Summer Week Two

[Deleted]

Season getting into full swing with masters, women's and junior competitions under way over the past several days.

[Goblin]

Div 1 Essendon 3 Blackburn 0

In the Reserves Blackburn got up over Essendon

The day was a fitting tribute to the memory Ian McKenzie

R.I.P. Macca

[fuzzy]

Tough day with the wind making life difficult for all. Sandy up 6-5 in extras, 2nds and 4ths also up and 3rds 3 all draw. After a couple of reds I'm off to bed.

[ayresy]

Melb v Newport @ Newport abandoned due to unsafe playing conditions. Everything but tombstones flying onto the field

[Deleted]

A grave situation indeed, ayresy.

Not much better down at Bonbeach, it seems, where the Jays forced an 8-8 draw in Division Two against the visiting Ballarat Brewers, one of whose older heads reckon it was the most unpleasant day for baseball in which he had ever been involved.

Shouse in Ballarat, too, I hasten to add......

www.ballaratcitybaseball.com.au/

[wyatt33]

REBELNATION is up and about early days. Ones and twos both far too good for Chelsea's teams and I'm thinking the problem going forward for the gravies will be motivation. Not playing in the top teams anymore gives me a bit of perspective that previously I might not have had. These teams are that much better than the rest of the comp it's going to be embarrassing. And I'm not being disrespectful to the opposing teams. But wokka has and continues to get a club together that should be playing in div two now, certainly next year and going forward. I've said it before and I'll repeat it. I don't think there's enough competition in div 3 to justify its existence. With research pulling the pin, our fears were confirmed last week with a fairly lop sided display against pakky, and yesterday a near flawless effort against a Chelsea side that's out of its depth.
My conserve were raised earlier in the year with a meeting with Ashleigh Blair and the Mulgrave executive. We asked if we could go too 2nd div as we believe we would be too strong for 3rd with the players we were recruiting. He said he couldn't set a precedence by allowing that. So I said we'd embarras him and the league by not allowing it, purely on the basis of junior criterior. Well it's only early days but I've got a feeling that my suggestion may be truer than first thought! Anyway. Great to have juniors back and playing well and all sides in the seniors having good games. Hopefully I haven't upset any of our competitors but the facts are there. I guess we'll see....go rebels!

[coyote]

Fair call Wyatt.
Doesn't help the other teams in div 3 getting smashed every couple of weeks. That's not going to keep players coming back.

[stuartcapel]

I played a game in Round One on the back diamond at Dandenong (Mulgrave), so saw a bit of the ones and twos on the main diamond – moreso, I noted a good, vibrant atmosphere with a solid number of people watching the firsts game on the late diamond. The Rebels have certainly achieved good things over the past couple of seasons and all associated deserve much credit for the work in turning the club around.

I did look at the Premiership register on the BV website, and notice that Mulgrave did not win Division Three Firsts or Seconds last season, so I can understand Ashley’s decision, as if he allowed Mulgrave into Division Two on the basis of perceived strong recruiting, then he could expect Division Two clubs to knock on his door asking for promotion to Division One given they’d picked up a few players here and there. Further, what if the recruiting fell through, the promotion do Division Two happened, and part way through the season Mulgrave was struggling to field four senior sides (the club only fielded three last season from memory) and was often uncompetitive on the field? How would other clubs perceive BV’s decision then?

Right now, the club is perhaps dealing with a circumstance created from its struggles in seasons past. Provided it can successfully demonstrate it can satisfy the appropriate criterion for a season, I don’t believe anyone would object to the Rebels being a part of Division Two in seasons to come.

[wyatt33]

The plan is to embarrass the comp now! My concern is in the past teams have avoided relegation due to shifting posts at bv. We believe we'd have a competitive team in 2nd div and we asked that we be give special dispensation to go up. He said the same as you. But there's a cavernous jump from 3rd div to 2nd especially for some of the teams in 3rd div. we're not in that boat. I'll remind you that we chose to drop down a div, we weren't relegated. Didn't see anyone saying we should stay in then. In fact we finished mid table, beating the top side at the time twice!
I'm more concerned about the standard of 3rd and how it is relevant to the growth of the game. Besides ourselves and pakky, the other teams seem to be treading water, if not going backwards. Also seems a problem in second div with some teams. I think there needs to be a shake up with league. And it starts with fixturing and comp structure.

[wyatt33]

My appologies to stkilda....I clearly got the other team wrong.