coresportgib issue 15 - 14th april 2016

Hockey thisweekend

Rugby in Asia

All the sportsnews fromthis week

Local talenton display

Presidentialmistake at Angels

CoreSportGib - 14.04.2016

Football

Empty stands greeted bothteams as they walked outonto the field for what was

a relegation battle decider.

Angels bottom of the league stillhad a mathematical chance ofsurvival and needed all threepoints. Britannia after a series ofdefeats since January when theylost their Brazilian trio needed towin. Just one point above Glacisand Gibraltar United a defeatcould see them dropping into therelegation play off places.

The match started with Angelsalready looking as if they hadmade a tactical error. Whilst club

president Edmund Hoskensclaimed that his first teamBrazilian keeper Hosken hadbeen injured when asked why hewas not playing, CoreSportGibunderstood from the keeperhimself that he had been left outof the line up because of hismomentary outburst at beingsubstituted during the Manchester62 match the previous week. Asubstitution which had led toManchester 62 adding furthergoals to their tally. Angels wereentering the match with a stand inkeeper with little leagueexperience, and a substitutesbench that included the clubowner.


Football

Angels, nevertheless started thematch in better form thanBritannia. The latter had fewchances at goal in the first halfand only tested the keeper on ahandful of rare occasions as theirattacks fell apart at the crucialmoments.

Angels for their part lookedmenacing, looking more like a firstdivision side than a relegationteam.

Quick passing, well formedattacks were bringing them intodanger areas and forced severalgood saves from Britannia'skeeper Barnfather.

The situation could not have beenworse for Britannia, a lukewarmfirst half saw them struggling.Angels through with Mena upfrontand Dani were taking fulladvantage of Britannia's frailties

at the back going ahead 1-0 byhalf time through a top corner freekick from Mena.

With Britannia trying to go forwardfor the equaliser, they were nowleaving gaps at the back whichAngels were prodding at withdanger.

Once again Cordoba became oneof the playmakers, but to thefrustration of his colleagues hewas not always releasing the ballin time to at one point accused byhis teammates of not taking thegame seriously.

Angels nevertheless punishedBritannia for the gaps they hadleft at the back with Rodriguezand Banda hitting the back of thenet in the 62 and 68th minute.

Britannia went on to lose Hastingsthrough a second yellow card in amatch which saw many a niggling


Football

foul, off play jabs and elbows.With the match seemingly morethan won, Angels made a changeat the back bringing on clubpresident and founder Hosken.The latter had only a handful ofmatches under this belt thisseason, all prior to the bigchanges in January. Naturallyplaying up front Hosken decidedto play at the back. Latter claimingthat the decision was because hehad injured himself and couldn’tplay up front.

Within four minutes of the changeAngels seemed to disintegrate.The back four losing all focus onthe game and leaving themselveswide open. A loose through ballchased by Pizzaro saw Angelsreplacement keeper step out onlyto be easily chipped for Britannia'sfirst. The absence of Filoho,Angels first team keeper was tobe felt as the replacement keeperdithered on coming out and

faltered when stopping the ball.On more than one occasion thekeeper's frailties were clear to seethe command at the back was notpresent within Angels, a commandwhich Filoho had asserted sincehis arrival in January andtransformed Angels defence. Thefall out between Filoho andAngels is unlikely to be easilyresolved with the player"punished" once again forspeaking out against hissubstitution during theManchester 62 match.

Angels frailties at the back and ingoal were soon exposed again,the height of the keeper exposedas Onega struck again on the76th and Pizzaro just secondsfrom the restart slotted in the third.Britannia had come back into thegame to equalise whilst Angelsseemed to switch off all together.

Buoyed by the sudden change of


Football

fate and smelling victory ten manBritannia surged forward lookingfor the winner. A defensive brickwall was stopping Angels fromgetting past the second third ofthe pitch and assisted them inlunging forward for their fourthgoal. With four minutes to goOnega struck again. Britannianow led 4-3.

Britannia held their lines at theback for the next seven minutes,after the officials had given threeminutes of injury time. Angels hadlittle to no more to give. Fromleading 3-0 with a chance to takeall three points, they had giftedBritannia the match, and evenpossibly safeguarded their futurein the first division.

Two teamsaspiring forEurope, but noton this day


Football

Lets be harsh from theoutset, Manchester 62 andLions both aspire forEuropean glory, at least to

reach the Europa League, butneither have done it through theleague as they look towards theRock Cup semi-finals to reach thefinals. The reality is they face twoteams that aspire to Europe, haveinvested for it, and haveperformed throughout the seasonto reach such heights. WatchingManchester 62 against Lions play

out the 90 minutes of this mid-table clash the realities wereapparent, and the realities are it'sbeen a pity to see all season twobig football names in Gibraltarfootball underperform to theextend they have.

Lions entered the match undernew management after theircoach Juanlo Herrera saw thedoor following a string of badresults last week. Adrian Parral,women's team coach and recently


Football

part of Jeff Wood's nationalcoaching team during theinternational friendly matches,took over for the day with his owntechnical team. The changes wereto prove beneficial for Lions whocame out of their mid table clashwith Manchester 62 with a point.

Yet this was not to be a memorialmatch, but one to be rememberedby mundane yellow cards, a lot ofplay acting injuries, a series ofsending offs which would changethe match, and two teams whohave all season failed to reachtheir potential and failed to reachtheir potential on the day.

As one observer pointed out"Manchester had opted for foreignimports and left many of itsyounger players out when theycould have achieved just as muchwith the younger players andgiven them some real football

experience."

Lions were no further better thanthey had been the previousseason. Maybe with new ownersin the fold their signings had notyet demonstrated their worth. Stilllacking in firepower, and verymuch reliant on one man up frontLata, who himself was not leavinghis mark on the match.

Lions did have some promise, andthis has come through youngJayce Olivero who once againshowed maturity and class for hisage. The young man was to provepivotal in at least one of Lionsgoals, his run down the line andhis cross instrumental in ensuringLions got their equaliser and theone point they needed from amatch which, if Manchester 62had not suddenly changed theirfocus, could easily have been oneby the latter. Manchester 62 also


Football

had a local stand out in defence.Payas commanding his defencewell and showing that hisselection to the Gibraltar Nationalsquad was merited.

Lions were chasing for the gameafter going 1-0 on the 16th minuteto a goal from ToncheffFerberovich, who would later besend off. This was soon followedby a 32nd minute strike from JPDuarte, who would also notcomplete the 90 minutes on thefield.

Lions defence had been ashambles in both goals, allowingforwards space to score andgiving little protection toreplacement keeper Liam Neale.

The match, which saw many aniggling foul and disputes withofficials and between players wasturned on its head when goalscorer Toncheff received his

second yellow card for a needlessoffense just ten minutes afterreceiving his first.

With Manchester 62 one mandown, Lions took full advantage. Arun down the left flank saw theball swung into the middle whereRomero Jimenez met with hishead for a fabulous header togoal.

Manchester 62's frustrationsincreased as they lost JP Duarteand then saw one of theirtechnical coaches told to leavethe side lines.

Lions once again took advantageof Manchester's implosion. YoungJayce Olivero broke through thewing and on reaching the cornerflag send through to the middle anexquisite pass that beat keeperand defence for Gonzalez toheader in the equaliser on the 72minute.


Football

Manchester had their chance at goal whenLiam Neale was forced to come out and blocka shot close to the edge of the box.

Manchester held on as Lions surged forwardlooking for a winner. It was not to be as bothteams shared the spoils with a 2-2 draw.

Both teams will be looking at betterperformances for their upcoming Rock Cupsemi final games if they hope to meet eachother in the finals. Neutrals will however hopethat they improve on their performances, as afinal with the type of play seen this weekendwould be a serious disappointment foreveryone. Neither team's performances duringthe season match aspirations for Europe. Bothteams require reinforcement, or at the veryleast a refocus on their attitudes towardsmatches. Luckily both teams seem safe fromrelegation and will have the last matches thisseason, the Rock Cup Semi Finals and therest of the summer to re-invent themselves ifthey are to challenge the likes of Europa andLincoln.

Importedhandbags orfootball?


Football

The St Joseph's v Europa clashwas always going to be a tenseaffair. The Saints had beatenEuropa earlier in the year 3-1 andhad been the catalysts indestroying any chances of Europaclosing the gap with Lincoln.Europa would not have a repeatof the situation, not with theseason so close to its end and still8pts adrift.

Once again this weekend thestory was not so much about thefootball but the antics seen onand off the field, and this was one

of those matches few would wantto witness again.

The match had been dominatedby the antics of players such asEuropa's goalkeeper whopersisted throughout the 90minutes to run to the halfway lineand complain and get mixed intoany argument or discussion. Yetto everyone's amazement notonce was the yellow card shownto the player.

Then there was Tornay's verbakabuse of both players and


Football

manager which led to a warningfrom St Joseph's manager toEuropa's manager that the playerbe substituted, comments whichwere clearly heard from thestands and across the field.Tornay was substituted. Thenthere was the handbags andarguments, the personal insultsand niggling fouls and play actingwhich dominated the second halfplay, from both sides.

Finally, it was the mêlée outsidethe changing rooms that lefteveryone watching gasping insurprise. Twenty-two grown men,coaches and trainers seemed tobe arguing vociferously outsidethe changing rooms before peacewas brought to the area. Theshouting could be heard fromacross the pitch leading manyspectators to watch what wastranscending at the other side ofthe stadium. This was a municipal

stadium, with young childrenplaying in the Muga, othersplaying tennis, a junior futsaltournament among clubs takingplace less than 50m from thechanging rooms and two firstdivision teams had taken theirdisputes outside the field. It was apure class of what Gibraltar doesnot wish to educate its youngfootballers to do.

The tensions had started on thefield during the match, continuedin the centre circle after thewhistle had been blown and wasnow being taken off the field inwhat was essentially a publicarena in full view of the public.And yet they called this footballafterwards.

But lets talk football, as here weretwo teams that admittedly hadtensions because of the football.Europa had been beaten before


Football

and could ill afford another defeat,and St Joseph's third in the tablehad shown that their style offootball and their progress thisseason was developing in a forceto be reckoned with. Playing aclever style of football, whichadapted to needs of the match,and which in many wayscompensated for any weaknessesthey had by keeping good controlof their defensive work. Against anEuropa team intent on getting thethree points and having investedheavily to be at the top of theleague, St Joseph's needed theirstyle of football to work, and inmany ways it did, although thistime being on the losing side.

Europa came out dominatingpossession from the start againsta St Joseph team that seemedcontent in absorbing the pressureand pressing forward on thecounter. Europa made slowprogress building from the back

and not risking much as theypressed on, pinning St Josephinto their own half.

It was not until the 25th minutethat Europa were presented with agift when a shot at goal, whichhad beaten Perez, rebounded offthe post and onto the feet ofCortijo who could not pull awayfrom it and saw the ball bounce offhim for an own goal.

St Joseph had their chances withBorja proving to be a handful forEuropa's defence, yet it wasEuropa who kept on knocking onSt Joseph's doorstep looking forthe second.

The second came as a free kickwas swung into the middle withPadal reaching the chest high ballfirst and toe poking it away fromPerez before hitting a half volleyinto the back of the net.


Football

The tone of the match changedfor the worse in the second half asboth teams played out a middle ofthe field battle with few chancesand many handbags beingthrown.

Neither team seemed to makemuch headway to goal, althoughthe tensions grew in the middle ofthe field with a a high tempo, highconflict match which saw theofficials show a total of ten yellowcards.

St Joseph did manage to breakthrough in the last minute to scorevia Barea, but the goal came toolate with the whistle blown justseconds after restarting. Even onscoring players had to be splitapart as the tensions saw thegoalkeeper clash with the player.

The tensions during the gamesaw more handbags and taunts

after the match which led to ahighly volatile argument outsidethe changing rooms before teamscould be moved away from eachother. The incident, which wasmore noise than physicality, cameto nothing as tensions werecalmed and both teams weremoved away from each other. StJoseph's and Europa continuedthird and second respectivelywaiting on the Lincoln v Lynxresult played out on Monday. Aswe enter another weekend offootball, both remain in their samepositions.

There were positives in theattitudes though to be spokenabout. The managers even withthe tensions did show respect foreach other, and called on theirplayers to back off andconcentrate on the football.Europa’s manager even advisedhis team to ignore any comments


Football

directed to the players as theywalked off the field to the changingrooms. Something some players justdidn’t seem to want to dothemselves.

St Joseph’s manager also showedsome good quality leadership whenspeaking to the fourth official heturned on his own players andscreamed at them to not interruptand play football that he was onlyhaving a conversation with the fourthofficial and it had nothing to do withthem, to continue playing footballand concentrate on the game. Someplayers had at the time approachedthe touchline and were makingcomments which were immediatelyput a halt to by their manager.

The match had also shown one goodcharacteristic, there wascompetitiveness beyond theLincoln/Europa which is only goodfor football.


Football

The battle for firstdivision status


Football

This was GibraltarUnited and GlacisUnited's best chance tosecure an automaticfirst division place next

season. With both teams equal inpoints and goal difference, andsecond from bottom the clashbetween the two would give oneof them the advantage. It wasGlacis United, whose side hasbeen reformed with a crop of newforeign signings, that came out ontop.

Glacis United had entered thematch leaving one of their biggestassets, goal scorer Sastrie on thebench. Throughout the first halfGibraltar United, with a full home

grown team, backed by a 30 oddfan base in the stands, keptGlacis from posing too much of athreat to them. Swarming aroundGlacis' offensive players whenthey chased for goal, the red andwhites kept Chino's penalty areaclean and tidy for the first 40minutes. On the other side of thefield, Montovio was proving to bea constant niggle to Glacis posinga serious threat on their goal.Whilst Glacis' talisman andplaymaker Lopez had to playdeep into his area to get a sniff ofthe ball.

Just as Gibraltar United seemedto be controlling the pace throughtheir defensive work the defining


Football

moment of the match came.

Tensions had already beensparked with some of the anticsfrom the Glacis team looking forfouls and yellow cards from minortussles. Players had rolled on theground holding their faces lookingfor a foul and had soon been seenjumping back into action as ifnothing had happened. Glacisgoalkeeper had also entered thescene looking for a reaction fromMontovio, something which was toget worse in the second half.

Glacis United scored a surprisegoal from a corner. Under claimsthat there had been a push andshoves leading to the goal from acorner, which had gone overChinos head, tensions erupted onthe goal line as the official pointedto the centre spot for a goal.Three players encircled a Glacisplayer, the latter fell to the groundbut not before the same player

had tried to take the ball and hadpushed and shoved in doing so,with allegations later that he hadprovoked the incident. Thereactions from the GibraltarUnited players was immediate, yetnot something which we hope willbe repeated as three playerssurrounded the Glacis player andtook matters into their own hands.Chino could be clearly seensticking his leg into the melee andmaking contact with the playerbefore he fell on the ground. Anaction which could likely lead to aheft sanction.

A quick word with his linesmansaw referee Parody produce a redcard for Gibraltar United's keeper.Gibraltar United were one mandown, and one goal down, thegoal also given as an own goal toPerez. Chino walked off the field,whilst no other player wassanctioned, even though thesituation had been provoked and


Football

there were others reacting.

Both teams made changes at halftime, Gibraltar United brought inCurrer and Gilbert, the latter wasto prove a disastrous move as hewas sent off for his second yellowcard, leaving Gibraltar United withjust nine men on the field. GlacisUnited brought on Sastrie, theirmain goal scorer, who proved hisworth scoring the second goal.

The official was to have a hardtime from the supporters in thestands as they called for Glacisblood calling out that he was onlybooking the red and whites andwas "scared to book theSpaniards." Their reactionscoming after numerous fouls bysome Glacis players seemed togo without punishment.

Matters got even worse forGibraltar United as Cardona

sustained an injury and wasforced to play limping for thewhole of the second half.

With just Montovio up front tomake the runs, Cardona standingon the half way line, without anypossibility of running for anything,Gibraltar United played with astraight back four and two men inmidfield. It was only Aidan Vinalessaves that kept them in the gameas Glacis looked for another goal.The young keeper came out withsome six extraordinary saveswhich kept the ball out and keptGibraltar United just one goaldown until the 90th minute inwhich Sastrie sealed the points.Aidan had no chance of savingthe one on one run by is six yardbox.

The match was also marked bythe antics of Glacis keeper whoonce again saw him provoking a


Football

reaction not just from GibraltarUnited fans and players, but alsofrom his own manager whorecriminated him for his actions,calling out "if what he wanted wasto risk getting a yellow card."

Payas had been deliberatelydropping the ball without catchingit and forced Montovio to follow, inone such move Montovioattempted to get the ball but fellbackwards in doing so. Inextraordinary scenes which havelittle to do with UEFA's motto for"RESPECT" he could be heardlaughing out loud and pointing ashe did to Montovio. The keeperkept on laughing in a hystericaltone which could be clearly heardfrom the stand as he walked tothe half way line in bravado style.When Gibraltar United fanscondemned his actions hegestured to them, blowing several

kisses to them and calling out indefiance.

Fans called on Glacis Unitedmanager to say something to him,which the manager acknowledgedwith a gesture of respect, callinghim on several occasions to stophis antics.

The win by Glacis United movedthem three points clear ofGibraltar United with four matchesto play. However, it furtherwidened the gap between localfans and Spanish players asmany felt that the locals had beendiscriminated against unfairly andthe match had seen players tryingto ridicule local players in amanner which had nothing to dowith football.

This was not just a relegationbattle but a Gibraltar V Spain one.

Monday Nightfootball at its best


Football

There were points to beproven on both sides inMonday's encounterbetween Lincoln andLynx, First against

fourth placed. Lincoln entered thematch with a new manager,Uruguayan Julio Cesar Ribas hadbeen appointed as the HeadCoach during the weekend, justahead of the match. With just twomonths before Lincoln look atplaying in the Europeanpreliminary qualifiers the newmanager would be looking withfresh eyes at each player and the

latter knew this.

Lynx for their part had a chance toclaim the third placed spot as theirown with St Joseph's having lostto Europa in the weekend. Thiswas a chance to prove to theirsponsors that they meantbusiness.

The first half proved to be anexciting ding dong between twoteams eager to score, eager towin. Lincoln, the stronger of thetwo teams did most of theattacking. However, they were


Football

met by a resilient Lynx who heldtheir own and on everyconceivable chance pressedforward and took the game toLincoln. The latter, used to havingtheir defenders stray forward hadto hold back their defence as thelikes of Guilling and Doxagaratproved to be a handful.

Both teams left for the half timebreak with the score line level.Lincoln had the better of thechances forcing several savesfrom Robba who was kept busybetween his posts.

It was not until the second halfthat the game changed withLincoln pressing harder up frontand pinning Lynx back into theirarea. The first goal came from afantastic strike by Lee Casciarowho picked up the ball at the edgeof the box and was given toomuch freedom to unleash a striketo the top corner beating Robba.

The goal came just seconds afterLincoln had seen the ball flyacross the goal mouth from acorner and just inches wide off thepost.

As Lynx pushed forward theirdefence was left wide open, asituation which Lincoln exploitedwith full effect. Cabreras, who hasfound his place further to thecentre in Lincolns frontline surgedforward and on one occasion hada one on one with Robba, thelatter pushing the ball to corner.

It was however, Robba who failedto clear from the subsequentcorner with Roy Chipolina at theend of it to head it into goal for the2-0.

Lynx continued to look for a goal,but were met by a solid defenceand a chasing Lincoln front man


Football

who once again picked up a looseball and surged forward. With LeeCasciaro by his side, Cabrerasfeigned Robbas with a pass andallowed Casciaro to scoreprobably his easiest goal, justhaving to slide it into an emptynet.

Lincoln were not finished as theytook command and went for thefinish. The fourth goal came fromCabreras who picked up the ballat the edge of the box on the rightflank. With Robbas off his lineCabreras went for a chipped ballover the keeper for a delightfulfourth and final goal. One whichhe had fully deserved after hiscontinued forays to goal.

The match had progressedwithout many problems. A highintensity, high tempo match had

been played cleanly and with bothsides giving the referee little morethan the normal routine work,unlike other matches played outduring the weekend which hadseen a string of yellow and redcards and some unwanted sceneson and off the field.

Although beaten 4-0 the scoreline gave Lynx little credit for theirperformance which lack the finalfirepower up front but had in manyoccasion put Lincoln on thebackfoot. Lynx had taken thegame to Lincoln, and had provena worthy foe, this had been theirundoing in the end, but it hadgiven the 70-80 odd spectatorswatching some excitement andquality football to watch on thenight.


Football

Lincoln Red Imps FC announcedthe appointment of UruguayanJulio Cesar Ribas as their newHead Coach. Julio joined the clubwith 5 matches to go to decide thetitle.

A spokesman for Linciln Red Impssaid this weekend, “Julio knowsthe club well having beinginvolved in preparing the clubsyouth development strategy andnew academy setup. The coachwill debut against Lynx FC andwill be sure to fire up the playersmotivation for this importantfixture. Julio is a tremendouscharacter on and off the pitch andhe will undoubtedly make his

presence noted with his uniquestyle.

“He takes on a tough challenge toimprove on the high standardsthat previous coach Raul Procopiobrought to the club. The clubwishes him every success in thisnew stage of the clubsdevelopment and welcomes himinto the Lincoln Family.”

Career

1993-1995 - Institución AtléticaSudámerica. MontevideoUruguay.

1997-1998 - Club Atlético

Lincoln’s newmanager


Football

Bellavista Montevideo.Uruguay

1996. Club Nacional de Fùtbol.Asunción.Paraguay.

1999-2001. - Club AtléticoPeñarol. - Montevido. Uruguay

2002-2003.- Liverpool FútbolClub. -Montevideo.Uruguay

2004-2005.- AC Venezia.Italia.

2006-2007 - Club AtléticoJuventud. - Montevideo.Uruguay.

2008. - Coach de la SelecciónNacional de Omán.

2009. - Club AtléticoPEÑAROL.Montevideo – Uruguay.

2009. - Centro Atlético FENIX.

Montevideo – Uruguay.

2010 – 2012 - DeportivoMaldonado. - Montevideo –Uruguay

2013. - Club Atlético Bellavista.Montevideo – Uruguay.

2014. - Manager General del FCCartagena. Spain

2015. - La MangaClub,Professional FutbolCenter,Official Representative

2016. - Lincoln Red Imps FCGibraltar


Football

Two high intensity matches in theUnder 17 league were played outthis weekend between Lynx vEuropa and Lincoln v Manchester62.

First out were Lynx V Europawhich saw both teams finish thefirst half on equal terms. After ahalf time pep talk whichhighlighted that the match was sotight any one error could provide awinner, Lynx came out scoringthe first, to a Europa mistake.Europa pressed hard to try and

get the goal back but came outlosing 1-0.

In the second match the intensitybetween the two was at a muchhigher level as leagues leadersand runners up Lincoln andManchester 62 were playing outwhat could be a league decider.This was a match in which notonly the players, but also thecoaches on the touchline felt theintensity of the match. A wellbalanced contest saw both teamswith chances to take the lead and

Under 17s provethere is talent inGib


Football

tensions on the pitch.

Lincoln were to come out theeventual winners in a match whichcould have gone either way. Bothteams highlighting the extent oftheir youth programmes with amatch fitting any first divisionencounter see this weekend.

The matches highlighted theextent of youth talent still withinour local football. Both matchesproved to be exciting and withsome good balanced football andskills on display.

However, the players participatingwill soon reach the 18 years ofage in some cases and will facean uncertain future in Gibraltarfootball as more and more foreignimports filter into our leagueseven within the second division.


Football

Gibraltar's Under-16 squadheaded to Cyprus to compete in aUEFA Development Tournament.

With a total of three matches toplay, Gibraltar face the hostsCyprus in their opener and will

then come up against Wales andArmenia, respectively.

Cyprus v Gibraltar Thursday14th April Kick Off: 12:00 Gibraltar v Wales Saturday

16th April Kick Off: 14:00

Under 16s headsto Cyprus

Gibraltar v Armenia Monday18th April Kick Off: 14:00

The squad and coaching staffhave been working hard inpreparation for the challenge thatawaits in Cyprus.

Head Coach, Stephen Head willtake the following 20 players to

represent Gibraltar:

Aaron Asquez, Christian Lopez,Tyronne Avellano, SeanMontovio, Dennis Bautista, DylanPeacock, Stefan Borrell, NicholasPilcher, Ethan Britto, KevinPoggio, Jaydon Drakes, BrendenReyes, Jarred Flores, KianRonan, Adam Gracia, Michael

Ruiz, Jaylan Hankins, JulianValarino, Ethan Llambias, SheighWilson

The UEFA Under-16 DevelopmentTournament kick off this Thursday.

Top of the 2nddivision still thereto be decided


Football

With Europa Point having drawnagainst Gibraltar Pheonix onSunday in a scoreless draw, thesecond division promotion placewas left wide open to becontested between three, evenpossibly four teams as Pheonixremain with distance.

Monday evening was to see thefirst important clash as MonsCalpe leading the pack on goaldifference met Brunos Magpieswho where six points from both atthe start of the match.

The match was played out underan air of tensions which resultedin 17 yellow cards produced andplayers required to be split apartfrom each other after the whistlehad blown for the end.

Brunos Magpies had shortenedthe distance to three points with a2-0 win which had also left anunsavoury taste in people'smouths over the state of footballin the second division as bothteams, including managers andfans insulted each other and eventhreatened each other during and


Football

after the match.

With both teams now left with four matches toplay, and Europa Point and Pheonix left withfive, the second division promotion places arewide open to be taken by any of the fourteams. An error towards the end of theseason could result in a costly affair for any ofthe teams, all of which have invested in newplayers this season with an aim of gaining theautomatic promotion place to the first division.

This week’s matches also brought aboutsome incidents which CoreSportGibwitnessed which is hoped will not occur again.In particular the comments from a MonsCalpe personnel who described Gibraltarfootball as “manau”. Comments made in frontof members of the public and persons notinvolved in the match, including journalistspresent and which resulted in immediatereactions from some quarters presentreprimanding and criticising those making thecomments and which can only lead to frictionbetween foreign imports into Gibraltar footballand the local community.

MILL PHARMACYAIRBALL CLINCHLEAGUE TITLE


Basketball

Mill Pharmacy Airball clinchedtheir first-ever GABBA FirstDivision League title on Mondaywith a game to spare, alwaysassuming they play that game,following their 94-79 win over adepleted Europa.

They were already 50-36 up athalf-time, having taken thequarters 23-21, 27-15, but pluckyEuropa took the third 25-20,before they won the fourth 24-18.Dylan Gomez hit 6 of MPA’s 12three-pointers to lead the gamewith 34, followed by Andrew Yeats

13, Derek Aston-Fox 12 and LiamBanda 12. Carlos Perez wasEuropa’s top scorer with 33,followed by Jason Schwartz 23and Guille Perez 15.

In the other First Division game,Valmar Wrighttech edged CSBayside Argus 78-76 in overtimeto keep alive their chances offinishing second. Valmar took thefirst quarter 19-18, lost the second13-17 but regained their one-pointlead after winning the third 17-13,only for Bayside to edge thefourth 20-19 and take the game to

Action from this weeks Quarter Finals


Basketball

overtime, won 10-8 by Valmar.Karel Alecio 22, Ian Viñales 15,Juanma Cabrita 15 and JohnnyCamacho 14 led Valmar, andAaron Turner 23, Chris Noon 21and Solomon Ojapah 16 werebest for Bayside.

EUROPA B WIN SECONDDIVISIONEuropa B, although not involvedin the latest round of games, onlyhave to turn up for their last twogames to be crowned SecondDivision champions, followingValmar Wrighttech Reserves’ winover Isolas Blue Stars Reservesby 70-51. James Viñales 16, KylePecino 14, Ian Viñales 13, JulianSmart 12 and Alejandro Ordoñez11 led the winners, while StuartFelice led the losers with 19.

This defeat for the Blues not onlyended any outside chance of

taking the title but could result inthat their last game againstEuropa Youth will decide runners-up spot, following the latter’s75-69 win over Valmar WrighttechVeterans by. Alberto Rojas 28,Santi Palacios 18 and DavidAguilera 15 led the Youth and IanFelice 25, Patrick Barnes 19 andJason McMahon 13 were best forthe losers.

U18 LEAGUE COULD GO DOWNTO THE WIRE

The latest results in the Under 18League point to a decider in thevery last game between IsolasBlue Stars and CS Bayside Argus,scheduled to be played onWednesday 27th of this month.That is, if the latter beat Europa –each side having beaten the otheronce – and the former beatValmar Wrighttech, both games


Basketball

on Tuesday 12th. A win forEuropa could still pave the way tosecond place.Back to the latest results: Europa(Alberto Rojas 26, Antonio Pozo17, Liberto Carande 14, StefanTellez 12) beat Valmar Wrighttech(Ian Yeats 35, Julian Smart 19,Adrian Castellon 15) 82-73; andIsolas Blue Stars (Sergio Gil 44,Aaron Santos 19) beat CSBayside Argus (Nicky Lopez 24,Kyle Tellez 13, Jayron Sevilla 13)78-73.

In the Under 14 League, IsolasBlue Stars (Sami Tunbridge 19)beat CS Bayside Argus (JohnPaul Cassaglia 14) 37-30; andEuropa got a walk-over ValmarWrighttech.

In the Women’s League, Sparks(Arianne Garro 14, Amy Pozo 13)beat Jets (Emma Mosquera 13,

Anabella De la Chica 13) 48-39,and the game between leadersMons Calpe Giants and Pantherswas postponed.

Also please note the followingamended fixtures for the next fewweeks

U16 League game (CS BaysideArgus v Isolas Blue Stars) from 14April to Tuesday 26 April, 5:30;

U14 League game (ValmarWrighttech v Isolas Blue Stars)from 25 April to Tuesday 26 April,4:00;

U14 League game (CS BaysideArgus v Europa) from 25 April toTuesday 26 April, 4:00;

Men 1 game (Europa v CSBayside Argus) from 25 April toTuesday 10 May, 7:15;


Basketball

Men 1 game (Isolas Blue Stars vValmar Wrighttech) from 25 Aprilto Tuesday 10 May, 9:00;

Men 2 game (Isolas Blue StarsReserves v Europa Youth) from26 April to Friday 13 May, 7:30;

Men 2 game (Europa B v ValmarWrighttech Veterans) from 26 Aprilto Friday 13 May, 9:00;

GABBA Cup semi-finals: Monday16 May, 7:15 - Mill PharmacyAirball v Valmar Wrighttech;

9:00 - CS Bayside Argus v IsolasBlue Stars

Gibraltar Hockeyends with twogreat wins


Hockey

Both the Gibraltar Under 16 andthe senior Gibraltar selectioncame out triumphant against aTelford & Wrekin HC in Thursdayevening with emphatics wins.

First out were the Under 16's whowent into the lead early on only tosee Telford come back in the firsthalf to equalise. Gibraltar,nevertheless, struck again beforehalf time for the second goal. Notbefore Telford seemed to reachboiling point and saw some veryaggressive and unsportsmanlikeplay, going to strike the ball at

head height just inches from theopponents head, and then beinghigh-fived by colleagues forhaving done so.

The local selection, although nothaving played together as manymatches as Telford showedunison and good play in the firsthalf. Yet this was not enough fortheir coach Christie who pointedout some keys issues, such astheir offensive play.

The Under 16s went out moreoffensively and added a third goal


Hockey

early in the second half. Telfordwere then hit again by abeautifully struck reverse stick tomake it 4-1.

Just as the seconds ticked awayfor the end of the match Gibraltarconceded a short corner which ledto Telfords second and final goal.Gibraltar under 16 winning 4-2.

Immediately after came theGibraltar senior side playingagainst a mixture of the Under 18and some senior players ofTelford & Wrekin.

The first half was a balanced affairin which Telford struck first to goin the lead. Gibraltar's seniorselection then hit the equaliser toend the half at 1-1. The local sideshowed signs that they had notplayed often together, with somenervousness in their initial play,and some rare mistakes from

some players that allowed Telfordto create some danger play.

Moving away from pitch side forthe half time briefing Gibraltarcame back with greater urgency intheir play, faster two stroke andpass movements and adetermination which pinnedTelford into their final quarter ofthe pitch.

Gibraltar soon went in the lead asTelford succumbed to thepressure.

Gibraltar. playing a 4-4-3 allowedTelford to come to them andabsorbed the pressure wellplaying for the break, or buildingup through quick passing, andopening the game across theflanks. Looking down at theformations it was clear to see that


Hockey

even without the ball, Gibraltarwas dictating the pace andformation on the pitch as Telfordwent for a man to man and werebeing stretched across the fieldallowing for more space tomanoeuvre through.

Gibraltar found themselves furtherahead in one of their quickcounters when they steamedthrough Telford's defence to slot inthe third and final goal.

Although not having played often,the mix of players on the field hadfound a unity at half time whichwhen brought to the field hadallowed them to gel together andplay at a faster and more effectivepace. Gibraltar won 3-1 in theend.


Hockey

It was never going to be thefastest of matches, not with somany veteran players within theranks of both teams, but theEagles versus Collegians clashwas to prove an excitingencounter. Tactical play, skill andpositioning played a crucial rolefor both teams in what was a wellbalanced equally fought match.

Eagles opened the scoring puttingthemselves ahead. It was not longbefore veteran Gerard Victor

came back to equalise.

Eagles were kept in the game bytheir keeper after two consecutivesaves one after the other kept asurging Collegians from scoring.

It was soon the turn of Collegianskeeper to get into the actionblocking a shot with his feet.

As the two teams played it out inthe second half, with some neatclean passing, and hard battles in

Toughencounters of thevets


Hockey

the centre it was Mark Woodwho struck to put Eagles in thelead. The veteran forwardprovided evidence of why hewas considered as one of thebest forwards to have played inGibraltar Hockey with a strikethat rocketed into the back ofthe net to the calls ofCollegians.

Collegians were not defeatedyet and pushed forward, onlygood deep defending by Eagleskeeping them away. With justfive minutes of the match leftCollegians were kept out, attime by pure luck.

Eagles came out 2-1 winners ina match neutrals would havefelt deserved a share of thespoils for both.


Hockey

You would have not been blamedfor believing that Byrne's XI hadthe better of Grammarians withthem going 3-0 up early in thematch, but Grammarians,celebrating their 65th Anniversaryon the same day, were nevergoing to be easily beaten.

The match started with a tribute toone of Gibraltar's key contributorsto Gibraltar Hockey. EricAbudharam, a former player,umpire and executive member ofthe GHA was not only presentedwith a momento for hiscontribution, he was given an

opportunity to be a part of thematch umpiring for the first part ofthe game.

Byrne's XI, a pick & mix fromacross the men's league providedthe initial surprise taking the leadearly. Grammarians soon afterconceded a short corner which ledto the second goal.

Just as Grammarians pushedforward and upped the gearsByrne's XI stole the ball and brokewith a three against two for the 3-0.

Grammarianscelebrate in stylewith 9-4 win


Hockey

The score line had everyone surprisedbut once again Grammarians provedthat they weren't the top team in themen's division for nothing.Grammarians came back for their first.Just minutes later a tactical error inreplacing players led to Byrne's XIdefence left exposed as the playerscame onto the field. Grammarians tookfull advantage with a quick break forthe second. Just before half time theyadded their third to end the half onequal terms.

The second half was a different kettleof fish. Grammarians upped their gearsand controlled the pace of the gameadding a further five to their score lineending with an emphatic 9-4 victory.

On their 65th anniversary celebrationday Grammarians were not about to bebeaten with ease and provided proof ofwhy they have survived 65 yearsamong the top of Gibraltar hockey.


Rugby

Last week we brought youGibraltar’s first day in the AsiaTour, with victories for theVeterans and a heavy defeat forthe men’s senior team.

Courtesy of Gibraltar Rugby wecan bring you the rest of thereports from the last two daysin the Asia Tour.

Game Day Two – Report

Friday 8th of April 2016 –Gibraltar’s National Team played

their second and final match ofthe 2016 tour to Asia against aphysical Singapore side thisevening. In slightly coolerconditions than Wednesday inMalaysia owing to a steadybreeze coming straight down thefield, Gibraltar went straight towork with fast-paced attackingruns from both their backs andforwards, linking up well to putSingapore under pressure in theirown half. When the home side didmanage to get possession,Gibraltar’s defence was Solid As

Rugby Asia Tour -The game reportscourtesy of Gibraltar Rugby


Rugby

The Rock leaving the hosts withlittle option other than to kick theball in behind our back line.

A knock on gave Singapore ascrum inside the Gibraltar 22which led to a couple of phases ofattack but the defence heldstrong, earning Gibraltar a penaltyon their five metre line andallowing them to clear. Thelineout, secured by RonnieGache, gave a solid platform forthe backs. Strong runs followedfrom captain Teddy Sacarello and– at the start of a performancewhich saw Singapore nominatehim their man-of-the-match –Matthew Isola pushed Gibraltarinto the Singapore half before apenalty was awarded. Alexander“Chuqi” Cruz successfully slottedthe kick to put Gibraltar 3 pointsup after 21 minutes.

Almost straight from the restart,

Singapore were awarded theirown penalty from 40 metres outwhich was successfully kicked bytheir number 9. 3-3.

Gibraltar put Singapore underpressure from the restart forcingthem to again kick to clear theirlines. The ball went straight intoChuqi Cruz’s arms who dancedpast the approaching chasingwinger and raced back into theSingapore half. A number ofground-gaining phases put LukeTorres down the far side of thepitch who offloaded to ChrisGillighan who was subsequentlytackled high. Jack Milton, intypical scrum-half fashion, took aquick tap and started a snipingrun for the corner, only to betackled within 10 metres by anoffside player. The Singaporeplayer was yellow carded andChuqi Cruz successfullyconverted the penalty kick to put


Rugby

Gibraltar 6 points to 3 up. Anotherpenalty from the restart gaveSingapore a chance to equalisefrom 30 metres, a task theirscrum-half successfullycompleted.

With a minute to go of the half,and the Singapore yellow card,Singapore had an attacking scrumjust outside the Gibraltar 22. Solidscrummaging from the pack, whotruly played out of their skinstoday, put the Singapore scrumhalf under pressure forcing him torush his pass. Regularly pushingthe Singapore pack back in thescrum, the forwards were alsodetermined in the tackle andaggressive at the breakdown andthe turnover that resulted from therushed pass all started with yetanother great Gibraltarscrummage.

Quick ball to the wing via thehands of Jack Milton to Luke

Torres who made a silky offloadout of the tackle onto HarveyArmstrong who sprinted theremaining 70 metres to the try-line, dotting down under thesticks. Chuqi Cruz successfullykicked the conversion to putGibraltar 13-6 to the good at halftime.

The second half kicked off andGibraltar were immediatelyawarded a penalty just inside theSingapore half. Unfortunately thekick was just out of Chuqi’s rangeand the ball went dead havingpassed inches under thecrossbar. The 22 drop out wentstraight to Harvey Armstrong whowent barn-storming into theSingapore defence. A great backs’move sent Teddy Sacarellothrough the middle, offloading toJoey Garcia who was broughtdown just a metre short. The nextphase led to a penalty for notreleasing and Singapore clear


Rugby

their lines once again.

The next 15 minutes saw thehome side put the visitors under asubstantial amount of pressurewhich the Gibraltar defence dealtwith admirably. Forwards andbacks putting their bodies on theline and forcing mistakes from theSingaporean onslaught.

With only four minutes to go,Gibraltar forced another knock onfrom Singapore to gain a scrum.The ball was passed out widefrom the base of the scrum andunfortunately knocked on.Singapore collected and score inthe far corner of the pitch. Asuperb kick for the conversionbrought the game to a 13 a piecetie and that’s how the scoresremained for the remaining coupleof minutes of the match.

During the final minute of the

game, play was stopped whilst 22year-old Luke Payas, who hadsuffered a nasty cut to the chinwas attended to. Special mentionshould be made as he was takenoff for treatment and thereforemissed out on playing all 160minutes of this tour’s rugby by just60 seconds. Great effort from theyoung hooker. The players whodid make the 160 minute markare: Mike Milward, Luke Torres,Teddy Sacarello and Chuqi Cruz,an accolade to be immenselyproud of.

This was a contest that will beremembered for doggeddetermination from, on paper, theunderdogs. A group of 24individuals who put in a shift as ateam, worked together to attackwell and defend even better.Speaking with various membersof the GRFU party after thematch, although disheartened by


Rugby

the draw, it was unanimous thatGibraltar had a lot to be proud of.Honorary President of the GRFU,Denis Lafferty, said that he feltthat “Gibraltar had won the game,even if it resulted in a draw.”Veteran prop, at 37 years old, andstalwart of Gibraltar rugbyNicholas Ramagge said he wasproud of “the intensity and thework rate from every man”, thatthe players had “left everything onthe pitch” and that “every playercan be very, very proud”.

National Team Manager, StevePayas, said “I’m hugely proud ofthe team who played to theirstrengths, stuck to the game planand truly showed World Rugbyexactly how talented they are.”

GRFU Chairman, MauriceStagnetto added “it’s been a greathonour to travel with the GibraltarNational Team and see how theorganisation, both on and off the

field, has demonstrated to all thelevel of professionalism within theGRFU. I am privileged to havebeen with the players for twomomentous matches in thedevelopment of the NationalTeam, matches to be rememberedfor the talent on show, especiallyfrom the younger players whoshow great promise for the futureof Gibraltar rugby. A week that willtruly live in the memories of allthose in attendance, I am hugelyproud and want to give mysincerest thanks to all players andmanagement involved.”Tomorrow sees the Gibraltar Vetsand Development squad take onlocal team Bucs Rugby Club, thiswill kick off at 5am CET so willonly be posting the half time andfinal scores for our supporters athome to read once they wake up!For now, it’s good night from me,and it’s good night from them!

archived images


Rugby

Game Day Three - Report

Good start from GibraltarDevelopment and Veterans (D/V)but they're turned over nearhalfway. Centaurs break throughthe middle and there is someconfusion in defense as CharlieLopez runs into Harry Brunskillwhilst both try and tackle theCentaurs player. There is onemore phase as they go wide andscore a try.

Missed conversion and theCentaurs lead by 5 points to 0.

There is a small break for waterdue to the heat and humidity. Justafter the game is restarted theD/V team knock on in midfield andthe Centaur center collects. Hesteps around a forward caught inmidfield and sprints to the cornerfor a try. Kick is missed again.

Centaurs 10-0 Gibraltar D/V

Good scrum from the Gibraltarselection and the ball moves left,Harry with a show and go justoutside the 22 and runs 130metres, around two defenders toscore under the posts. Kick issomehow missed and the score is10-5

Centaurs move the ball wide butit's intercepted by SimonAdamson who runs in from 60metres. Missed conversion andit's level at 10 all.

Second half passed for 20 minsmostly without incident until aclearing kick only found thecentaur winger who passed insideto the centre. He then avoided atackle to score beside the posts.Kick is good and it's 17-10.

Gib are pressing well inside the


Rugby

22 when yet another 50/50 at thebreakdown goes Centaurs way.The ball is kicked ahead byCentaurs, failed to be controlledand the ball grubbers towards the22. Charlie Lopez tackled hard ashe collect and spills the ball. Aquick pass out to the wing andCentaurs are in again.

Centaurs 22-10 Gibraltar D/V

The game is in the dying secondsand Centaurs are camped deep inthe Gibraltar 22. The forwardspick and go and are over the line.The conversion is quickly takenand the whistle blows.for full time.

Final Score

Centaurs 29-10 Gibraltar

archived image from Core Photography


Short Sports News

Women's footballThe Women's football league willreturn this week with matches tobe played on Pitch 1.Following a decision to delay therestart of the league due to theeffects of a safety net placed overpitch 2 an alternative allocation forthe matches was sought by theGFA. A decision has since beentaken for matches to be played onpitch 1 with new lines to be drawnin for the 9- aside matches.

The women's league still hasseven rounds to go plus a cupfinal which had been scheduled tobe played earlier in the season.

TennisTHE SAN MIGUEL Paddle TennisOpen Tournament will start onMonday 9th May 2016.The list to register will be up atthe club's notice board as fromthis coming Monday.Closing date for the paddle tennis

tournament will be Tues 3rd May'16Entrance fee £10 per playermembers and £15 per player fornon- members.Trophies and a prize money of£200 for the winning team and£100 for the runner-up team.Entry fee will cover the end oftournament presentation of prizesand BBQ.

THE FAMOUS GROUSE TennisOpen Tournament will take placeas from Monday 23rd May 2016.The list will be up on the club'snotice board as from this comingMonday.

Entry fee £10 for members and£15 for non members.

Trophies and prize money of£100 for the winner and £50 forthe runner-up.

Entry fee will cover the end of

tournament presentation of prizesand BBQ.

FootballIn the latest news coming fromEuropa FC they have announcedthat U11 youth players OmerGussarsky and Jesse Gomezhave been selected for trainingwith the La Liga Malaga CF nextMonday.

NetballFollowing Macclesfield Schooland Cheslyn School visit thisweek in which they played againstlocal teen sides from the GibraltarNetball leagues more teams willbe arriving next week to play localteams

St Aubyns school will be playingGNA's High 5 teams on Monday11th April at 5.15pm at the VictoriaStadium. Matches from theSuperteens teams will also playagainst Archbishop SentamuAcademy at the same time in theRed area next to the football pitchat the stadium.

Planned matches against anAustralian school team this weekdid not materialise at the lastminute although local teams fromthe UK have been arriving as linkscontinue to develop betweenGibraltar and the UK associations.

NetballGibraltar's senior netball squadwill be facing Grenada, Israel andthe Republic of Ireland in Group Bmatches of the OpenChampionships to be held in theUK.

Gibraltar will tip off against theRepublic of Ireland on Thursday12th May, six hours later on thesame day they will also faceGrenada. On Friday 13th Maythey will play against Israel. OnSaturday and Sunday 14th and15th May they will play furtherChallenge group matches whichwill be decided once the firstgroup matches are completed.Group A will see the USA, Maltaand Switzerland play each other.


Short Sports News

The Gibraltar senior nationalsquad have been in training sinceFebruary in preparation for theOpen Championship. The squadhas already seen the mainselection made after a cut washeld earlier in March.

Island GamesA small visiting delegation fromthe Small Island Games,accompanied by members of theGSLA, Gibraltar Small IslandGames and representatives fromdifferent sports went on a guidedtour of most of Gibraltar's sportsfacilities on Saturday.

The delegation saw firsthandmany of the sports facilities in useduring their visit on Saturdaymorning with small pitches usedby junior leagues and theTercentenary Sports Hall packedby young children and parentscompeting in the May Day FutsalJunior tournament.

The tour started at the BaysideSports Complex and went on tosee the Media Centre, drugstesting and first aid area, theTercentenary Sports Hall beforeheading to the facilities for ClayShooting, Rifle range, Pistolrange, Squash, Tennis, Sailing,Swimming Pool and Ten PinBowling.

The delegation also met with theChief Minister last week beforevisiting the facilities where in hispresence Natwest signed anagreement to continue with thesponsorship until after the 2019Island Games.

BadmintonFixtures Reminder.This Thursday 14th April at6:30pm in Tercentenary Hall: Div3.Rebels v DominatorsSSB3 v The Beasts

AthleticsThe athletics seen saw AlisonEdwards achieve an exceptionallygood sixth placed finish in theSeville marathon this weekendwithin the female category.Alison, who has been plaguedwith injuries during the winter roadracing league yet achieved theQueen of the Road title, is still onthe road to a full recovery to herpeak fitness levels.

The, not so young athlete, alsoachieved first place in her seniorscategory.

Athletics in Gibraltar will next seethe completion of the Winter trackwith the presentation of prizes torunners on Tuesday. On the sameday the first race of the summerleague will take place, bringingback competitive athletics to ourtracks.

FootballManu makes a return to BritanniaArgentinean footballer Manuel

Camacho Onega, better known asManu, made a return to the ranksof Britannia after leaving the clubearlier in the year to seek newpastures.

Manu featured as a substitute inthe 4-3 win against Angels onFriday.

HockeyHawks ladies won 1-0 againstGrammarians Ladies on Sunday.Hawks had just a few weeks agolost 3-2 against the Grammariansladies. The other match onSunday between Eagles Ladiesand Grammarians Boys resultedin a walk over for the Boys withEagles not fielding a team.

Pool Mixed results in Pool in BridingtonThe Gibraltar men's pool teamhad a mixed start to theirEuropean Championship matcheswith a defeat against Cyprus intheir first match by 13-12, and


Short Sports News

then a victory against Cataloniaby 13-12. They then went on town against Holland by 14-11 andlose against Ireland .

The men's pool team were in theUK playing in the EuropeanChampionships being held inBridington.

Earlier last week the Under 15team reached the semi-finals

where there were beaten 8-0 by amore experienced Welsh team.

FootballIn the latest news coming frominside the Lincoln Red Imps campit seems that the GFA have liftedthe red card shown during thematch against Glacis Unitedfollowing evidence seen on videofootage of the match.

All our images are available from www.corephotographygibraltar.com

original size from £7 per downloadWebsized from £2.50

http://www.corephotographygibraltar.com

coresportgib issue 15 - 14th april 2016

Documents