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Sports SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2011 25 By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Alyssa Bull cant help but look ahead to OFSAA. Last year, she and her Oakville Trafalgar teammates came tantalizingly close to a pro- vincial high school field hockey medal. After winning their first four games at the OFSAA tournament by a combined 9-0 score, the Devils were edged 3-2 by the eventual gold medalists, Kitchener Resurrection, in the semifinals and then fell to Nepeans John McCrae in penalty flicks in the bronze-medal game. I know personally, I want to do really well at OFSAA. Its hard not to look ahead but I want it so much, says Bull, who has played with the senior squad for the three years. It was pretty tough losing (at OFSAA). We were as good a team as the other teams there. OT last won a medal at the provincial tour- nament in 2006, a team that was captained by Bulls sister Jenna, who went on to become an Big East all-star at Rutgers. Now in Grade 12, Alyssa would like duplicate, if not improve upon, that feat. And though the team may very well be among the best in the province, a return trip to the OFSAA tournament is no guarantee. There was a time when the thought of the Oakville Trafalgar Red Devils not being in the Halton senior girls field hockey final would have been absurd. The Red Devils and Burlingtons Notre Dame Fighting Irish squared off in nine straight title games between 1999 and 2007. But over the past three seasons, the rivals monopoly has been broken up. Halton has crowned three different champions and four schools have made an appearance in the final. Halton is getting so much better, says Bull, a member of the junior national team. Its one of the toughest leagues to get out of. Oakville Trafalgar finally snapped a nine- year drought when it beat Loyola in last years championship game. And the early returns this season make it appear as though OT is intent on repeating for the first time since it owned the title between 1999 and 2001. Were not as strong as last year but weve got a lot of leadership, says OT coach Jim Groen. Hopefully we get better as we go. With six returning starters Bull, Daniela Deschamps, Emily Farquharson, Claire Newman, Hannah Rauseo and Ellie Cookson OT is off to a 6-0 start. Last Wednesdays 6-1 victory over Georgetown marked the first time OT had given up a goal in 26 regular-season fgames, a streak that dated back to October o 2009. The Devils have had no trouble scoring either. With 34 goals through six games, they are scoring a full goal more per game than last season when they went 13-0 on their way to the championship. But, due to Haltons divi- sional alignment, OT wont face Notre Dame or Nelson the previous two Halton champs until the playoffs. We know we are going to face harder teams but we feel pretty prepared, Bull says. Oakville Trafalgar reached the semifinals at a preseason tournament hosted by four-time OFSAA champion St. Johns-Kilmarnock. The Red Devils were defeated in the semis by Forest Heights, another perennial OFSAA contender. OT girls have sights set on another field hockey OFSAA Swim champ visits Appleby KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Former Olympic champion swim- mer Mark Tewksbury visited Appleby College Tuesday to deliver a keynote address to students. The 1992 Olympic 100-metre back- stroke gold medal- ist spoke about the importance of perseverance, ded- ication and the power of team work. JAMES HOGGETT / SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Oakville Cricket Clubs B team won its first-ever championship last weekend, defeat- ing Hamilton B in the Hamilton District Cricket League second division final. Led by 98 runs scored by Majid Mohmmod, Oakville racked up 203 runs in 33 overs. Oakville then limited Hamilton to 147, with Mohmmod clinching the victory by making two quick wickets while bowling near the end of the game. Clearly, he was man of the match, Oakville coach Zain Khot said of Mohmmod. Sheikh Nahyaan contributed 50 runs to the Oakville attack as well, while Imran Mohammed contributed back-to-back remarkable catches on the mid-wicket boundary to preserve the 56-run victory. Also suiting up for Oakville in the win were Nasrullah Syed, Srini Kesavan, Niaz Ahmad, Syed Mairaj Hoda, Manik Bhan, Vishnu Dhanbir, Karim Gilani and Tabish Khot. Ali Kamal Shah also coaches the team. This was just the second time in Oakville Cricket Club history that the team reached the second division finals, the other time coming in 2004. k d l fCric et squa c aims irst HDCL division championship