July 14, 2013
by Martin Stern
Football South Burnett
In First Division, Barambah travelled to Kingaroy hoping to continue their two-game winning streak after handing Nanango their first defeat and beating Wests last weekend.
However, it was Gunners that took the lead after Brody Hatchman scored in the 11th minute from a blistering run down the right-hand flank.
The remainder of the first half turned into an epic battle with end-to-end action.
Both sides had chances to score but it was Zac Strauss that gave Gunners their second goal in the 36th minute after latching onto a pinpoint pass.
Barambah came out in the second half determined to make amends but the Gunners’ defence led by Darrell Moseling and Bailey Raines was up to the task.
In the 58th minute Ike Sililat scored somewhat against the run of play as he ran onto a long ball to score his first goal of the evening.
Ten minutes later he struck again, swerving and weaving around the Barambah defence.
To their credit Barambah never gave up and were rewarded in the 86th minute, however Gunners struck back through Sean Vidler a minute later.
With a minute to go it was Gunners again, this time through Brody Hatchman scoring his second in the 90th minute through a tap in from a cross from the left.
The 6-1 score line probably did not reflect the nature of the match.
It was hard fought throughout and at the end of the day it was Gunners’ pace and accurate passing in attack that made the difference.
Best on the park for Gunners were Darrell Moseling, Brody Hatchman and Zac Strauss but it really was an entire team effort.
Best for Barambah were David Eagleson who again worked tirelessly throughout the match along with Chris O’Loughlin and Daure Moses.
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The women’s game between Barambah and Gunnettes never rose to any great heights, ending in a scoreless draw.
Neither side had many chances while both keepers, particularly Sarah Jensen, kept their sides in the game.
It is now a given that Gunnettes will meet Barambah in the minor semi-final.
* * *
In Second Division, Barambah showed they will be a force to be reckoned with come semi-final time.
Barambah took an early lead in the seventh minute through John Burton.
Gunners were their own worst enemy and gave away too much cheap ball.
In the 22nd minute, John Shaw got Barambah’s second and in the 28th minute Paul Bull tapped in a goal from a bending Joel Sommerfeld corner.
Gunners improved in the second half but could not capitalise in front of goal.
In the 55th minute, veteran striker Brendan Kelly broke through the Gunners’ offside trap to give Barambah a 4-0 lead.
Ten minutes later an own goal from a Gunners’ mistake made it 5-0.
Best on the park for Barambah were Joel Sommerfeld and John Burton while Kevin Barnes and Sitha Mead tried their hardest for Gunners.
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In sadder news for the Barambah club, Joel Sommerfeld played his last game for the club before heading off the university in Nevada where he has a footballing scholarship.
Joel has been a solid performer for Barambah and a genuinely decent bloke. Barambah and the entire South Burnett footballing community will miss him, but wish him well in his new endeavours.
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In hard-fought games in Nanango, Wests inflicted Nanango women with their first competition defeat this season (Wests beat them in the President’s Cup final earlier this season), and also Nanango’s first goal against.
It was once again the golden boot of Jacqui Trace that was the difference between the two teams.
Jacqui has scored an amazing 15 goals this season and that is not playing in every game.
The Nanango women must also be congratulated for going without a defeat or a goal scored against them for such a long period of time.
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Wests’ First Division side came close to holding Nanango to a 0-0 draw, but it was the ever-improving Thomas Mangan that scored seven minutes out from full-time to give Nanango the win.
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It is pleasing to see the competition tightening up, with most teams in with a chance on their day.
It makes for a very exciting Finals series, which starts on Sunday, August 18, in Murgon.
All six semi-final matches will be played on the day starting at 9:00am with the last game being played at 7:00pm.
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Evolution Football League Results
In Kingaroy:
1st Division: Gunners 6 (Brody Hatchman 11th, 90th, Ike Sililat 58th, 69th, Zac Strauss 36th, Sean Vidler 87th) defeated Barambah 1 (Chris O’Loughlin 86th)
Women’s: Gunnettes drew with Barambah nil all
2nd Division: Barambah 5 (John Burton 7th, John Shaw 22nd, Paul Bull 28th, Brendan Kelly 55th, Own Goal 71st) defeated Gunners 0
In Nanango:
1st Division: Nanango 1 (Thomas Mangan 83rd) defeated Wests 0
Women’s: Wests 1 (Jacqui Trace 61st) defeated Nanango 0
2nd Division: Nanango 3 (Nathan Ballinger 15th, Karl Pichlis 44th, Trevor Adams 48th) defeated Wests 1 (Shane Gray 61st)
