24 Aug 2024

In 2022, OPBC entered the NWSBA Mixed League primarily for new members to gain competitive match experience and to our delight, we won Division 3 in our first season. Last season, we finished midtable with a 50% win record so this this year, our aim was to push on and hopefully gain promotion.
With a squad of eight (including five original squad members), we managed to win our first two games but came back down to earth by losing the next two. The trend continued, in what was an evenly balanced competitive league: by halfway, we had won three from six.
At the business end of the season, playing well, we proceeded to win three consecutive games and were now firmly in chance of promotion, but with three difficult away matches remaining. First up, the league leaders, Hersham, which we won. Dramatically, our next match was postponed at warm-up stage due to a storm. Meanwhile, our rivals all played and lost, leaving us needing to win at Bishop Duppas to gain promotion. With our whole squad and other supporters in attendance, we didn't let them down and by winning, clinched a spot in next season's Division One.
We also won our last game at Horsell and so finished runners-up, just one point behind Hersham.
Our squad of Gus Romero, Jan Koehli, Gill Lindsay-Smith, Mike Farris, Barry & Jean Griffin, Claire Smith and Chris Koehli (pictured above) all contributed to a successful campaign.