The Citizen, 2012-05-03, Page 8PAGE 8. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012.Sports
BBMHA’s first year successful according to president
The Blyth Brussels Minor Hockey
Association (BBMHA) just finished
its first year as an amalgamated
group and President John Van Vliet
thinks it went well.
“I think it went pretty good,” he
said. “Overall, it was very successful
I believe.”
He said that the organization is
exactly where organizers thought it
would be team-wise and that
numbers were fairly close to
estimated.
He said that for the 2012-13
season, an estimated half of the
registries have been submitted and
he reminds parents that if they don’t
get their registrations in soon they
could be subject to a late fee.
As far as success went, the
BBMHA succeeded in all age
groups to have fun as well as having
some teams do extremely well in the
standings.
“The Bantam Rep team did just
awesome,” he said, talking about the
fact that they were eliminated in the
Ontario Minor Hockey Association
(OMHA) finals by Ilderton after two
very close games. “They had an
excellent year.”
He said all the girls teams made
very good showings including
several that won at the Western
Ontario Athletics Association
(WOAA) levels.
The newly-minted Blyth Brussels
Juvenile Team also did well, making
it to the OMHA semi-finals.
“They did really well,” he said.
“That was a darn good showing for
our first year.
Van Vliet said that everyone
worked well together and that, for
the most part, people gave the
operation a chance and that’s what
let everything happen.
“We had really good cooperation
from everyone who wanted to be
involved,” he said. “Generally we
had support from everyone.
“The kids had a great time,” he
said. “They made new friends by the
end of the year regardless of where
they were from before.”
Alongside the new amalgamation,
the BBMHA also introduced a new
memorial player award this year; the
Bokhout-Hesselwood Dynamic Duo
award.
The award was presented to Kyle
Pollard and Steve Ellis, two
members of the Midget Local
League team who played well
together.
Presented by the Bokhout and
Hesselwood families, the memorial
award is in memory of their sons
John and Blake, respectively.
The two died in a house fire in
Alberta late last year.
The friendship theme of the award
was particularly fitting given the
friendships that had formed among
many new teammates this year.
Van Vliet said that the new
friendships formed as a result of
Blyth and Brussels players coming
together surprised even him as
people really took to their new teams
and teammates.
“There were kids going to each
other’s houses in different towns and
they didn’t know each other before,”
he said. “That’s what this whole
thing is really all about, kids having
fun and making friendships.”
He said that the amalgamation was
a positive experience and that he
hopes everything goes well
again.By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Neither snow nor rain nor...
The Blyth U18 Girls team took to the pitch against Goderich on Monday, April 30 and were the
first team to grace the Sparling Soccer Fields for the 2012 season. Despite the rain and the
cold weather, the girls toughed out the game. The hometown girls bested the Goderich team,
starting the season off on the right foot. (Denny Scott photo)
The Wingham Golf and Curling
Club staff welcomes the golfers
back and are waiting for the return
of the great March weather they
enjoyed during curling season.
Cheryl and Candace have the
kitchen back up and running and
Cheryl’s homemade soup has been a
popular item to help restore some
warmth back to the golfers.
The Wednesday senior men and
Thursday night men leagues
returned to action last week despite
the cold winter like winds.
On Wednesday, April 25 only 10
golfers bundled up to play senior
men’s morning. Bill Brown took
home first-place honours; Dave
Tiffin, second and Jamie Sanderson,
third.
Thursday night 14 diehard golfers
hit the links only to have 11 finish
due to an extreme cold wind. Terry
Armstrong and Shorty (Doug) Long
took home the longest putt prizes.
Dave Gamble shot an unbelievable
round of 37 in the less-than-stellar
conditions.
On Friday, May 4 the club will be
holding their first wing night for the
season. Wing nights are held the first
Friday of every month and the large
tasty wings have gained some
popularity around the area. On
Sunday, May 6 the annual spring
ham and beef barbecue is being held
at the club. Jeff Cardiff does a great
job with the meal and tickets are still
available at the pro shop.
The ladies return to action on
Wednesday, May 8 with their
opening golf and lunch to follow.
This is a super group of gals to golf
with or come share some stories and
laughs over supper. Girls please
contact the pro shop if you are
interested in joining.
OUT OF BOUNDS NEWS
The staff and management of the
Wingham Golf and Curling Club are
looking forward to another great
golf season. Bruce Pewtress and
Dave again have the course in
superb playing condition.
Chip and a Putt – By Bruce Skinn
ANYONE INTERESTED
IN PLAYING
Brussels Men’s Town
League
Slow Pitch 19 and over
Contact: Jeff 519-887-9790
or Mike 519-887-6449
League starts May 22nd
Have A New Addition?
519-523-4792
or
519-887-9114
Let everyone know about
your new bundle of joy!
The Citizen
Call for prices and details
Inaugural game
The Blyth U18 Girls took to the pitch against their counter-
parts from Goderich on April 30 to start the 2012 Blyth
soccer season. The girls triumphed over Goderich 7-2.
(Denny Scott photo)