REVIEW OF SEASON 2006/7---- ONE BLUE NORTH

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March 29, 2007
REVIEW ONE BLUE NORTH SEASON 2006/7

Congrats to Bassendean on gaining promotion to 1 White. It is worth noting in 1 Blue North that six of the teams had a Premier Division side.

1 Bassendean achieved their target for the season and fortunately their 3rd Division gained promotion in a miracle finish. Stability was invaluable as Bassendean used the same four skippers all season. Will Marcel Huerer join Robbie Ball at the Valley next season?

Bassendean are sure to recruit in the off season and they can take heart from the performance of last years clubs promoted to 1 White, South Perth and Dalkeith, finishing 2nd and 3rd.

2 Sorrento
can be well pleased with their progress, however they will need to bear in mind opponents next season will include Stirling, Scarborough and Warwick’s top sides.
Sorrento’s skippers performed well this year, with Neil Adams and John Brown recording 27 wins and + 223 shots up between them Recruits will need to be added if Sorrento aspire to 1 White.

3 Doubleview
lifted from 7th last season to 3rd, however strangely they only scored five more points. Like most of the number 2 sides already having a premier team, Doubleview is good enough to be very competitive, but it is lacking in sufficient quality players to finish on top.

Eight home wins, opposed to only two away pinpoints an area of weakness.

4 Osborne Park
another number 2 side, fell away in the second round. There is going to be another Osborne Park team (promoted from 2nd Division) 1 Blue and the selectors will need to be miracle workers to overcome the task of placing and pleasing players in respective teams that will have very unequal draws.

5 Wanneroo
promoted from 2nd Division were definite improvers, recording only three wins in the first round, being in 9th place and doubling that number in Round 2, despite a loss to Innaloo.
With a premier team and two second divisions (following another promotion) the Roos have plenty of depth but like others in this colour, will lack the real quality players.

6 North Beach
looked to be heading for demotion, however their improvement coincided with the arrival of Michael Murray to support the other skippers.
The Beach have lost many players over recent seasons and their immediate future as a first division club will depend on their planning for next season. With 2nd, 3rd and 4th division teams all being demoted, the future appears bleak.

7 Morley
had to struggle at times to keep their head above ‘demotion’ water, however as a promoted team, they can be satisfied with their effort as the club’s number 2 team.
They tried more skips than any other team, using 15 in all. The question to be posed is “What effect will Morley losing their Premier division have on the club”?

8 Bedford
got out of jail with an away win in the final game of the season. They were fourth at Round ones end and this season’s effort saw them 16 points short of last seasons total.
How they fare next year will depend a great deal on who comes and goes in their premier division and it appears there will be a deal of movement.

9 Cambridge
fell away with only two wins in the 2nd round and this left them vulnerable, resulting in demotion. A number of their players have previously gained promotion from 2nd Division and they will have an amount of success next season.

10 Innaloo
beat Bedford and Osborne Park playing away and Doubleview, Bedford and Wanneroo at home.
They will be a very competitive unit in 2nd Division next season when they meet other clubs 2nd, 3rd and in Osborne Park’s case 4th side.

Andrew Tennant’s 13 games as skipper resulting in 6 wins, 1 draw and 6 losses was superior to many skippers in higher placed clubs.


The Observer --------------------