Minister to launch new partnership between child safety and sport

The Hon. Phil Reeves MP, Minister for Child Safety and Minister for Sport will launch a unique partnership between ACT for Kids and Softball Queensland at Downey Park before the Brisbane Softball junior grand final hits off this Saturday.

Originally known as the Abused Child Trust, ACT for Kids is an Australian charity which has worked to treat and prevent child abuse for over 20 years.

ACT for Kids provides free professional therapy for children who have experienced the trauma of abuse and neglect and work with vulnerable families to help them develop the skills, care and support networks to prevent abuse and neglect.

Softball Queensland General Manager Sue Nisbet said there are meaningful synergies between the values of Softball Queensland and ACT for Kids which the organisations look forward to promoting through their newly formed union.

“Softball is a family orientated sport which values the participation and nurturing of children,” Nisbet said.

“As a key component of our partnership with ACT for Kids, we are proud to be putting forward our elite athletes as ambassadors for the charity’s very worthwhile cause,” she said.

ACT for Kids CEO, Dr Neil Carrington, said they are pleased to announce the new partnership and are keen to work together with Softball Queensland.

“ACT for Kids has been supporting Queensland kids for over 20 years; one of our goals is to provide kids who have suffered abuse and neglect with the skills and confidence to overcome their experiences. Many of our kids find a release through sport and develop new friendships, purpose and self-esteem.

“We look forward to working Softball Queensland and talented players to further our goals and raise funds to support our free programs,” Dr Carrington said.

Media photograph and interview opportunity:

Who: The Hon. Phil Reeves MP, Minister for Child Safety and Minister for Sport; Sue Nisbet, Softball Queensland General Manager; Karyn Lambert, ACT For Kids Executive Manager; and the Queensland Heat and Queensland Patriots elite women’s and men’s softball teams.

What: The official Launch of the partnership between ACT For Kids and Softball Queensland at the Brisbane Softball grand finals.

When: This Saturday 12^th March at 10.00am.

Where: Brisbane Softball Association, Downey Park, 90 Green Tce Windsor 4030

Queensland Heat players selected in Aus squad

Congratulations to the following Queensland Heat players who were selected in the 2011 Australian Open Women's Squad;

Jodie Bowering

Jocelyn McCallum

Carmelle Sorensen

Kate Sternes

Jade Wall

Melinda Weaver

Stacey Webber

Queensland Patriots make John Reid Grand Final

The Queensland Patriots came agonisingly close to being crowned 2011 National Champions after making the John Reid grand final against ACT.

On home soil, the Queensland Patriots displayed their skills when they took on the powerhouse ACT in the final.  It was an exciting game with great defensive plays and good hitting by both teams, but unfortunately the Patriots couldn't score a run, and they lost 3-0.

It was a long road to the final for the Patriots after they came in fourth position after the round games.  In their first sudden death semi-final verse NSW, Queensland won 6-4.  Then, in the second elimination semi final verse last year's national champions, WA, the Patriots won the game in style, with an Andrew Blackshaw walk-off home run in the bottom of the 7th innings to put Queensland in the grand final.

Following is their round and final results;

Tuesday 15th Feb
QLD 6 def VIC 2

QLD 11 def NT 0

QLD 13 def WA 4

Wednesday 16th Feb
ACT 9 def QLD 2

NSW 5 def QLD 4

QLD 11 def NT 1

Thursday 17th Feb
NSW 1 def QLD 0

QLD 11 def VIC 1

Friday 18th Feb
WA 5 def QLD 1
ACT 2 def QLD 1

Semi Final 1: QLD 6 def NSW 4 

Saturday 19th Feb
Semi Final 2: QLD 6 def WA 5
Grand Final: ACT 3 def QLD 0

Congratulations to the Patriots on a great 2011 John Reid Shield campaign.

Queensland Heat finish Gilley's Shield in third spot

Queensland Heat have improved on their performance last year to finish third in the 2010/11 Gilley's Shield.

They headed into the final round in second position, but slipped to third after losing vital round games against the ACT Diamonds and the VIC Titans.

Following are the Round 4 (pre-finals) results;

Thursday 17th Feb
ACT Diamonds 3 def QLD Heat 0

VIC Titans 3 def QLD Heat 0 

Friday 18th Feb
QLD Heat 7 def NSW Firestars 2

On Friday night, they played the ACT Diamonds in a sudden death semi-final.  With great team hitting and defense, Queensland won 3 runs to 2, moving them into Saturday's second elimination semi final against NSW Firestars.

Unfortunately, Queensland Heat lost to the NSW Firestars 4-0. 

In the grand final, the WA Flames won back to back titles when they beat the NSW Firestars 1-0.

Congratualtions to the Queensland Heat for their Gilley's Shield campaign.

Redlands couple to lead QLD campaigns on local diamonds

Redlands couple Jason Nathan and Kelly McKellar-Nathan have a double Queensland victory planned for the national softball finals to be held in Redlands next week.

The final round of the 2010/2011 Gilley’s Shield national open women’s tournament and the complete 2011 John Reid Shield national open men’s tournament will be hosted by Redlands Softball Association from next Tuesday 15 February to Saturday 19 February. 

Jason is the captain of the Queensland Patriots open men’s softball team, and Kelly is one of the most experienced members of the Queensland Heat open women’s softball team.

The pair agreed it would be a dream come true for Queensland to achieve victory in both the men’s and women’s national tournaments in front of a home crowd.

“My ambition is to win the Gilley’s Shield at home!  It would be even more extraordinary to be part of a double national championship, and Patriots win the John Reid Shield at home!” Kelly said. 

“My ambition is the same as my wife’s. To win the John Reid Shield at home and share that win with the Heat taking out the Gilley’s Shield on home soil!,” Jason said.

Fellow members of Redlands Softball Association will compete alongside Kelly and Jason for Queensland. Ngamoko Hiku, Aperira Stone, Jade Wall and Stacey Webber will play as members of the Queensland Heat line-up, and Andrew Blackshaw, Guy Covacin, Shaun Goffer, Julian Jemmott, Josh King and Luke Van de Greindt will play for the Queensland Patriots.

The Queensland Heat will begin the final round of the 2010/2011 Gilley’s Shield in runners-up position after strong performances in the first three rounds of the tournament played over the last three months in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth respectively.

The Queensland Heat are trailing their arch rivals the NSW Firestars by just one game in the premier domestic tournament, in which they hold an impressive history with wins in 2006, 2007 and 2009 before finishing a disappointing fourth place in 2010.

The chance to win back the national shield in front of a home crowd should be more than enough to motivate the Queensland Heat players; however positions in the Aussie Spirit Squad to work towards next year’s Women’s World Championship will also be up for grabs.

The Queensland Patriots will be looking to build on their third place finish in the 2010 John Reid Shield, and also to impress national selectors who will be scouting talent to help defend the Aussie Steelers’ world title at the next Men’s World Softball Championship to be held in 2013.

World Softball Championships are now the premier international softball events following the exclusion of the sport from the 2012 and 2016 Olympic programs.

Queensland Patriots YouTube Video

Check out the YouTube Video of the Queensland Patriot's preparations for the up and coming 2011 John Reid Shield.

Patriots Tournament - a success!

The 2011 Patriots tournament was again another success, with over $ 2000 being raised for the Patriots from the 29th- 30th of January.
 
Held at Redlands Softball Association, the tournament featured four A grade mens teams (Scorpions, Raiders, TAN and the Patriots) as well as four Masters mens teams (Strikers, PK Pride, Bruins and Scorpions).
 
The weekend was a great preparation for the Patriots who start their national campaign in less than two weeks time.
 
Following are the results:
 
Masters:  PK Pride defeated Bruins in the final
 
Open Men: Raiders defeated Scorpions in the final
 
Exhibition match:  Australia defeated New Zealand
 
Congratulations to the following Patriots players who were awarded individual trophies:
 
Damian Nairn (MVP)
Aaron Clarke (Best Pitcher)
Corey Matakatea (Best Batter)
 
Thank you to everyone who was involved in making the weekend a success!

Queensland Patriots tournament...next weekend

The Queensland Patriots will host a tournament on Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th of January to raise funds for their upcoming National Championships and Southern Cross Challenge tournament.
 
The tournament will be held at Redlands Softball Grounds, and will feature an A grade men's competition (where the current Queensland Patriots will play as a team), and both Men's and Women's masters.
 
Games will run all day, from 8am and will feature an Australia verse New Zealand exhibition game on Saturday night.
 
Please head down to Redlands next weekend to support the Queensland Patriots.

Queensland Heat in good position for finals

 

Queensland Heat have headed back from Perth in second position overall, just one game behind New South Wales Firestars.

Over six days of hot weather mixed with rain, Queensland Heat won majority of their games, putting them into a great position heading into the final series to be held at Redlands in February.

The week culminated with the finals of the Edebone Webber Shield which saw Queensland play Western Australia in the semi final.

In a marathon game which when 10 innings and lasted over three hours, Queensland were unable to score one run in the bottom of the 10th to force another tie breaker innings.

Following are their results;

Monday 3/1/11

WA 11 - QLD 0

Tuesday 4/1/11

QLD 6 - SA 0

Wednesday 5/1/11

QLD 4 - SA 0
QLD 7 - VIC 0

Thursday 6/1/11

ACT 6 - QLD 2
NSW 1 - QLD 0

Friday 7/1/11

QLD 4 - WA 1
QLD 2 - NZ 0 (5 innings game)

Saturday 8/1/11

Semi Final - WA 9 - QLD 8

For more information, please click here.

Queensland Heat win 6 from 6 in Melbourne

The Queensland Heat have sent out a message to their competition after picking up six wins from six games in Melbourne from Round 2 of the Gilley's Shield.

Following are their game results:

Queensland Heat vs ACT Diamonds: 4-3 WIN

After trailing by 3 runs in the first few innings, the Heat had good at bats (including a home run to Jade Wall) to pressure the Diamonds. The game was decided in the 7th innings when the Heat made a comeback and took the game.

Queensland Heat vs WA Flames: 6-0 WIN

The Heat took great at bats early to start scoring runs from the first innings against WA.  With solid offense and defense, the Heat took complete control of the game.

Queensland Heat vs NZ Whitesox: 5-4 WIN

Despite being 4 runs down going into the 6th innings, the Heat rallied their bats to score 4 runs then add another run in the 7th innings to take the game from the NZ Whitesox.

Queensland Heat vs VIC Titans: 2-0 WIN

Queensland Heat controlled the game with dominate defence and early, aggressive offense.  Queensland Heat scored both runs in the 1st innings but continually pressured the Titans defense with their hitting. 

Queensland Heat vs NSW Firestars: 3-2 WIN

In true form, the game between the Firestars and Heat was full of passion and fire.  Despite being behind heading into the 7th innings, the Heat levelled the score which forced a tie-break situation.  Queensland scored one in the tiebreak and the Firestars were unable to score a run in the 8th, giving Queensland the win.

Queensland Heat vs SA Starz 11-4 WIN

Again, consistent hitting put the Heat 5 runs up early in the game.  Queensland continued the pressure through their offense even though some errors crept in defensively and took the game comfortably.

Stay tuned for who will make the Queensland Heat team for round 3 of the Gilley's Shield in January to be held in Perth.

For more information about Round 2, please click here. 

Check out the Yellow Socks Challenge Video!

If you missed the Yellow Socks Challenge, see what you missed!

Queensland Heat team for Round 2 of Gilley's Shield

Congratulations to the following players who have been selected in the Queensland Heat team for Round 2 of the Gilley's Shield to be held in Melbourne from the 17-19th of December.

1.       Jocelyn McCallum

2.       Sandra Holden

3.       Jodie-Lee King

4.       Carmelle Sorensen

5.       Lena Merzliakov

6.       Jodie Bowering

7.       Kate Sternes

8.       Stacey Webber

9.       Aperira Stone

10.   Sarayah McColl

11.   Melinda Weaver

12.   Jade Wall

13.   Jessica Muller

14.   Brooke Wilkins

15.   Erin Thras

16.   Amy Pagotto

Queensland Heat players in the 2010 Aussie Spirit team

Three Queensland Heat players have been selected in the 2010 Aussie Spirit team to compete against the New Zealand White Sox in a three game test series from the 8th-9th of January, 2011 in Perth.  This series will follow on from the conclusion of the Edebone-Webber/Gilley's Shield.

Congratulations to Jodie Bowering, Melinda Weaver and Carmelle Sorenson (who will make her Australian debut). 

For more information, please click here.

Andy Blackshaw representing the Toowoomba Softball Association

Andrew Blackshaw and Mark Toft (umpire) will be representing the Toowoomba Softball Association when they participate in the Men's International Fastpitch Test Series which will be held in Canberra in two weeks time.
 
To read more about the duo, click here to access the news article.

Queensland Patriots in the 2010 Men`s International Fastpitch Series

The Queensland contingent of the Aussie Steelers will have their first chance to prove themselves to the Australian selectors in the 2010 Men’s International Fastpitch Softball Series, to be held in Canberra from the 8^th – 10^th of December.

Tyron Bartorillo, Andrew Blackshaw, Shaun Goffer and Guy Covacin will be a part of the 28 man Australian squad to play Argentina and the New Zealand Black Sox’s with Queensland Patriots Head Coach, Murray Rivers, appointed to the Aussie Steelers coaching staff.

The series is a vital opportunity for the Queenslanders to stake their claim in the Aussie Steelers squad for the 2013 World Championships with this series part of the official selection trials.

The tournament will follow on from the ACTEWAGL International Skins tournament (3-5^th December, Canberra) and an Aussie Steelers camp held at the Australian Institute of Sport.

For more information, please click here.

NEW Queensland Heat captains announced!

Jodie Bowering and Melinda Weaver have been named as co-captains of Queensland Heat for the 2010/2011 Gilley's Shield season.  Head coach, Fabian Barlow said the following about them;

"Mel and Jodie have a long history with the Queensland Heat program and over the years have made strong contributions to the success of the team and the program in general. Combining their domestic and international playing experience, the keys roles they play in the performance of the team and their leadership qualities it was a comfortable decision for the staff to place Mel and Jodie into the Co-Captain roles.

They will provide an important link between the players and the staff that will ensure the communication lines are always open and being utilised. The entire squad will be called upon to still provide leadership in their own individual ways but Mel and Jodie will need to lead that and the best way for that will be with performance. There has been some terrific captains of the Queensland Women’s team over the years and I’m sure Mel and Jodie will be no different."

Congratulations to Jodie and Mel for their appointment.

Queensland Heat head to Sydney for Round 1 of the Gilley's Shield

To check out Queensland Heat's draw for this weekend's Round 1 of the Gilley's Shield in Sydney from Friday the 19th of November until Sunday the 21st of November, please click here.

NRMA Brisbane Broncos and Aussie Softball All-Stars team up for Yellow Socks Softball Challenge

Brisbane Softball Association is teaming up with the NRMA Brisbane Broncos for the "Yellow Socks Softball Challenge" game between past and present Brisbane Broncos and Australian representative softball players. The game will be held at 12 noon on Saturday 4th December 2010 at the Downey Park Softball Complex at Green Terrace, Windsor.

The game is a charity event aiming to raise awareness of the impact of cancer on those who have suffered from or who are trying to deal with cancer. The game will also endeavour to promote the game of softball as an option to get out and get active and socialise with friends and family. Both teams will play in yellow socks as this colour is associated with the daffodil flower used internationally as the flower and colour of HOPE for a cure to cancer.

To find out more about the game and see who will be playing, please click here.

2011 Queensland Patriots

Congratulations to the new 2011 Queensland Patriots who will contest the John Reid Shield at Redlands from the 15th - 19th of February, 2011.

Officials

Murray Rivers – Head Coach

Maurice Paraha - Assistant Coach

Lisa Anderson - Manager

Ngaire Huston - Statistician

Players
Tyron Bartorillo – Brisbane

Andrew Blackshaw – Redlands

Aaron Clarke – Wynnum

Guy Covacin – Redlands

Josh Davison – Brisbane

Shaun Goffer – Redlands

Seven Hamilton – Toowoomba

Julian Jemmott – Redlands

Josh King – Redlands

Shaun Marino – Ipswich

Corey Matakatea – Ipswich

Hamish Monkman – Toowoomba

Damien Nairn – Bundaberg

Jason Nathan – Redlands

Jacob Rooke – Caboolture

Luke Van de Greindt – Redlands

2011 Heat Video Pre-season