Congratulations to Bargara Triathlon Club, headed by President Troy Austin, on an outstanding season of events, culminating in the Club Bargara Lighthouse Run Festival, which attracted a capacity 250 competitors across five distances at Christsen Park on Sunday.
A field of 17 lined up in the Club Bargara Marathon over 42.2km, and it was won in style at his marathon debut by former Bundaberg athlete Billy Curtis, 23, who now lives and works at Sunshine Coast, completing the course in an impressive 2:49.37, from Darryl Hill (3:08.56) and Troy Geltch (3:11.59), with local triathlon star Ben Artup finding the going tough and winding up fourth in 3:24.32.
Carina Bowes was the Female winner, crossing in 10th place overall in 4:11.48, in advance of Tammy Wickham (4:16.25).
Fifty-seven runners battled it out in the Club Bargara Half-Marathon over 21.1km, with Avishek Singh a run-away winner in 1:17.58, from Daniel Cohen (1:28.03), Matt Sacco (1:28.24), and Billy’s housemate, former Shalom College classmate, and former
Sunshine Coast Falcons Rugby League Queensland Cup star Jake Egan fourth in a time of 1:30.03 in his first ever half-marathon.
Bundaberg’s Petra Galea was the Female victor, coming home eighth overall in 1:36.08.
A further 62 competitors contested the Branyan Clinic 15km, with Jethro Stone emerging victorious in 58:11, from Henry Zimmermann (58:33), and Andrew Pratt (59:08), with Kaleisha Hilborn claiming the Female honours, winding up sixth overall in 1:08.06
There were 87 starters in the Avoca IGA 8km race, with Hayden Small leading them home in 32.49, from Sam Schuler (33.51), and Brendan Smith (39.08), with the first Female Carol McGuiness hot on their heels in fourth position overall, clocking 39.38.
Finally, the Kids Turtle scamper over 2km was taken out by Clancy Pratt in 7.03, beating Hamish O’Brien (7.26) and Jack Bowman (7.38), with fourth placegetter overall Ruby McLaughlin (8.25) claiming the Female award.
AFL
It will be a big weekend for Brothers Bulldogs AFL Club, with their 50th anniversary dinner tomorrow night, but before that they will hosts their cross-town arch-rivals Across The Waves Eagles in all grades throughout the day.
The Under-12 match will start the program at 8.30am, followed by Under-14 at 10am, U17 at 11.30am, Reserves at 1pm, and the Marquis Macadamias Senior Men’s Premiership showpiece at 2.45pm.
In the Senior Men’s, the Bulldogs are in second position, but they are coming off a 4.14 (38) to 0.2 (2) buffeting in a mudbath by the unbeaten Hervey Bay Bombers on 21st May, and they will be out to bounce back.
The Eagles have lost all of their six games so far, including two thrashings at the hands of Brothers, 9.7 (61) to 5.1 (31) on 9th April, and 10.10 (70) to 7.5 (47) at their Frank Coulthard Oval fortress under lights on 29th April, but they would love nothing more than to spoil the Bulldogs’ party.
Rugby League
With seven rounds to go in the Bundaberg Broadcasters A Grade Premiership, this weekend’s matches will have a big bearing on the make-up of the top five sides for the finals.
In the one game tomorrow, competition leaders Hervey Bay Seagulls will be hot favourites to go on their winning ways against Wallaroos at Eskdale Park at 5pm, but with their Maryborough sister-club sixth and last on the ladder, four points behind joint fourth-placed Easts Magpies and Wests Panthers, they must win to keep their hopes alive.
At Salter Oval on Sunday, it should be a battle royale at 1.30pm in the East v West high-stakes showdown with the winner to stay in the race for the top two, but the loser to be consigned to a probable fight to secure a play-offs berth.
Then at 3pm, second placed Waves Tigers, another of the form teams of the competition, can take a giant step towards a top-two finish if they are able to turn the tables on two-times defending champions Past Brothers, who are in third position, three points behind them.
Meanwhile, Bundaberg started their rain-delayed Wide Bay Open Women’s League campaign in the best possible way with a 32-0 whitewash of Central Burnett in Gayndah last Saturday.
Their next game will be against Fraser Coast Crushers at Salter Oval next Sunday.
The Northern Districts League returns to the Discovery Coast Sport and Recreation Oval this Sunday for the first time since 2018, with Miriam Vale Magpies, fresh from their 30-all draw with the unbeaten South Kolan Sharks, to take flight against Avondale Tigers at 12 noon, and Gin Gin Hawks hoping to build on their first win of the season, against Avondale 30-28, when they go head-to-head with the Sharks at 2.45pm.
In between those games at 1.40pm, after breaking through for also their first victory in their comeback season two weeks ago, hosts Agnes Water Marlins will find it tougher against the might of the all-conquering Gin Gin Hawkettes.
Football
Buoyed by their grand Australia Cup campaign, Across The Waves will return to their home-ground for a Football Queensland Premier League Wide Bay Men’s blockbuster against arch-rivals Bingera at 6pm tomorrow.
There is also once match at Martens Oval with United Park Eagles (UPE) hoping to return to the winners’ list against Granville also at 6pm, while Donn Villa host Fraser Flames at 6pm, and KSS Jets will host Sunbury Blues at 5pm Sunday.
In the FQPL WB Women’s division, Waves will also do battle with Bingera at 8.30pm tonight at Martens Oval, while on the Fraser Coast tonight, KSS Jets will suit up against Sunbury Blues, and Tinana lock horns with the Flames, but United Warriors have forfeited to UPE.
Hockey
Bundaberg made a perfect start to the 2022 Women’s Masters Division 2 State Championships in Townsville this afternoon, defeating Gympie 4-0 with doubles to Sue Kendall and Minka Elliott.
Their other team members are captain Angela Asnicar, Naomi Paulsen, Amanda Wightman, Leah McLaren, Nicky Pollock, Maree Beaumont, Erin Greenwood, Malanie Stehbens, Patricia Berthelsen, goalkeeper Christine Pohlmann, Deborah Burchard and Latoya Larsen.
Their next game is against Gladstone tonight, before taking on Tweed 2 tomorrow morning, leading into the semi-finals and cross-pool matches in the afternoon, and the final and play-offs for all other positions on Sunday.
Due to the championships, there are no Bundaberg senior women’s games this weekend, but all other divisions will proceed, and in the Men’s competition, All Blacks I will take on Arrows/Athletics at Hinkler Park at 3.20pm tomorrow.
Earlier, All Blacks II take on Waves Cities I at 2pm, and later, Raiders/Rovers will meet Cities II at 4.40pm.
Netball
With the split round in the Bundaberg Warren Family Homes Premierships, which started on Wednesday night with eight matches including a Division 1 showdown between Waves Blue and Brothers Hurricanes, and finishes with a further eight games next Wednesday night, there will be no Division 1 action at the Superpark tomorrow.
But there will be a shortened round with Net Set Go at 12.30pm, Divisions 6, 7 and 8 at 2pm, and Divisions 9 and 10 at 3.30pm.
SWIMMING
A team of 22, headed by former 1984 Los Angeles Olympics Bronze Medallist Michele Pearson and club coach and World Shortcourse Top 10 in four events in 2021, Daph Soppa, will represent hosts Rum City Masters Swimming in their Short and Sweet Meet at the Bundaberg Swim Academy in Fitzgerald Street tomorrow afternoon.
Bruce Bass, Sue Brennan, Tracy Lee Dunn, Jann Edwards, Lyle Ferguson, Trudy Ford, David Gibson, Ashley Hawkins, Tom Hosking, Kim Hyam, Robyn Keightly, Gary Luthe, Shane O’Sullivan, Bob Punch, Ellen Randle-O’Sullivan, Lexie Steffan, Alison Vercoe, Sharon Walsh, Gay Wilson, and Pauline Yates will also carry the local hopes against swimmers from 11 other clubs from throughout South Queensland.
The first event will start at 1pm, and with 24 events programmed, competition will run through to late afternoon.
Horse Racing
The historic Gayndah Racecourse was established in the mid-1850s and the first Queensland Derby race was held there in 1868, and tomorrow’s meeting coincides with Stradbroke Handicap Day, which for years also incorporated the Derby, at Brisbane’s Eagle Farm.
James has outsider Havashout engaged in the Cup, but topweight Bryneich, a winner of $275,700 in prizemoney which is trained in Dalby by Matt Kropp, is favoured after winning on his home track and Kilcoy before a last-start fourth in Chinchilla.
Greyhounds
Trainers David Plummer, of Takura, and Travis Elson (Yandina Creek) dominated this week’s Bundaberg meeting at Thabeban Park, each bagging winning trebles.
David took out the first two heats of the Bundaberg Young Guns with litter brothers, favourite Jericho ($1.75), which made it back-to-back wins, and second favourite Garfunkel ($3.20), which completed four wins in a row on the track, and the Endeavour
Foundation 5th Grade with litter sister and another favourite Durham ($2.70), which snapped a 13-race losing streak.
Travis got the money with favourites, last-start Albion Park victor Travis’s Lauryn ($1.90) in the first Young Guns Heat, his half-sister Queen Supreme ($1.90) in the Masters 5th Grade, and outsider Mumma’s Machine ($5.50) in the Uncle Rusty’s Photos 5th Grade.
Goodwood owner/trainer Stephen Bland took out the Maiden with Mount Cambla ($2 favourite) on debut, while two other District trainers were also successful on the program, John White with the improving Apache Bear in the Novice Non-Penalty, and Brian Terry with Koolboo Supreme, which ended a 12-race losing sequence in the Mixed 3rd/4th Grade.
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