Scotch College

Soccer club – buzzing off the field, too

Words: TIM WARD

With games every weekend the soccer club boys and their supportive partners looked forward to the array of events that the OSSC committee had on offer.

The open day bowls event on 31 March was not played in the same warm and sunny conditions we had enjoyed in 2007, but those who joined in had an equally good, fun time.

Around six games in and it was FA Cup and trivia time, a regular club event that pitches the minds of the young against the old. Well over 60 OSSC members and their guests enjoyed the game, the quiz and a quiet drink or two.

The Hawthorn Hotel was the most recent venue for a social event, with about 65 of us turning out to see the Socceroos go down 1-0 in a dead rubber.

The OSSC Annual Presentation and Awards night, to be held in the Boykett Room at the Cardinal Pavilion, is set for Saturday 4 October. All club members, their partners, family, friends and members of the Scotch Family are welcome and encouraged to join one of the fastest-growing old boys’ clubs, as they celebrate another great year.

For more information about this event, please contact Tim Ward on 0411 115 790.

Old Scotch soccer – the season so far

Words: DANIEL GIESEN-WHITE

Following an unforgettable 2007 which saw the mighty Reds bring home the trophy in both the Seniors and the Reserves, the anticipation for the 2008 season was palpable.

Although lion-hearted midfielder Todd Mitchell had departed, prodigal sons Nick Jewitt and Lazlo Baranyay had returned to strengthen an already formidable seniors’ line-up. But to stay competitive, additional strength in the seniors and the reserves was necessary.

When the dust settled, we not only had a team that could shape up to be very competitive in Provisional 1, but enough numbers to field a fourths for the first time since the club was re-established in 2005.

An unbeaten pre-season run took us into the Old Boys’ cup, in which we brought home the silverware in a tense final against Old Melburnians.

The bright start was carried into a win in the opening match against Ashburton, followed by a strong win against the much-vaunted Fitzroy City. The only thing that could stop the boys would be … injury, and that’s precisely what happened, with injuries to key defender Doug Baillie, striker Anthony Troung, and also Tom Benson and Nick Jewitt.

Four matches in and the seniors were two and two, with the reserves yet to register a win. Next we faced an undefeated Monbulk. The reserves went down, but the seniors came out firing, despatching Monbulk 3-0 in their own backyard.

Meanwhile, the thirds’ and fourths’ seasons were under way, with the former picking up a win and a draw and the latter yet to find its feet with two losses from as many games.

The seniors looked to consolidate, but what followed was a lesson in humility, with a loss to lowly Monash and then a club record loss to Nunawading. Meanwhile, the reserves started to find some form with two wins from the same two games.

The seniors could only draw against a struggling Warragul, but an injection of confidence came in the form of a Nick Jewitt hat-trick against Rowville, and the good form of the defensive trio of Doug Baillie, Andrew ‘Roo’ White and Laz Baranyay.

An away loss to Mooroolbark was followed by a win against struggling Dandenong, and halfway through the season the seniors were sitting on 16 points. The reserves and thirds continued on their merry winning ways, pushing top-four spots in their respective leagues, while the fourths struggled to find their feet, managing only the one win.

The seniors started the second half of the season with a solid win against Ashburton and hard-fought victories over Fitzroy and Old Melburnians on the Scotch turf, placing us fourth. The following two games against the top two only yielded the one point, and so at the time of writing the promotion challenge remains in the balance, and will surely be decided in the coming weeks against other promotion hopefuls. The race for a top-two spot is on, and we are well and truly in with a chance of a third promotion in four years.
GS