It was a very even game play-wise but, of course, I often disagreed with the ref's decisions.

He definitely didn't favour the home team, that's for sure.

What a great result for the young players in our team.

They should be feeling dog tired still but extremely proud of themselves.

I hope our two injured players recover quickly as their skills were missed once they went off but the substitute players did a mighty job in their places.

I know it's disappointing not to win, especially when you have beaten your opponents in the past but I do think the South Korean coach was suffering from eating sour grapes during his interview following the game.

In most sport you play extra time to get a definite winner in a contest but he would have preferred a draw with each team holding the trophy for two years until the next Asian Cup.

I hope our coach would have been a better sportsman had we not won.

Even the final in the KFC Big Bash cricket (which Sydney Sixes lost) was decided on the last ball of the game and the one day match between England and Australia had some wonderful bowling and catching from both teams.

It was great to see our team come out on top there once again.

Our national sportsmen seem to be back on track again, don't they?

I'm sorry to say that despite a very close score last Saturday our local cricket team just couldn't manage a win.

They played Hallidays Point Two and it must also have been a good game as the final result was Mount George 8/137 while Hallidays Point won with 6/138.

My reporter couldn't give me any more news on the match as he left his paperwork in the car he had a lift home in and the driver lives too far away to bother going to get it.

He'd better pull his socks up before next Saturday or I just might sack him.

It's the first time he's ever let me down.

With a result like that though one would have to say both teams deserve a big "well done" and we can only hope Hallidays Point enjoyed the game as much as our team did.

Better luck this weekend, guys.

I HOPE everyone is finding first term to their liking.

I'm hoping, too, to get more news this year from the local school than I have in the last couple of years when we kept having changes of principal every so often.

I had to rely on parents I met to keep me up to scratch last year with an occasional newsletter but am sure things will improve this year.

It seems strange still not to hear the children riding bikes and scooters along the road or just walking to and from friends' homes as is the norm during the holidays.

Even going shopping is much quieter now-a-days, did you notice?

I HEARD on the grape vine that one of our local farmers (or is he a grazier?) had an up close and personal connection with a bee swarm and was stung severely.

He was stung badly enough to need hospitalisation actually.

That is definitely not the normal farm accident, is it?

It just goes to show that farming isn't just putting cattle in a paddock and leaving them there to fatten or ploughing up ground, planting crops and then sitting down to watch them grow.

I don't know how long he is/was in hospital for but I am very pleased he seems not to be allergic to bee stings as it could have had deadly results had he been.

I sincerely hope he's recuperating well and gets back into the swing of farm life quickly.

I think we should all feel very sorry for him as just one bee sting is enough to upset most people.

IAN Barbour, Thomas Nipperess, Geoff King (from our cricket team) and Shane Nipperess' partner, Rebecca, all have birthdays coming up and so does Lesley Robinson who has just recently moved from Mount George. It is hoped you all have very happy birthdays and enjoy any celebrations you have planned.

May the weather be not too hot and not too wet so it doesn't interfere in any way with your special days and may the year ahead hold only good things for you all.

THE hall is really looking so much better.

I'd say most of the outside work must be almost completed.

It has taken a while but repairing old buildings is not a fast process, I assure you.

When it gets a coat of paint it will be back to its former glory again, thank goodness.

It was really in bad shape before the work began.

Congratulations to the builder doing the job and the trustees for having it done.