Courtesy: Bellingen Courier Sun


BHS Under 16 Boys make Semi-Finals of Australasian Futsal titles

02 Nov, 2010

by Phil Lynch

I guess that it’s the classic teenage dream to become a national champion but for Bellingen High School’s Under 16 Boys’ Futsal team, that dream became a real possibility at the Australasian Futsal Finals last week.

Any teams that made a Regional final in Australia or New Zealand, were eligible to attend but only those which thought they had a chance of winning it, went to the expense of sending a team along. With distance precluding some teams, the pundits were picking a final in our division between Queensland champions Chancellor College from Harvey Bay and Brisbane’s Shailer Park High.

It was just our luck to start Day one with the hot favourites, Chancellor.

Chancellor was expected to run away with game one against the lowly Southerners but their early goal only managed to wake our boys up. From there it was game on and Bello took it to the hotshots with a gutsy display. Two or three good chances went begging but when a great through ball by Adam Marks was nodded home by Harlen Dew, Chancellor were rattled. They argued and self imploded but even though they scraped one back by half time, they were still shellshocked at the break.

Unfortunately so were we, as a heavy first-half injury toll meant we now had no fit replacements left. When Harlen knocked in his second 5 minutes after the resumption, things were looking good but there was no way of maintaining it. As fatigue inevitably set in, we only had one replacement, Jake ‘Les’ Leslie, (who had spent the previous week at home sick) so our boys lost grip on the game. When Chancellor then got 2 quick counter-attacking goals, our fate was sealed and they ran away with the result.

The result was devastating, given how well we’d played, but our second Game against fellow Northern NSW reps, Bishop Drewitt, was even more devastating. Our lads totally controlled the match with goals to ‘Patty’ Jutsi, Jake Tarrant, Nick O’Mullane, Harlen, & Adam, and were 3 goals ahead with only 4 minutes to go. Tragically, our boys then fell in a ‘hole’ and let in 4 goals to allow BDC to snatch a totally undeserved win.

It was always going to be hard to pick ourselves back up after that and face the other powerhouse; Shailer Park, but our first good night’s sleep and some remedial massage, had everyone back on deck on Day 2. And didn’t the boys turn it on. Harlen Dew scored 4 while Adam and Patrice chipped in for one apiece to keep us level pegging with Shailer. However it was at the goal mouth that this game was won … and lost. Although Simba Kuestler was absolutely stunning in goal for us, Shailer’s goal post saved them even more. We hit it 5 times and it was just enough to let our opponents scrape home with a 7:6 victory. Another shattering loss.

After 3 results like that, most teams would have given up. But not Bellingen High! In the remaining games our boys put 7 goals past Rockhampton and followed that up with another 4 against Camden Haven to storm into the semi-finals.

That left us with a Semi against, you guessed it, Chancellor College again. Still carrying injuries, both physical and mental, from the previous 5 games, our boys were hard to lift. But all credit to the ever improving Jake Tarrant and to Captain Courageous Adam Marks, who supplied just the enthusiasm and leadership we needed. Those 2 blunted the Chancellor attack completely and frustrated them to the point of arguing, abuse and Yellow cards. That allowed our attack to make big inroads into the Chancellor defence. With Harlen, Dean Barlow and a now-fit, Jake ‘Les’ Leslie tearing down the sideline, Bello made at least twice as many opportunities as their more fancied rivals. We had on-on-ones with the keeper, created far post tap-ins and hit the post (yet again) but alas nothing was falling for us. Simba was once again fantastic and foiled anything that was hit his way but was absolutely ‘robbed’ when the ref gave our opponents a goal for a shot which Simba deflected onto the far post and didn’t go anywhere near crossing our goal line.

Still, a goal down at half time was not insurmountable and our boys started the second half with the same drive that they had finished the first. Shots by Jake, Les, Adam, Harlen and Patty all had their defence scrambling but as every heartbreak mounted, Chancellor grew in strength. Then with 5 minutes to go, disaster struck when a counter attack was finished with an unstoppable shot from 8 metres out. Our boys wilted momentarily and Chancellor scored again almost immediately. Although the foray actually continued, the game was over and Chancellor motored over the line to go into (and win) the Grand Final.

For our boys though, that teenage dream was sung though not won, but every one of them can carry their heads high. They matched it with the best of the best and everyone in Bellingen should be proud of them.

Well done


Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com