Autumn League organiser Dave Cooke!
Autumn League was played outdoors in 2007, following a very similar format to that used in 2006, played under lights at the Uni Oval, Sandy Bay. This 7 week league ran on Monday evenings, 6:00-7:30pm from May 7 through to June 11, with the finals running for 2 hours from 6-8:00pm on Monday June 18. Beginners and new players were most welcome.
The league co-ordinator for the Autumn League was Dave Cooke and Dave collected the money for league registration.
Autumn League organiser Dave Cooke!
Because field space was limited for this league, it operated on a strictly first in (registered and paid) best dressed basis, with total player numbers capped at 48 players (12 per team), with a minimum of 4 women per team. This means that a minimum of 16 spots were reserved for women on the registration list and a maximum of 32 male pre-registrations were allowed. Late male registrations were placed on a reserve list and were allocated in the week prior to 1st game. The only exception to this rule was for the Disc-o-techs team who requested permission to have additional registrants, in order to maintain team cohesion.
One free Learn to Play session was played from 6-7:30pm on Monday April 30 at the Uni Oval. This was a great way for new players to learn about ultimate and the Autumn League, and to try the game before signing up for the league! This time was also used to allow teams to train and play a scratch match, in preparation for the commencement of league in the following week.
Registration fees were as follows:
The rules for the Hobart Outdoor Ultimate Leagues are based on the 2001 WFDF rules. The League organiser takes the position of the TD under these rules. There are a few exceptions to these rules. Check the latest local rules here.
In addition to these rules, playing in cleated shoes is compulsory in this league. This is a safety issue - the grounds are likely to be slippery and we don't want people getting hurt by losing their footing and straining muscles or worse. People invariably enjoy themselves more if they can run and chase without slipping. You can't stop and turn easily on wet grass and mud in runners.
Suitable footwear includes grass cats (touch footy shoes), or even better, given the conditions we expect at this time of year, soccer boots or football boots. Note that exposed metal on your cleats is strictly forbidden - so check those old rugby boots before using them! Paul's warehouse in Moonah has a huge range of last season's boots for $60-70. Or if you're struggling for cash, the tip shop in South Hobart has a few pairs of second hand boots at bargain basement prices...
Ultimate normally only stops for lightning (it can be lots of fun playing in the rain - it's great for layouts!). But at Autumn league, it can get very cold standing on the sidelines in bad weather. Given that we only have one game each week, there is the option of postponing games to the following week if the weather is appalling. If the weather looks truly dreadful, the league organiser will send out an email to the tas-ultimate yahoogroup at 1pm if a decision is made to postpone the game to the following week. No email message means the game will proceed as planned. Games will only be postponed by the league organiser in extreme circumstances. Check your email after lunch on Monday if you want to check whether a game is on.
In addition to any games cancelled by the league organiser, games may also be postponed or abandoned if the grounds staff close the ground. In this case, the league organiser will send out an email immediately upon being advised that the ground is closed. This can happen at very late notice - we have no control on when announcements on ground closures are made by the grounds staff unfortunately!
The Autumn League schedule (from May until June 2007) was:
Each team played one 80 minute game per week, so each team played the other teams twice over a six week round robin series.
| Date | Round | Field 1 (Hedge) | Field 2 (Gym) |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 7 | 1 | Red Alert v Icy Fingers | Blue Goats Cheese v Disc-o-techs |
| May 14 | 2 | Red Alert v Blue Goats Cheese | Icy Fingers v Disc-o-techs |
| May 21 | 3 | Red Alert v Disc-o-techs | Icy Fingers v Blue Goats Cheese |
| May 28 | 4 | Blue Goats Cheese v Disc-o-techs | Red Alert v Icy Fingers |
| June 4 | 5 | Icy Fingers v Disc-o-techs | Red Alert v Blue Goats Cheese |
| June 11 | 6 | Icy Fingers v Blue Goats Cheese | Red Alert v Disc-o-techs |
The finals lasted for two hours (semi finals followed by grand final) on Monday June 18.
| Game | Time | Field 1 (Hedge) | Field 2 (Gym) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi finals | 6:10-7:00pm | S1: Red Alert v Blue Goats Cheese (1st v 4th) | S2: Icy Fingers v Disc-o-techs {2nd v 3rd) |
| Grand final | 7:30-8:30pm | Winner S1 v Winner S2 |
Final Autumn team lists follow.
| Team Name | Red Alert | Icy Fingers | Blue Goats Cheese | Disc-o-techs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shirt colour | red | white | light blue | yellow |
| Captain | Aaron Just | Basil Van Riet | Kathleen Downey | Pauline Van Adrichem |
| Vice-captain | Tom Fahey | Stella Foley | Jeff Dunn | Masni Bennett |
| Women | Eliza Burke Loz Atkins Shelly Slater Tania King |
Anna Flittner Emma Pharo Rowena Zwart Stella Foley |
Alysia Cullen Deborah Guster Jennifer Lavers Kathleen Downey Kerryn Herman |
Brooke Webber Kate Godber Masni Bennett Pauline Van Adrichem |
| Men | Aaron Just Andrew Wong Charles Lord Ian Townsend Phillip Munday Rowan Harris Rowan Miller Tom Fahey |
Aaron Wasil Basil Van Riet David Cooke Gifford Wong Matt Petrie Michael Shrapnel Steve Willing |
Alex Bettigole Alex De Vries Charlie Prevost Christopher Wright David Griffin Jeff Dunn Nick Moles Steven Wright |
Che O'May David Millington Dexter Franklin-Paddock Iestyn Parry Jason de Puit Kim Maisch Mark Verrall Oscar Bryant Paulo Dallo Philippe St-Pierre |
Full results (minor round only) for the Autumn League follow.
| Team | Played | Wins | Losses | Ties | Forfeits | Points | Goal Diff. | Spirit Average | Tie Break | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red Alert | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 9 | 7.8 | 0.000 |
| 2 | Icy Fingers | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 8 | 7.7 | 0.000 |
| 3 | Disc-o-techs | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11 | -1 | 7.7 | 0.000 |
| 4 | Blue Goats Cheese | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 | -16 | 7.7 | 0.000 |
Blue Goats Cheese | Disc-o-techs | Icy Fingers | Red Alert
| Round 1 | Blue Goats Cheese | 3 | Disc-o-techs | 12 |
| Round 2 | Blue Goats Cheese | 8 | Red Alert | 11 |
| Round 3 | Blue Goats Cheese | 9 | Icy Fingers | 10 |
| Round 4 | Blue Goats Cheese | 9 | Disc-o-techs | 10 |
| Round 5 | Blue Goats Cheese | 9 | Red Alert | 12 |
| Round 6 | Blue Goats Cheese | 13 | Icy Fingers | 12 |
| Round 1 | Disc-o-techs | 12 | Blue Goats Cheese | 3 |
| Round 2 | Disc-o-techs | 10 | Icy Fingers | 10 |
| Round 3 | Disc-o-techs | 10 | Red Alert | 11 |
| Round 4 | Disc-o-techs | 10 | Blue Goats Cheese | 9 |
| Round 5 | Disc-o-techs | 8 | Icy Fingers | 11 |
| Round 6 | Disc-o-techs | 7 | Red Alert | 14 |
| Round 1 | Icy Fingers | 9 | Red Alert | 9 |
| Round 2 | Icy Fingers | 10 | Disc-o-techs | 10 |
| Round 3 | Icy Fingers | 10 | Blue Goats Cheese | 9 |
| Round 4 | Icy Fingers | 11 | Red Alert | 6 |
| Round 5 | Icy Fingers | 11 | Disc-o-techs | 8 |
| Round 6 | Icy Fingers | 12 | Blue Goats Cheese | 13 |
| Round 1 | Red Alert | 9 | Icy Fingers | 9 |
| Round 2 | Red Alert | 11 | Blue Goats Cheese | 8 |
| Round 3 | Red Alert | 11 | Disc-o-techs | 10 |
| Round 4 | Red Alert | 6 | Icy Fingers | 11 |
| Round 5 | Red Alert | 12 | Blue Goats Cheese | 9 |
| Round 6 | Red Alert | 14 | Disc-o-techs | 7 |
Thanks to Dave for his work as Autumn League organiser.
Thanks to everyone who came along to the Autumn League finals last night. After a league blessed by good weather, we had the opportunity to play finals in some of the worst weather ever encountered during a TUA league game. The evening started at a lovely 4C, with the occasional rain (and hail!) shower passing by. Despite the inclement weather, most of our regular players turned up and all teams had subs standing on the sidelines.
The first semi-final saw ladder leaders Red Alert take on 4th-placed Blue Goats Cheese. Red Alert got away to an early 5-1 lead, before Blue Goats Cheese clawed their way back into the game, trailing 5-4 at one point. Red Alert then regrouped and pulled away to take the semi-final 8-5.
In the second semi-final, 2nd placed Icy Fingers took on 3rd placed Disc-O-Techs. Icy Fingers pulled away to an early lead, but Disc-o-techs found inspiration in a hail shower to pull the margin back to two points. After a mammoth 10-minute point, Icy Fingers pulled away to take the final 9-5.
Prizes were awarded at the end of the semi-finals, so that everyone not involved in the final could go home and warm up.
Most Improved players (Boost award):
Eliza Burke (Red Alert)
Philip Munday (Red Alert)
Best Recruiter (Tim Tam Award):
Shelly Slater (Red Alert)
SPIRIT (Favorites Award):
Red Alert
Red Alert won spirit by one point. The other three teams all tied for second, making this the closest result for SPIRIT in any TUA league - a very pleasing result!
After the prize ceremony, Red Alert and Icy Fingers lined up for the final, with a few diehards staying on to watch proceedings. Icy Fingers got away to an early lead, and were never headed. With the worsening weather, the captains agreed to curtail proceedings when the first team took the half, so that Icy Fingers won the final 9-3.
Guts in the final (Violet Crumble award):
Gifford Wong (Icy Fingers) - for laying out on his cracked ribs in an attempt to catch a goal
Style in the final (Cherry Ripe Award):
Stella Foley (Icy Fingers) - for her lightning-fast reflexes in catching a goal when the disc was thrown like a bullet at her shins
League Champions (Celebrations Award):
Icy Fingers
After the conclusion of proceedings, some of us gathered at the Customs House hotel for some warm food and cold drinks.
Well that's it. Thanks to all of those who participated, for making Autumn League 07 one of the closest and most enjoyable that I've ever participated in. A big thank you to Jeff, Shavawn, Jemery, JK and Ash for helping out on various aspects of the league. And thanks also to the team captains and vice captains for a fantastic job in nurturing our beginners and always being available to help out on various issues.
Looking forward to seeing you all at Winter League. Register now at the TUA website!!
David Cooke
Autumn League Tournament Director
| Premiers | Runners-up | 3rd place | Spirit Winners | Style in final | Best recruiter | Most improved female | Most improved male | Guts in final | Gratuitous in final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Icy Fingers (9) | Red Alert (3) | Red Alert | Disc-o-techs | Stella Foley | Shelly Slater | Eliza Burke | Philip Munday | Gifford Wong |