for athletes inGibraltar.

We would like to eventuallyopen as much sections inGibraltar as we have inMalta yet again there is norule of thumb to which sportdiscipline can fall under theclub umbrella. We believesport is a universal languageand it’s benefits are thesame whether one playsgold or does triathlon. Thisis why we ask, sometimesbeg individuals who areinterested in promoting theirsport and create teams in


Sport Feature

their preferred disciplines tocontact us and discuss theopportunities we have.

CoreSportGib- it must bedifficult to decide on a sportand recruit players. How doyou go about it?

Warren Muscat - As saidabove. Everyone is welcomein what we call an agonianbrotherhood. All sports, alllevel of athletes. We have inour ranks as much newbiesas we have pro athletes.The club philosophy hasalways been to treat everymember and every disciplinein the same way. Allagonians sit together andeat the same food from thesame dish around the sametable. Club is there to giveservice to the communityand promote the benefits ofsport.

CoreSportGib- what makesit different from say anyother sports club to be amulti sport club?

Warren Muscat - It makes itextremely interesting. As asports person and also fromthe administrative point ofview. Imagine a tree.Imagine the club being thetrunk and the roots being thedifferent sports disciplines.Now it’s easy to imagine.The more roots you haveand the stronger they areand deeper they go thehealthier and stronger thetrunk and tree will be. It awin/ win situation. The moremembers we have, the moredisciplines we have, thesponsorships we attract, themore organised and strongthe club gets. This meansthat eventually the members


Sport Feature

will benefit more. For amember it is an adventure initself. How awesome it isknowing that you are part ofa club which gives you theopportunity to train and takepart in a variety of sports.Everything is under oneumbrella. The club vibe isamazing especially in Maltawere the club is quicklybecome a beacon of sportswithin the communities andwe hope this energyspreads also within theGibraltar community

CoreSportGib- let's speakabout Agones and what itmeans. Agones comes fromMalta and Gibraltar is justone of its sections. Can youexplain to us how this cameabout and what it means?Warren Muscat - Thehundreds of times I haveanswered this question.Agones means Sport in

ancient Greek. When theGreeks invented physicalactivity for fun they did nothave a word for it so theyused to call it agones(effort/pain). This is why theconnotation with the wordagony in English. I imaginethat basically they used tosay to each other ‘let’s go anenjoy some pain’ (mostathletes would relate to thissentence) Eventually otherwords in different languageswere created to describephysical activity the mostknown to date is the wordSPORT.

Malta and Gibraltar have alot of similarities. No wonderwhy David Arrigo entitled hisbook TWIN ROCKStherefore when I movedhere as club chairman itbecame natural to me to tryand spread the brotherhoodamongst the Gibraltar


Sport Feature

community.

CoreSportGib- as aEuropean NGO licenseewhat does it mean to theclub, specifically Gibraltar?

Warren Muscat - First andfor most it is important tonote that the club is a non-profit organisation licencedin Malta and within the EU.

As a non-profit non-government organisation wehave opportunities to applyfor European funds andmost of all to take part andbe part of many projects andschemes. We took part inYouth in action projects,Erasmus projects and manyothers we constantly havemore opportunities andironically not enough peopleinterested in going. . Even ifthe club is registered in

Malta, Gibraltar is still part ofEU and therefore youths inGibraltar and club memberscould still partner with theMaltese youths and benefitfrom these opportunitiesabroad.

CoreSportGib- how willsports people benefit fromthe fact this is not just aGibraltar based entity?

Warren Muscat - A smentioned above a clubmember in Gibraltar, Maltaor India has the same rightsand privileges and thereforopportunities as a memberin Japan. Agones is onefamily.

CoreSportGib- what's theprospect of seeing Agonescreating a football team?Even if it's not at seniorlevel?


Sport Feature

Warren Muscat - As a clubwe tend to include andpromote sports which sufferfrom lack of funds andpossibilities. Football inGibraltar is already given somuch promotion and somuch funding so I doubt wewill ever look into a seniormale football team. An allgirls and women footballteam would be temptingthough and even a futsal

CoreSportGib- one of thesuccesses you have hadhas been in netball. A largenumber of the Under 17 girlscame from Agones. Whatwould you attribute to thisfactor? And do you expect toreplicate it in other sports?

Warren Muscat - As a clubwe couldn’t be prouder ofthese young athletes. We

are even more honouredbecause it was the team andteam administrators thatchose to join the club. Theytrusted in the Agonesphilosophy and for thatwecan only thanks them.

These girls deserve alongwith their coaches the bestand as a club we are tryingto set up a professionalstructure as much aspossible. Providing themtraining kits, training tracksuits, a fan base, promotingtheir achievements on themedia, providing them withphysio help and trainingwhen and if it is needed.The team is leading thetable in the 2nd divisionfollowed by east gate. Asclub chairman I wish bothteams another amazingencounter to decide whichteam will be promoted to


Sport Feature

first division. Having saidthat I find it unfair that one ofthose teams will not bepromoted to first divisionafter showing that they caneven successful inEuropean level. For theirachievement locally andinternationally I believe thenetball federation shouldreward them, their peerplayers and their coaches byautomatically promote themto first division. This will notonly boost the teams moraleven more but will alsomake sure they raise theirlevel by playing againstteams of their calibre on aweekly bases.

As said above the team’sadministrators had to will tostep forward last summerand the courage to believein AgonesSfc. We arethankful and hopeful thatthey are an example for

other teams and individualsto step forward and contactus.

CoreSportGib- howimportant is it to Agones tobuild from grassroots level?

Warren Muscat - AgonesSfcsuccess does not lay in thetrophies or medals. It layson how many people we canreach in the community.

Trophies and medals alongwith club recognition comewith time. There is notbigger satisfaction thanknowing that as a club wehave helped and supportedthe younger generations toexperience the benefits ofsport. Embedding thebenefits of sport amongstthe young is not simply amatter of raising athletes.It’s a matter of helping tobring up a healthier


Sport Feature

community and if as a clubwe can help to achieve that,than the goal set will bereached.

CoreSportGib- you are not anative from Gibraltaryourself, but do you thinkthis benefits your work insport?

Warren Muscat - I m notGibraltar but as my surnameindicates I could easily beone. My arrival in Gibraltarwas quite unexpected andturbulent to say the least butI feel home here and alsofeel Gibraltar has quicklyadopted me. I have beeninto sport management andprior to that an internationalathlete and physicaleducation teacher, as wellas into the coaching scenesince I can remember. Mythirst for adventure,

travelling and eventmanagement has taken meto the furthest corner of theearth. I believe I havegained lots of experienceand skills and it is thatexperience that I try totransfer into the club andthis knowledge that I wouldlike to share with theGibraltar community.

CoreSportGib- since yourarrival in Gibraltar are therethings you would like to seechanged or consider vastlydifferent to what you saw inMalta?

Warren Muscat - As Iexplained Malta andGibraltar have a strong bondand are very similar when itcomes to their mentality.Both countries can greatlybenefit from each other andit is a shame there isn’t a


Sport Featurebigger bond between thetwo countries. HopefullyAgones can help strengthenthe bond between these twocountries through sport.

At the moment I am stilllooking into the sport sceneand still discovering thestrengths and weaknessesso I can’t really give ananswer. Having said that Iam sure I could be helpfuland be able to give adviceon managerial aspects to beable to raise sport standardsin Gibraltar even higher.

CoreSportGib- lastly comingfrom Malta which is verysimilar to Gibraltar in manyrespects, how do you seeGibraltar's sports arena incomparison?

Warren Muscat - The arenais on the same lines. A verysmall society with loads ofdedicated people who give

their time and money topromote sport and it’sbenefits. As a teacher Ienjoy seeing that most ofthe students practice sportsafter school. That even insuch a small communitythey have so much facilitiesand opportunities.

Like in Malta I believe thereare loads of things toimprove vis a vis sport, butthen again no one is perfect.

I would like to conclude thisinterview by asking yourreaders to visit our pages onfacebook‘agonessfcgibraltar’ and toplease contact us if they feelthey want to know moreabout the club, it’s servicesor are interested in intrudingtheir team and sport to us. Email [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


General Sports News

St Anne’s health & fitness challenge

St Anne’s health & fitness challenge



General Sports News

The last of theYouth Trackraces


Athletics

The last day of the youthtrack races at VictoriaStadium before the Easterbreak was baked insunshine.

After three previoussessions which had beenplayed out in the chill ofwinter the last day saw aglorious warm day whichallowed for many of theparents to also come out towatch. Among thosewatching we're the Chief

Minister Fabian Picardo andhis wife and Minister PaulBalban, both getting away

from their ministerial dutiesto watch their children race.

Athletes once again acrossa wide spectrum of agesfrom 4 to 15 enjoyed theday with some excellentresults. In one race a youngathletes determination to

succeed saw him trippingover, but got up and wenton to win the race in the laststride.

The most competitive of theraces were in the oldergroups.



Athletics

The "Right" wayCoreSportGib 24.03.2016

Athletics

There was little ofthe "wrong way"about this Sunday'sRound the Rock

Race, except for the routeto be taken.

From early morning athletesgathered by theTercentenary Sports Hall.

Drizzling rain still fell in thislate winter race. A coldbreeze still chilled themorning, and the silence ofthe Sunday morningbrought out the many snailsfrom under bushes. Theymight be slow but theathletes about to competefor sure weren't going to be.Yet none of this deterredanyone present.

The first table at the newsports hall cafe had beenturned into a temporarychanging room area bysome athletes, whilst thoseaccompanying them hadtheir hot teas and coffees towarm up. This after all iswhat makes a cafe at asports venue so differentfrom those in the citycentre. The users might notbe consumers right now butthey were catered for.Bare feet would soon donsports socks and runningshoes whilst sitting bytables. The small of theheat sprays filled the air.

Athletes spoke amongsteach other, smiles andlaughter, but in their facesyou could see the focus

the latest round the rock race


Athletics

whilst they planned theirroute and race plan.

Today they would runaround the Rock. Thechallenge was to climb thehills they had once comedown from, turn the bendswhich had once signalledthey were nearing the endknowing this was just thebeginning. Completing thefirst flats which beforesignalled the end of therace.

As athletes gathered for therace briefing the sun shonethrough the grey clouds.The race started.

The runners started off atthe junction of BaysideRoad with Queenswayheading on the first flat toRagged Staff where theywould meet the first steephill, a short one by any

standards.

Then they would head toRosia entering Camp Baywhere the climb would start.First the incline to the firsttunnel before getting intothe winding climb upEuropa Advance Road abefore entering their secondtunnel. Darkened, fumefilled air would add to thechallenge before they wouldreach the sun filled BothWorlds area where the greyclouds threatening to pourdown would be a constantreminder in the horizon.

Flats with small stretchesdownwards would meetthem to the end. Howevertwo major traffic junctionswould also meet themprompting caution as wellas strategy to reach the last100m stretch to the finishline. And the winners are.


Athletics


Athletics

The

Queen&

King&of the roads


Round the Rock Results


Athletics

1 259 Francisco J. Vera Rodriguez 35.02 SM 2 254 Juan Jose Seruan Pacheco 36.32 MM 3 292 Chris Walker 36.57 MM 4 281 Abdullah Ahammad 37.17 JM 5 258 Francisco Jose Rosas Melgar 37.28 SM 6 269 Robert Matto 37.39 MM 7 284 Patrick Garner 37.50 JM 8 273 Rafael Velasco 38.21 MM 9 465 Maurice Turnock 39.17 MM 10 279 Anthony Martinez 39.44 SM

Masters Women

1 Allison Edwards 41.58 2 Nyreen Llamas 49.49 3 Jo Ullger 50.38

Masters Men

1 Juan Jose SeruanPacheco 36.32 2 Chris Walker 36.57 3 Robert Matto 37.39 Senior Women

1 Karyn Barnett 46.17 Senior Men

1 Francisco J. Vera Ro-driguez 35.02 2 Francisco Jose Rosas

Melgar 37.28 3 Anthony Martinez 39.44

18 years & Under Boys

1 Abdullah Ahammad 37.17 2 Patrick Garner 37.50 3 Alfredo Caballero Benitez

41.56

FLORA ROCK RUNNERS LEAGUE

FLORA ROCK RUNNERS LEAGUE


Open allhours


General Sports

It's 1430 on a Saturdayafternoon. A match ifhockey has justended, a junior leaguematch has just ended,

the Street Soccer Leaguetournament was meant tobe on but the surface isslipper at the MUGA and imight have the wrong dates(it happens) and the Futsalleague is going on at theindoor halls.

The main pitch is silent,nobody in the stands,except myself who is justwaiting for those nextmatches to report on.

However a murmured set ofinstructions can be heard inthe distance. Just a glanceup and a man in white shirtand jeans is putting a youngteen through his paces as agoalkeeper. Every weekendSaturday and Sunday's the

teen goes through similarroutines.

From the main gates by theMUGA a lady walks into thetrack. Dressed in joggingsuite she heads down thewestern side of the trackcompleted one circuit andthen continues to completea second before she walksout of the stadium by theeastern gates.

Five minutes later twoyoung lads enter the mainpitch area and complete alap of the track in a fastjogging pace before exitingthe same way back to theMUGA area.

A buzzer can be heardbehind the stands. Futsal anext match is back on. Atthe same time balls bounceon the hard surface of theMUGA, whilst in the



General Sports

background the gentlegroans and signs of thetennis and paddle players isdrowned by the yelps of theyoung children scoring inthe smaller pitches by thewaterfront end of thecomplex.

As all this goes on theyoung teen is still being putthrough his paces, morepeople will have lapped thetrack circuit, players for the

four thirty match will bearriving and looking outonto the pitch whilst playerswarm up for the start of thethree o'clock Futsal firstdivision.

In just 30 odd minutes ofsilence you realise thateven when seeminglyinactive the Gibraltarbayside sports complex is aopen all hours area whichwe all seem to take for

granted. blue track suitedmen and women will havewalked past us, a burgundydressed cleaner will haveswept around us. A tap willhave been fixed. A gate ofgoal posts will have beenmoved, lines will have beenredrawn, litter will havebeen picked up andsurfaces watered down justto keep the service tickingas routine. For thirtyminutes you will have

realised that the open allhours facilities is as much apart of community life andkeeping it ticking as anyother utility, and yet for allthe hassle and bustles it isa place that for thirtyminutes you could sit downand think sitting down,purely because it was openall hours.

Thanks!


Scorpionsunbeaten andwith a double


Rugby

Sovereign InsuranceScorpions finished theseason unbeaten and withthe two main trophies intheir trophy cabinet afterwinning by a clear 30 pointsagainst a stubborn butdefensively tough InlineFraming Sharks.

Scorpions started offpushing hard on the Sharksdefensive line. For the firsttwenty minutes it was allone way as Scorpions went

for the line only to findthemselves beaten backtime and again. AsScorpions tired and foundthemselves pointless fortheir efforts they opted for adrop kick for their firstpoints.

For the next ten minutes itlooked as if it had been atactical error. Buoyed by thefact Scorpions had optedfor the dropkick Sharksgained confidence and


Rugby

pushed on Scorpions linesforcing them to their verytouchline.

Scorpions regained controlin the last few minutes ofthe first half with positiveresults scoring their first try.Scorpions entered thesecond half ready to put afinish to the match. Theypowered into Sharks and atevery opportunity pushedthe racks and scrumsforward gaining metres with

them. Their tactics startedto gain them points puttingthem well in the lead, butnot before Sharks scoredtheir only points through atry.

Scorpions continuedpushing on Sharks. Puttingtheir weight, literally, behindtheir scrums and makingground to the touchline.Even to the last secondthey looked at gainingpoints in the last seconds


Rugby

scoring their final try tomake it 34-5.

Scorpions lifted their lasttrophy of the seasonmaking it a double havingalready won the Super IVleague.

The final, however, broughtabout some uncertainty forthe GRU who will be touringAsia at the start of April.

With matches scheduled

against Singapore andMalaysia in the first week ofApril injuries to key playersmight put a dampener onthe tour. Among thoseinjured during the final tenminutes was Albert Loddowho had to be carried offafter injuring his ankle. Incomments after the matchLoddo explained that hehad rolled over on his ankle


Rugby

Wake up callfor Hawks andEagles


Hockey

The two young teamsfrom theGrammarians this

week provided both Hawksand Eagles with a wake upcall just six weeks beforethe Eurohockey Challengegroup matches to be playedin Gibraltar.

Earlier in the week Hawkswere beaten by theGrammarians Ladies 3-2. A

match in which the youngladies demonstrated thatthey had made significantprogress in their gameplayand attitude towards thegame. Handing Hawks witha wake up call card byproving that relaxing yourstance leaves you behind.The young Grammariansnot only showed animproved game but anappetite to win which left


Hockey

Hawks grasping to try andequalise late on.

As one Hawks player latercommented the midweekmatch had proven tough forthem. Mothers and workersat the same time their focushad not been there but thatwas not good enough. Asthe Hawks playercommented it was a wakeup call time. They had come

to earth and realised therewas a lot of work still to bedone.

Eagles Ladies showedsigns of a similar problem.2-1 down at half time thesecond half proved to be aGrammarians boys affair inthe main. Eagles Ladieswere hard pressed toventure beyond the halfwayline. The strong figures of

Patricia Hayes andRoseanne Torrilla seemedto be tuned down. In someone on ones both playersseemed to lack the fulldetermination seem inmatches against femaleopponents. Whether thiswas an unconscious pullback from tackling hard onteenage boys, Torrillaherself being a mother, oran off day the results were

very negative for eagleswho seemed to lack theappetite to aim for a win.

Eagles Ladies proved onmany occasions they weremore than capableopponents but on the dayGrammarians boys had aneasier task to finish off thegame. The last strike of theday ending in the 3-1.



Hockey

Both Grammarians Ladiesand Grammarians Boysdemonstrated a desire towin. Something which wasseen at times in bothHawks and Eagles butwhich tended to fade attimes in the game to theirdetriment.

Both teams have six weeksto build on their game andinject some much neededenergy when they take onmuch tougher Europeanopponents in May.

The latest results seem tobe a minor hiccup with bothteams having shown goodform coming up to theEaster break.

Henwood keepsscoring


Hockey

Gibraltarian hockey playerGareth Henwood, presentlyplaying the SpanishAndalucian Hockey leaguefor San Fernando's seniorteam, Áticos InmobiliariaCHSF, returned from injuryin top form in what was asignificant victory for SanFernando against Malaga91.

Henwood scored twice inhis return with SanFernando coming outoverall winners by 8-0.Malaga is presently aimingto get into the "division dhonor b," making theirvictory significant for theCAdiz based side.

Speaking to CoreSportGibafter the match Henwoodcommented that it was a"test for me coming backfrom the injury."

Henwood would alsofeature in the friendly matchscheduled for the very nextday in which ÁticosInmobiliaria CHSF playedBerliner SC.

Henwood went on to scoreanother two goals in the 4-2win against the Germanteam. After the match hecommented that he felt“better now after his injury.”

Athletics

Arnold Rogers, a British Armyathlete who has been runningamongst local runners thisyear as he prepared for hisraces in the UK participated inthe Army and Inter-servicesFleet, Pre London BrooksFleet Half Marathon 2016 thisSunday, coincidentally at thesame time as local runnerstook off on the Round theRock anti-clockwise race. Theprevious Round the Rock racehaving been won by Arnold.

The British athlete, donningthe Royal Gibraltar Regimentrunners vest, who is now con-

sidered as one of Gib's own,came in 7th overall with a per-sonal best time of 1 hour, 11mins, 51 seconds. His timemeant that he was also con-sidered as 2nd overall withinthe Army category, 4th withinthe Inter Services categoryand has resulted in his selec-tion for the army team.

The Fleet Half Marathon hasbeen held annually since1982. It attracts several thou-sand runners and is one of thelongest-running halfmarathons in the UK, now inits 35th year.

Arnold comes in 7th inthe UK half marathonArnold comes in 7th inthe UK half marathon


Easter Sports &Leisure programme


General Sports News

(Tuesday 24th March toFriday 1st April).

The Gibraltar Sports &Leisure Authority hasorganised a programme ofsport and leisure activitiesthat will be available tochildren and young peopleover the Easter holidayperiod.

Activities on offer include:-

• Football coaching coursesfor both boys and specialistclinic for girls, Badmintoncoaching, Climbing,Gymnastics, (rhythmic andartistic) to be held at theBayside Sports Centre.

• Tennis coaching takingplace at the Queenswaytennis courts.

• Ice Skating ‘Learn toSkate’ programmes’ at theKing’s Bastion LeisureCentre.

• Happy Crafting at the artsand crafts shop Casemates.

Easter programme leafletsgiving full details have beendistributed into all schoolsin Gibraltar and furtherinformation is available fromthe Sports Development &Training Unit on [email protected]

Badminto

17 finals in 1 day

Badminto

Tuesday night saw a total of17 finals in the BadmintonNationals held at theTercentenary Sports Hall.

The finals were theculmination of over twoweeks or more worth ofBadminton which has seenjuniors as well as seniors

playing. The actualNationals started onSunday, a day ahead oforiginally scheduled asorganisers were concernedthat the finals wouldcoincide with the Gibraltarfootball international matchagainst Lichtenstein andlead to a reduced coverage



Badminton

of the event.

The finals saw someinteresting combinations,including father and sonplaying doubles togetherand significantly husbandand pregnant wife winningthe Mixed Doubles A final.President of the GibraltarBadminton Association,Ivan De Haro, who won theMen's Doubles B final withhis son as partner, thankedeveryone involved in thisyears Nationals during themedal presentation. Inparticular highlighting theimportant work done inpromoting the sport amongthe younger generations.

Finals results:-

Mixed Doubles CM Jensen / J. Nuttal bt TSvenson / A Prescott (21-19, 22-20)

U-18 Boys DoublesH Archer / W Archer bt SArrias / R Aidasani ((21-19,21-15)

Ladies Singles AChantal De’Ath bt MaddieMosquera (21-7, 21-8)

U-14 Boys DoublesE. De Haro / J. Montado btN. Anson / N. Anson (21-8,21-10)

Ladies Singles BL Jacques by J Nuttal (21-13, 21-16)

U-18 Boys SinglesHenry Archer bt SufianArrias (21-15, 21-14)

Men’s Singles AKasper Thy Jessen btCharles Avellano (21-10,21-14)

U-14 Boys SinglesJoshua Montado bt EvanDe Haro (21-9, 21-3)

U-16 Boys DoublesH. Archer/W. Archer bt R.Vegad/S Mifsud (21-7, 21-14)

Men’s Singles BSufian Arrias bt ThomasSvenson (21-19, 21-15)

Ladies Doubles AA. Jessen/C De’Ath bt M.Mosquera/L. Jacques (21-4,21-12)



BadmintonMen’s Singles CPhillip Mandleberg bt DanVegad (21-11, 21-13)

Men’s Doubles BI De Haro/E De Haro bt M.Jensen/T Svenson (21-9,19-21, 21-12)

Men’s Doubles AK. Thy Jessen/C. Avellanoby M Archer/H Archer (21-12, 21-11)

Men’s Doubles CS. Arrais/D. Vegad bt W Tan/ L. Wei (21-11, 21-9)

U-16 Boys SinglesHenry Archer bt JoshuaMontado (21-9, 21-8)

Mixed Doubles AK. Thy Jessen/A. Jessen btC Avellano/C De’Ath (21-18,21-14)


Badminton

GIBRALTAR JU-JITSU &MMA ACADEMYINTERNATIONALWITH COMPLIMENTS


Jujitsu

Media Release - I AM PLEASEDTO INFORM YOU OF THEFOLLOWING ACHIEVEMENTSOBTAINED INTERNATIONALLYAT THE WEEKEND FRIDAY11TH TO SUNDAY 13THMARCH 2016 AT THE BUDOGALA INTERNATIONAL HELDIN MADRID SPAIN 2016.

MASTER ANTHONY JOAQUIN6TH DAN JU JITSU ATTENDEDTHIS SPECIAL EDITION OFTHE ANNUAL BUDO GALAMASTERS COURSE HELD INMADRID CAPITAL, SPAIN ASTHE OFFICIALREPRESENTATIVE FOR

GIBRALTAR FOR JU-JITSU,INVITED BY HANSHI PEDRO R.DABAUZA 9H DAN JU-JITSU8TH DAN JUDO.

AT THIS BUDO GALA MASTERANTHONY JOAQUIN 6TH DANJU-JITSU PRESIDENT FORGIBRALTAR WAS OFFICIALYRECOGNISED FOR THE WORKTHAT HAS BEEN CARRIEDOUT FOR THE PAST 6 YEARSFOR THE EJJU EUROPEAN JUJITSU UNION ASSOCIATION,

THERFORE OFFICIALYACCREDITED THE COUNTRYREPRESENATIVE FOR THE

EJJU.AND GRADED TO THEGRADE OF SHISHIDAN, 7THDAN BLACK BELT IN JU-JITSUBY THE MOST SENIOROFFICIALS REPRESENTATIVESOF THE EJJU,.EUROPEAN JU JITSU UNIONHANSHI CHARLIE LENZ 9THDAN JU JITSU PRESIDENT.EUROPEAN JU JITSU UNIONHANSHI KARLSCHWINGENSCHLOGL CHIEFTECHNICAL DIRECTOR 9THDAN JU JITSU.

TO MASTERS ANTHONYSURPRISE ANOTHER TWOOFFICIAL INTERNATIONAL

RECOGNITIONS WEREPRESENTED THIS TIME BYTHE PRESIDENT OF THEINJTO INTERCONTINENTALNIPPON JUJUTSU &TAIHOJUTSU ORGANISATIONHANSHI LUIS FERNANDO 9THDAN JU JUTSU 8TH DANTAIHOJUTSU OFPORTUGAL.AND THE OFFICIALCETIFICATION OFGRADUATION OF 7TH DANJUJUTSU.

AN OFFICIAL PRESENTATIONWAS CONDUCTED BY SHIHANANTHONY JOAQUINGIBRALTAR REPRESENTATIVE



Jujitsu

TO COMMEMORATE THE 5OTHANNIVERSARY OF HANSHIPEDRO DABAUZA SPAIN, ANDTO HANSHI CHARLIE LENZCELEBRATING HIS 52ND BUDOANNIVERSARY INTRADITIONAL JU JITSU BOTHMASTERS HIGHLYRESPECTED THROUGHOUTEUROPE AND JAPAN.

ITS BEEN A VERY FRUITFULWEEKEND FOR GIBRALTARAND MASTER ANTHONYJOAQUIN WHO HAS BEENTIRELESSLY BEEN WORKINGIN PROMOTING OURCOUNTRY AND JU JITSU AT

THIS PRESTIGIOUS ANNUALEVENT.

I WOULD LIKE TOCONGRATULATE BOTHMASTERS HANSHI PEDRODABAUZA FROM SPAIN ANDHANSHI CHARLIE LENZ FROMSWITZERLAND ON YOUR 50THAND 52ND ANNIVERSARIES .

MASTER ANTHONY JOAQUIN7TH DAN JU-JITSU 1ST DANJUDO.


Jujitsu

Netballprepares tobattle in UK


Netball

If everyone thought netballhad gone to sleep after itsvictory in the EuropeanUnder 17 B Division theywould be quite wrong.

At St Annes school thisweek CoreSportGib caughtup with the Gibraltar seniornetball team.

Already well into theirtraining, the ladies hadalready seen players cutfrom the squad and were

now in the final stages ofpreparation.

Netball was now preparingto take the next step andtake on the challenge ofparticipating in the NetballOpen Championships in theUK.

Among those training, asplayers, were the coachesof the Under 17 squad. Astrange scenario to see thecoaches being coached.


Netball

w: www.corephotographygibraltar.com

f: facebook.com/Corephotographygib

t: @CorePhotoGib

[email protected]

Produced by Core Photography. Design and layout by Core Photography

All images are the copyright of Core Photography. Images copied, saved,disseminated,

re-published, resold, distributed or used without the express consent of CorePhotography and its owners

is liable to prosecution.

A free publication still needs funding in order for it to be produced every week.

To keep it FREE we need your support.

Please consider us when you are thinking of advertising your business services

or events.

Tell others about us.

Share our publication.

http://www.corephotographygibraltar.com

coresportgib issue12 24 03 2016

Documents