As part of multicultural week the Men’s’ and Womens’ soccer teams of the Bellarine Peninsula are invited to participate in the Bellarine Cup. This year we held the cup at the Ocean Grove soccer pitches. The Surfside Waves ran a sausage sizzle to support the teams and their supporters. They also set up their pitches so that when the players arrived all was ready for a great day of soccer.

The Bellarine Cup is a handicap event where the clubs start the day with negative number of goals according to the number of senior teams they entered into the Geelong competition the previous year. There were 10 x 44 minute games to be organised on the day. Each club was responsible for refereeing two games, so it essential that all players demonstrate good sportsmanship and play within the rules of the game. This is the third year of running the Bellarine Cup. In the first year the result came down to the last game of the day with Surfside Waves winning the inaugural event. Last year Barwon Heads were run away winners. This year it came down once again to the last game. Surfside Waves had played all their games and were 1 goal ahead of the Bellarine Sharks and 4 goals ahead of Barwon Heads. Games between these two teams have always been close and so it was anyone’s event to win. At about 15 minutes into the first half Daniel DeSimone of the Bellarine Sharks received a super pass from his midfielders to run away with only the goalie to beat. He slotted home the first goal and the Sharks were in front by one goal at half time. This made them level with Surfside Waves and it looked like it could be a tied tournament, however late in the second half Daniel DeSimone threw his head at a low cross from a corner, taking the ball around knee height he pummelted the ball into the goal for his second goal and the goal which won the Bellarine Cup for the Sharks! There was much celebration from the St Leonards team who will start the home and away season with some silver ware on the mantle. Thanks should go to all the club referees on the day, The Surfside Waves for hosting the event and especially Gill Black and Murray Hall for organising the day.