Bundaberg Cricket sudden-death semi-finals will be contested this weekend with all senior division matches at Salter Oval and all but one of the junior division games at Kendall Flat.
The only division where the semis do not follow a 1v4 and 2v3 format is Division 2 where the four-team competition means minor premiers Waves have gained direct passage to next Sunday’s grand final, where they will meet the winner of the semi-final between East Bundy Magpies and Norths.
Waves were also No. 1 in the Bundaberg Cricket Rum City Foods Intra Cup and Division 3, and in those semi-finals, they will take on Magpies and YMCA respectively.
Brothers will do battle with Norths in the other Intra Cup semi, while in Division 3, it is Magpies up against Isis.
In Under-16s, minor premiers Waves are opposed to Hervey Bay Brumbies, with YMCA and Brothers Pumas to go head-to-head.
Brothers Mustangs finished on top of the U14 Bundaberg Cricket table and they will tussle with Norths Muntz Marauders, with second-placed Maryborough to host their semi-final against Waves.
It will be an all-Norths Junior Cricket 2 Bundaberg Cricket semi-final between minor premiers Maroons and Bundy Power, while Norths’ third side in the play-offs, Taipans, keen to strike against Waves.
After scoring an unbeaten 120 in their previous match, dynamic all-rounder Lenny Henry compiled an unbeaten 38 and claimed a double-hat-trick in his 4-2 from six overs for Bundaberg in their big win over South Burnett in the last round of the Wide Bay Under-12 Championships at Kendall’s Flat on Sunday.
In under-14, Bundaberg also had a big win over South Burnett with Tahj Coates leading the batting charge with 70, and Bayley Fagg the main destroyer with 4-16 after earlier scoring 23 from just 10 balls.
Bundaberg will now host the finals against Fraser Coast (U14) and Gympie (U12) at Salter Oval this Sunday.
Softball
Hervey Bay Softball preliminary finals will be played in all divisions at Brothers Sports Club tomorrow, starting with under-12 at 8.30am, and running through to the A Grade Men’s match at 2pm and the A Grade Ladies at 4pm.
The men’s match will pit minor premiers United Heat, who were beaten by Terrors in the major semi-final, against Maryborough who placed fourth before edging out Misfits 4-3 last week.
In the ladies’ preliminary final Waves Tsunamis, who were soundly beaten by United Firesticks in the major semi-fina -, will do battle with Bargara Bullets, who struggled for mot of the regular season but ambushed Terrors 11-1 in the minor semi.
Rugby League
Bundaberg will host two first round matches in the QRL Under-18 Auswide Bank Mel Meninga Cup at Waves Sports Complex tomorrow with Central Capras to meet Sunshine Coast Falcons at 2pm, and Wide Bay Bulls to suit up against Western Mustangs at 3.30pm.
The Bulls team includes four Bundaberg players – five-eighth Bryden Blair, and Interchange trio Zander Kerr, Flynn Purkis and Riley Kearton, all of Wests Panthers.
Meanwhile reigning BRL A Grade premiers Brothers will host Gladstone Valleys in their only trial match of the pre-season at Brothers Sports Club at 5pm tomorrow.
Brothers coach Andrew Hamilton said he will field a near full-strength side, with Jayden Alberts the only absentee.
All the Brethren’s other gun players will line up including 2019 premiership players Kevin Sherriff, Zac Bainbridge, Taylor Barritt, Tyla Hodge, and Tyrell Priestley, and star new recruits Tom Murray, Jake Thompson, Tim Cole, and Royce Blair.
Wide Bay Mal Meninga Cup team: 1 Malachi Lawton 2 Heneli Havili 3 Ruben Broome 4 Dylan Bennett 5 Tallis Murray 6 Bryden Blair 7 Christopher Kerkow 8 Cooper Burke 9 Joel Cox 10 Folau Havili 11 Cody Gale 12 Elias Broome 13 Kyle Knight 14 Lachlan Zelinski 15 Zander Kerr 16 Flynn Purkis 18 Riley Kearton 19 Bailey Mills.
Swimming
Bundaberg Swim Team will have 25 competitors among a total of 444 competitors from 25 clubs throughout the region at the 2021 Wide Bay Long Course Championships at Norville Pool from tonight through to Sunday.
The powerful St Andrews Club has the biggest contingent with a team of 41, and many stars of the future will be on show.
Action will be fast and furious, with the program to start with 10 events tonight, the first being the Boys 12 and over 1500m at 6pm. Tomorrow’s competition starts at 8.30am, running through to 4.51pm. Sunday’s action starts at 8am with the last event set down for 4.09pm.
Spectators are welcome.
AFL
High-flying AFL Wide Bay Takalvan’s Women’s Premiership leaders Across The Waves Eagles have the bye tomorrow, leaving Brothers Bulldogs to fly the local flag, taking on fellow battlers Gympie Cats.
With the Bulldogs’ home ground unavailable due to it hosting the softball preliminary finals, the game will be played on the Eagles’ turf at Frank Coulthard Oval at 3pm.
Earlier in the day, at 10.30am, the Bulldogs’ Senior men’s team will play Rockhampton Panthers in a practice match.
Football
Across The Waves coach John Brillante is expecting another tough game when they take on United Park Eagles (UPE) in the nation-wide knock-out FFA Cup at Martens Oval tomorrow at 6pm.
Waves dominated UPE during the Wide Bay League rounds last season but suffered a shock 5-3 loss to them in the grand final, and John said the two sides “always bring out the best in each other”.
Waves are coming off a skinny 1-0 win against KSS Jets last Saturday when new recruit Nykodah Smith scored on debut, but John said defender Matt Twyford “had a really good game in a good overall team performance”.
Callum Hillier is again captain of the Waves side which is similar to last year’s line-up, with “just about all players back” including prolific scorer Bryce Hibberd.
Greyhounds
Trained at Beachmere by Paul McIlveen, outsider Bad and Boujee made the most of her late inclusion in the field, recording her first race victory in eight starts in the rich Bundaberg Young Guns Final at this week’s meeting at Thabeban Park.
Originally listed as an emergency and paying $15, she came into the field in box 7 and won well from favourite, the ultra-consistent Burn Out.
Kevin Bryant, of Tiaro, was the only trainer to claim a double on the program, getting the money with second starter Garcon in the Maiden, and veteran Dyna Smokey, which made it five wins from as many starts on the track in the Best 8.
Prince Cosmic also made it back-to-back wins for Bundaberg Greyhound Racing Club president Ricky Hassall in a 5th Grade.
Three other local trainers were also among the winnings on the day, Brian Terry with Koolboo Supreme in the Novice Non-Penalty, Kevin Pershouse with Pete’s Dream in the Masters 5th Grade, and Narelle Mulcahy with Masked Crusader, which posted her third victory in 5 starts in the final 5th Grade.
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