1iS-The Canadian Champion, Tuesday, Sepiember 4, 2001 Coach up for bil! awardF i IBantam Emil Dimitrov', swtmming expertise have been recognized ai the national level with a nomination for the 3M Coacbing Canada Awards. The longtime instruclor began coaching the Milton Marlins shorlly after immigrai- inig fromn Bulgaria. Over the past eight years. be's laken the local club from a pre- dominantly comînunity-based program to a provincially-recognized team. In 19981 and 2000, be was recognized by Swim Ontario for bis achievemenîs as age group Coacb of the Year. Dimitrov is one of 19 nominces in Ontario and among 97 in Canada tbis year. Four winners will bc announced ai an awards banquet in Mississauga October 20. School's Inn Please drive safely. C-ustom sports, N@IITHOIARDS Photo by GRAHAM PAINE vMilton racer back on track Campbellville's Mark Marshall l9 flow back in full force since missing two months of the motocross season with a broken arm. The i 4-year-old racer recently competed at the cross-border Trans-Can champlonships in Walton, Ont. where he placed i 2th in the 125cc junior division and lBth in the 250cc class. He qualified for the championships with strong showings in Barrie and Woodstock. - Nton Ninor Basbal Asso&WciaUo NOTICE We are accepting applications from any- one interested in coaching Rep Basebali for the 2002 season. Please note that if we don't have applications by September 8/01 there wiIl be NO REP BASEBALL for the 2002 season. The reason for this is that time is needed to put together a team. It isn't fair to the coaches or players to be thrown together in the spring. Please take the time to consider helping in the upcoming year. Please contact Steve Wagemann 905-876-2640 or Paul Perrott 905-876-1496 girls take second in playdowns By STEVE LeBLANC The Champion Milton's bantamn girls basebaîl leam spent mucb of ibis pasi season jusi one spot down from the top of ils league's pecking order. Good or bad, that trend continued during the cbampionsbip finals in Burlington Augusl 22. Just a single win removed from shedding ils runner-up stalus and sîealing gold from elimination-facing Burlinglon, Milton cougbed up leado in consecutive contests and was thse last squad ousled from the double-knockout playdowns. Tbe back-to-back losses camne exaclly three weeks after tbe local bantamns upstaged top-seated Burlinglon 11-8 in their final regular-season clash. Botb limes, substandard defense kept the girls from securing the tille. "Tbey (Burlinglon) were just cooler in the field than we were," said manager Nick Wollaston. The second defeat was especially heart- breaking for the evenlual silver-medalisîs. Just one out away from ending lthe sixtb inning sill in front, the bantamos blew a rouine grounder whicb opened the door 10 a seven-run rally. This proved 10 be the difference, as tbey were out-muscled 18-11. Pitcber Ali Sloffels was in cruise control lbrougb the early stages of play before hurting herself on a lhird-inning slide mbt second base. From Ibere - perhaps dis- tracîed by thse pain - she was less than stellar, and nol adequalely supported mn tIse field. Rachelle Hannah and Haley MacDonald led witb multi-Isil performances in game îwo, whicb followed a dloser but equally bumbling lois for Milton. Abead until the midway mark of tIse con- test, the bantarus were Isammered for seven mons in lIse fourtb and disposed of 12-7. A couple of errors îumned tIse ride in Ibis one as well. Katie Wollaston delivered rock-solid relief pitcbing and Justine Williams wenl 4-for-4 aI tIse plaIe, but Ibeir efforts jual couldn'î overcome a lack of defensive prowess. The abrupt ending 10 playoff action fol- lowed a three-win stretch for Milton. Two of those were Isigb-scoring victories over North York. Jan Wollaston's five-Isil clinic and a solo homer by Laura Wellstead combined for a 15-9 comeback decision in game one while the retumin engagement - Isigbigbted by Ashley Beeboo's effective mound work- ended 13-9 in lIse locals' favour. These wmns sandwicbed a 12-1 mercied triumph over Annetle in which each and every player exploiled a flawed defensîve unit. Nicole Gooding sîood oui wilIs three Isils. Millon's silver-medal. playoff perform- ance followed a second-place finish in the regular season, during whicb lhey posled a record of 13-4. Please fax ait of your sports reports to Steve LeSlanc any-