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Tuggeranong Valley's Shane Devoy wins Cricket ACT's DB Robin Medal

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Tuggeranong Valley's Shane Devoy Photo: Jeffrey Chan

In the big-hitting world of the Big Bash League, spinners who turn the ball away from the batsmen can be gold, and ACT Comets coach Mark Higgs believes tweaker Shane Devoy has the weapons to make it in Cricket Australia's Twenty20 slog-fest.

After a stunning summer with both bat and ball, Devoy added the DB Robin Medal to his trophy cabinet at Wednesday night's Cricket ACT grade presentation night at Woden Tradies for his 45 wickets and 514 runs across all three first-grade competitions over summer.

He was a runaway winner with 28 votes, six clear of Ginninderra batsman Sam Gaskin, with Queanbeyan's Michael Spaseski third on 20.

It adds to the Peter Solway Medal the Tuggeranong Valley all-rounder won the previous summer as the Comets' best player in the Futures League for 2012-13.

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Weston Creek Molonglo's Ingrid Svilans won the SJ Moore Medal for the women's competition for her 422 runs at an average of 70.33, while Luke Ryan won the inaugural Darren Richards Medal as the ACT's best indoor cricketer.

After another stunning summer, Higgs felt Devoy had the tools to take his game to the next level both at state level and also in the lucrative Big Bash League.

He said Devoy's left-arm orthodox bowling suited Twenty20 cricket.

"Left-arm orthos, in particular, are big value in Big Bash cricket because they spin the ball away from the right-hander," Higgs said.

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Tuggeranong Valley's Shane Devoy wins Cricket ACT's DB Robin Medal

ACT Comets batsman Matt Condon teams up with idol Michael Hussey for PM's XI against England

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ACT Comets batsman Matt Condon has been selected in the PM's XI team to play England. Photo: Jeffrey Chan

If you have to pick one cricketer to model your game upon, there are few better than Australian great Michael Hussey.

That's exactly what ACT Comets batsman Matt Condon did.

The 18-year-old Batemans Bay product will put all his lessons to good use when he lines up alongside Hussey for the Prime Minister's XI against England at Manuka Oval on January 14.

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Condon was a popular choice for the spot designated for a Canberra player.

Although he now plays his club cricket in Sydney with Easts, Condon developed his game with Wests/UC in the Canberra first-grade competition.

He was the competition's leading run-scorer last summer and has become a regular for the Comets in the Futures League.

Condon secured a rookie contract with the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League and later this month willcaptain the ACT/NSW Country team at the under-19 national championships in Adelaide. That's after he makes his debut for the PM's XI alongside Hussey, Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins, international all-rounder Glenn Maxwell and Canberra product Jason Behrendorff.

"It's pretty special for me to play with some big-name players against some quality opposition," Condon said.

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ACT Comets batsman Matt Condon teams up with idol Michael Hussey for PM's XI against England

Comets Take the I-70 Series in St. Louis with 8-5 Victory

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January 3, 2015 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) Missouri Comets ST. LOUIS, MO - Over two hundred fans drove four hours across the state to St. Louis to see the Missouri Comets (11-0) remain undefeated in the 2014/15 Major Arena Soccer League season after an 8-5 victory over the Ambush at a Family Arena, which recorded an attendance of 7,360.

Andre Braithwaite was elected Borden Man of the Match with two goals. In addition, league leader Leo Gibson recorded one tally and one assist to remain at the top of the MASL standings with 43 points.

Having dressed only 13 players after losing Max Touloute, Ramone Palmer and Coady Andrews due to injuries and without Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski on the bench, who had to pay a one-game suspension, the Comets were able to add another victory to their eleven-game winning streak.

The reigning MISL Champions started off strong and took a 2-0 lead early in the first quarter when rookie Kiel Williams notched his second professional goal followed by team captain's Vahid Assadpour sixteenth tally of the season. However, Manny Forbes found the back of the net to end the quarter 2-1.

St. Louis came back and took their first and only lead of the match early in the second quarter when Jeff Di Maria and Elvir Kafedzic each tallied a goal but John Sosa equalized with an outstanding free kick goal, taking a 3-3 tie to the locker rooms.

With goals scored by Robert Palmer and Braithwaite, the visitors retook the lead in the third quarter before Kory Dowell beat goalkeeper Danny Waltman with a shot that crossed the line in the top right corner, ending the third stanza with a partial 5-4 score.

Andonovski's team led by assistant coach Goran Koradzov sealed the victory in the fourth quarter when Braithwaite completed his brace followed by Gibson's twenty- second goal of the season before Matingou completed the scoring for the visitors.

With less than a minute left in the game, former Comets player Stefan St. Louis added another goal to the scoreboard to end the match with a final 8-5 score.

Next up, the Comets will return to the Independence Events Center for two weekends in a row when they host the Tulsa Revolution and the St. Louis Ambush.

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Comets Take the I-70 Series in St. Louis with 8-5 Victory

Boys basketball: Comets pull off double play

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ROCK FALLS Saturday was already set to be a long day for the Newman boys basketball team.

If the Comets continued to play like they had for the first quarter of its Saturday afternoon game against Mercer County, the day was going to be quite a bit longer.

Luckily for coach Ray Sharp and the Comets, improved play in the final three quarters allowed the afternoon to be a bit more enjoyable following a 39-27 victory over Mercer County in the Sauk Valley Bank Shootout.

Knowing we had to play [two] games today, maybe our kids were thinking about that, said Sharp, whose team fell behind 11-0 to start the contest and trailed 14-4 after the first quarter.

We cant be worrying about that, Sharp said. We needed to worry about this game and not worry about having to play two games today. That second game is just a bonus for us today.

Things couldnt have started worse for Newman. Shaky perimeter defense allowed the Golden Eagles (3-9) to get open looks from long range, and their shooters took advantage, connecting on four 3-point field goals. Meanwhile, the Comets looked lost offensively, turning the ball over several times in the first quarter. The poor play prompted a bold move from coach .

I subbed five for five to wake the first five up, and see if we find people that could play better, he said. Weve got to be ready to play from the start.

The Comets starters were back on the court to start the second quarter, and they quickly got into a groove, tying the game 14-14, 3 minutes into the frame on a bucket by junior center Noah McCarty, and taking its first lead at 19-17 on a basket by Nolan McGinn. McCarty led the Comets with 14 points and nine rebounds, and McGinn added with 10 points and six rebounds.

We had three turnovers and one missed shot in our first four possessions, McCarty said. We need to come out better. As the game went on, we settled down.

The Comets settled down to the tune of holding the Eagles to six points over the second and third quarters combined to put a stranglehold on the contest.

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Boys basketball: Comets pull off double play

Ambush Fall 8-5 to Unbeaten Comets

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January 4, 2015 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) St. Louis Ambush St. Charles, MO - The St. Louis Ambush became the latest victim of the indoor soccer juggernaut that is the Missouri Comets when the Comets defeated the Ambush 8-5 Saturday night, January 3 at the Family Arena. The Comets remain undefeated with an 11-0 record while the Ambush are now 3-6.

With eleven games remaining in the 2014-15 regular season, the Ambush are two games behind the Milwaukee Wave and the third of three playoff spots in the Central Division, so there is still time for St. Louis to find the right formula to clinch a playoff spot.

The Comets went up early on first quarter goals by Kiel Williams and Vahid Assadpour. Manny Forbes answered for St. Louis with a goal at 12:33.

St. Louis drew even (2-2) just 20 seconds into the second quarter on Jeff DiMaria's goal. Elvir Kafedzic put the Ambush on top 3-2 when a shot by Blake Ordell rebounded off the board and Kafedzic was able to put it into the back of the net. Missouri tied the game on John Sosa's restart goal at 6:58.

As with many of their other losses, the Ambush played a close first half of the match, only to see their opponents run away with the second half. The contest was tied 3-3 at the end of the first half, but the Comets outscored the Ambush 5-2 in the second half.

Robert Palmer and Andre Braithwaite gave the Comets a two point lead (5-3) on their goals less than two minutes apart in the third quarter. The Ambush closed the gap to 5-4 when a Chad Vandegriffe pass overshot Stefan St. Louis and came off the board at Kory Dowell, who buried it in the net at 5:43. Neither team scored again in the period, which ended with the Comets holding a one point lead.

At 5:07 in the final period, Andre Braithwaite scored his second of the night off a pass from Alain Matingou to increase the Comets' lead to 6-4. Leo Gibson gave Missouri a three point advantage (7-4) with a tally at 6:40, then earned an assist when he passed to Matingou, who scored at 13:43 to give the Comets at 8-4 lead. Stefan St. Louis scored against his former team at 14:50 but it was too little, too late for the Ambush who suffered the 8-5 loss.

Danny Waltman made 17 saves on 22 opportunities in goal for the Comets on his way to the win. Greg Crook continues to amaze in goal for the Ambush. Crook made 24 saves on 32 chances, but his team didn't produce the offense to match his stellar work in goal. You can't score if you don't shoot and a look at the shot count from the game shows in part why Missouri won. The Comets outshot the Ambush 51-29. Next up for the Ambush is a three-game road trip. Next Saturday, January 10, the Ambush visit Wichita for the first time to clash with the B-52s at Hartman Arena. The next weekend, the Ambush play road games on back- to-back nights. On Friday, January 16, the Comets host the Ambush at the Independence Events Center, then on Saturday, January 17, the Ambush return to Hartman Arena to again face the B-52s.

The Ambush return home to the Family Arena on Friday, January 23, when they host the Tulsa Revolution at 7:35 p.m. The following night, Saturday, January 24, the Ambush host the B-52s at 7:35 p.m.

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Ambush Fall 8-5 to Unbeaten Comets

Defense, rebounding lead Fatima girls past Blair Oaks

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WARDSVILLE, Mo. The Fatima Lady Comets might not have put together one of their best shooting performances of the season.

Photo by Kris Wilson

Lauren Viessman of Blair Oaks tries to shoot against the defense of Fatimas Annie Bock (24) during Saturday's game in Wardsville.

But they more than made up for it with their pressure defense and rebounding.

I was very pleased with those two aspects of the game, for sure, Fatima coach Dustin Hays said Saturday after the Lady Comets rolled to a 54-23 win against Blair Oaks. Were still a work in progress offensively.

Fatima (10-1) was 20-of-52 from the field, but forced 24 turnovers and out-rebounded Blair Oaks (4-4) 33-26 17-12 on the offensive glass.

Fatima is a good team, Blair Oaks coach Leroy Bernskoetter said. Theyre 10-1 for a reason. They scrap, theyre aggressive, theyre just a good team.

Morgan Brandt scored a game-high 12 points to lead Fatima, while Annie Bock added nine and Leah Kesel finished with eight for the Comets, who limited the Lady Falcons to a 8-of-35 performance from the field.

Defensively, we were talking about getting pressure up top, but also sprinting back, Hays said. We got a lot of turnovers on the other side of the floor when we sprinted back and got into position.

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Defense, rebounding lead Fatima girls past Blair Oaks

Markstrom's 43-Saves Dash the Flames

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January 2, 2015 - American Hockey League (AHL) Utica Comets The Comets rode Jacob Markstrom's 43-save performance to their sixth consecutive win against the Adirondack Flames on Friday night as the Comets slipped by the Calgary Flames American Hockey League affiliate 2-1 at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

After struggling on New Years Day, Jacob Markstrom redeemed himself by stopping 43 shots on the 44 taken by the Flames. The first star of the game is now 10-2-1-0 on the season all while boasting a new and improved goals-against average (1.91) and a .932 save percentage. The second star of the game, Ronalds Kenins found his way on to the scorer's sheet twice this evening with two assists.

The game didn't start out exactly as the Comets would have liked and were outshot 5-0 within the first five minutes of the game. The Flames effort finally showed up on the board at 13:13 into the first period after Frank Corrado launched the puck around the backboards for a partial clear. Bryce Van Brabant intercepted the puck behind Markstrom's net and dished it out to Nolan Yonkman who was patiently waiting at the blue line for the slapshot. Just as the puck was making its way to its destination, Bill Arnold got a piece of it to sneak it past Markstrom to make it 1-0.

Moments later at 15:39 the Comets answered back with a give and go play from Kenins to Kane Lafranchise that would end up over the shoulder of Joni Ortio for the 1-1 equalizer. Alex Biega was credited with the secondary assist.

After taking the lead early in the second period at 4:27, the Comets somehow managed to keep their composure despite being outshot by 19 goals in the second stanza. The Comets second goal of the game resulted directly from a Cal O'Reilly pass to the front of the net. Henrik Tommernes met Ortio on the doorstep and tapped the puck in for the 2-1 lead and what would eventually be the game-winning goal. Kenins received his second point of the game with the secondary assist.

After Friday night's win over the Flames, the Comets extended their lead over the second place Adirondack Flames back to seven points.

It's another game-day at The Utica Memorial Auditorium tomorrow, as the Comets will take on the Iowa Wild at 7 p.m. for the first time this season. The Comets defeated the Minnesota Wild's AHL affiliate twice during last years inaugural season.

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Markstrom's 43-Saves Dash the Flames

Match Preview: Diminished Comets Visit the St Louis Ambush

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January 2, 2015 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) Missouri Comets ST. LOUIS, Mo. (January 2, 2015) - Only three days after earning a dramatic and historic shootout victory at the Milwaukee Panther Arena, the undefeated Missouri Comets (10-0) will face their first challenge of the year when they visit the Family Arena to take on the St. Louis Ambush (3-5) on Saturday night. The MASL Game of the Week will be nationally televised on ESPN 3.

A large number of Comets supporters are expected to travel across the state for the regular season contest. However, fans who will stay in Kansas City are encourage to join the official watch party hosted by Comets Nation at Coach's Bar and Grill (103rd Street & Wornall Rd.)

Max Touloute (groin), Ramone Palmer (hamstring) and Coady Andrews (ankle) will all miss the match as they are still recovering from injuries suffered throughout the week. In addition, Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski was suspended one game after receiving a red card on Wednesday and will not be able to lead his team from the bench.

This will be the first time both teams face off in the inaugural season of the Major Arena Soccer League. Nevertheless, the Missouri teams have had a longtime rivalry. The last time they met, the Comets took back home a dominating 27-6 multipoint victory and won all four MISL regular season matches.

The Ambush are led in points by forward Stefan St. Louis, who helped the Comets win the MISL Championship last season. The Chaguanas, Trinidad and Tobago native has scored four goals and records five assists.

For the Comets, forward Leo Gibson not only leads the team but also the league with a total of 41 points recording 21 goals and 20 assists followed by team captain Vahid Assadpour, who earned Team of the Week honors, notching 15 goals and 14 assists for a total of 29 points.

The Comets will return to the Independence Events Center next Saturday, January 10 when they host the Tulsa Revolution.

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Match Preview: Diminished Comets Visit the St Louis Ambush


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