After taking out a double with Frosty Bear and Jamesatelli on his home track at Thabeban Park on Melbourne Cup Day, highly successful Bundaberg trainer Gary Clem will chase more riches with the pair at the bumper annual meeting at Mt Perry tomorrow.
Frosty Bear was a 6.25-length victor over fellow local Regalo D’Oro in the Benchmark 50 Handicap, ridden by apprentice Brodie Moffat, while Jamesatelli was a narrow winner over Sassy Choice in the East End Hotel Open Handicap with champion senior rider Kelly Gates in the saddle.
Tomorrow, Brodie’s 3 kg allowance will again be a key when Frosty Bear looks set to continue his great form in the R Builders Band 0-55 Handicap.
But Jamesatelli, which will again be ridden by Kelly, faces a class field in the Nick Giorgetta Country Stampede Qualifier Open handicap against the likes of Jandowae mare Sheezasinga, which has six wins, including a last-start victory over Jamesatelli in Gayndah on 14 October, and two seconds from her past nine starts, and Toowoomba gelding Annakuri, which notched a hat-trick of wins at Gayndah, Toowoomba, and Kilcoy, before a last-start third at Esk.
The first event is at 1.35 pm, with Beatlemania favoured in the Burnett Livestock and Realty QTIS Maiden Plate, with Last Laugh appealing in the Rum City Foods Ratings Band 0-50 Handicap, and in the rich Evolution Mining Mt Perry Cup, last year’s winner Mr Vista looks set to take a power of beating once again after winning at Gatton two starts back, with Morgan Butler again in the saddle, and with Elizano shaping as his hardest to beat.
Brodie and Kelly both completed doubles on Melbourne Cup Day, also partnering Master Drummer and Pressure and Time to success in the Craft Rental and Hardware Class B and Ray White Bundaberg Maiden Plate, respectively.
Cricket
Wide Bay endured a mixed bag in the South Queensland Country Open Schaffer Shield in Toowoomba on the weekend, going down to South East Queensland (SEQ) 6-274 to 8-237 on Saturday, but scoring a five-wicket victory over Darling Downs and South West Queensland in their one-dayer on Sunday, passing the host zone’s 9-150 with 17.2 overs to spare.
Bundaberg top order batsman Brendan Handley and captain and pace spearhead Nathan Van Eekeren both gained selection in the South Queensland Country team after the former scored 61 and an unconquered 31, and the latter led the attack well.
Other locals to feature included Sam Pearson, who was Wide Bay’s only multiple wicket-taker against SEQ with 2-38, opener Chris Napper with 43 and 26 respectively, and fellow opener Luke Owen and Sam Pearson with scores of 26 and an unbeaten 24 against SEQ.
Locally, Arden Lankowski was at his destructive best, blazing an unbeaten 75 to spearhead Easts to a nine-wicket demolition of Norths in their Rum City Foods Division 1 Premiership showdown at Salter Oval on Saturday in a red-letter day for the club.
Without Brendan Handley and Chris Napper, Norths were bundled out for a paltry 110 despite a swashbuckling 72 from fill-in No. 3 Shaun Pinney, with Ollie Horne, captain Ben Davey, Trent Seeds, Dale Steele, and Lachlan Donovan snaring two scalps each.
With Arden unleashing with 14 fours and two huge sixes, the Magpies raced home with 28.2 overs to spare.
All of Easts’ other five teams were also triumphant on the day – in Division 2, both their teams in Division 3, Under-14, and Under-12a.
Meanwhile, Division 1 premiers Brothers could not overcome the loss of their two Schaefer Shield representatives, Mitchell Parsons and Sam Pearson, and they suffered their first loss, going down to Waves by four wickets despite a four-wicket haul to paceman Dean Krebs (4-36), with Sam Stuchbery and the in-form Matthew Pozzebon.
They laid the platform for the Blue and Golds with three wickets each, before opener Ryan Norton put them on track in their chase with a signature 49.
Tomorrow, Brothers will try to bounce back against Easts, while Norths should welcome back Brendan Handley and Chris Napper as they chase their first win of the season when they meet Waves.
Aussie Bundy Big Bash action returns to Salter Oval tonight, with a 10/10 double-header, with Betta Heat taking on Takalvans Taipans at 6.30 pm, and Searles RV Centre Vikings doing battle with Headland Pies at 8 pm.
In the minor grades on Saturday, after his century in under-16 the previous week, Son of a Gun Alex Stuchbery bagged 5-19 for Waves in Division 3, but it was not enough as Easts Black completed a three-wicket victory, led by Brock Parks with 39.
The stand-out performer in Juniors was Hervey Bay Colts’ Caelab Barr, who cut loose with an unbeaten 152 from 91 balls to pave the way for a big win over Brothers after they had been reeling at 3-23.
In the Queensland Premier Cricket Taverners Under-17 Shield, Wide Bay fell agonizingly close in their penultimate round clash with Sunshine Coast at Salter Oval on Sunday, being bowling out one run short in pursuit of the Coast’s 10-160.
Bundaberg trio of Toby Lamond, vice-captain and opener Lachlan Heycox, and Sam Stuchbery were each among the wickets with 3-15, 2-31, and 2-28 respectively, as they did a great job with the ball.
But apart from Lachlan with 49, Toby with 45, and another local Nic DeLacy with 18, the remaining eight batsmen could manage just 19 runs between them.
Wide Bay will be playing for pride, but they face another tough assignment, away to fourth placed Western Suburbs to complete their campaign this Sunday.
Bundaberg is also away to Gympie in the Wide Bay Junior Championships on Sunday.
Rugby
After being humiliated by Waves Falcons 107-6 in the first round of the Rugby Bundaberg Spring Cup five weeks early, former glamour club Turtles Brothers’ season from hell continued with an eerily similar 104-7 Falcons’ carnage at Waves Sports Club on Saturday.
Inspirational captain/coach and No. 8 Tom Akers racked up a massive 39 points with three tries and 12 conversions, while Left Winger Jack Battleday also notched a hat-trick of five-pointers.
Outside Centre Reece Volz and Dean Honeysett, who came off the bench, each grabbed doubles.
But Tom said rising superstar Scrum-half Cornelis Van Der Merwe was again their best in a polished team performance, ahead of Fly-Half Zak Smale and captain and uncompromising Second Rower Lachlan Thompson.
Meanwhile, both Easts Pythons and Wests Barbarians crossed for three tries in their epic duel, with rampaging Loose-Head Prop Suliasi Cakautabu powering over twice for reigning champions Pythons, but it was their kicker Tyson Douglas who was a match winner, converting all three tries for a 21-20 victory.
Tomorrow at Waves Sports Club, Turtles will be up against Fraser Coast Mariners at 3 pm, before Gladstone eye-balls Pythons at 5 pm, and Falcons aim to keep soaring against Barbarians at 7 pm.
Softball
Coral Coast/Hervey Bay Softball A Grade Ladies’ action will feature a blockbuster between arch-rivals reigning premiers Waves Tsunamis and Brothers United Firesticks at 2 pm tomorrow at Frank Coulthard Complex.
There will also be an A Grade Men’s showdown at the same time between United Heat and Waves Schooners.
Meanwhile, all Bargara teams will play Terrors in Hervey Bay.
Here are the scores from the weekend:
Cricket Bundaberg
RUM CITY FOODS PREMIERSHIPS
DIVISION 1
EASTS 1-113 (Arden Lankowski 72no, Eric Petersen 29no) d NORTHS 10-110 (Shaun Pinney 72, Ben Davey 1.1-0-4-2, Ollie Horne 7-3-14-2, Lachlan Donovan 5-0-14-2, Trent Seeds 5-0-27-2, Dale Steele 5-0-32-2).
WAVES 6-148 (Ryan Norton 49, Michael Loader 32, Dean Krebs 9-1-36-4) d BROTHERS 10-147 (Toby Lamond 35, Sam Stuchbery 4-0-16-3, Matthew Pozzebon 7-1-28-3, Kynan Hard 6-0-33-2).
DIVISION 2
WAVES 7-210 (Brendan Prossliner 76, Jake Kleidon 53, Shannan Heycox 6.4-0-32-3, Clinton Honor 8-0-42-2) d BROTHERS 10-206 (Ryley Gibbs 44, Harry Johnson 34no, Simon Millett 30, Clinton Honor 27, David Linwood 8-1-45-3, Jack Kleidon 8-2-15-2, Albert Motbey 6-0-45-2).
EASTS 4-193 (Troy Cross 64, David Bonser 47) d ISIS 10-191 (Scott Willing 57, Ashley Helmore 40, Wesley Bramley 7-1-38-3, Laurie McCloskey 4-1-11-2, Roderick Jensen 8-1-27-2).
DIVISION 3
EASTS WHITE 4-111 (Jarman Grigg 39no, Sandeep Gogireddy 37, Andrew Santacaterina 6-0-43-3) d ISIS 10-110 (Charlie Tenggren 31, Lex Webster 7-0-18-3, Richmond Felstead 7-1-20-3, Jarman Grigg 7-0-13-2).
EASTS BLACK 7-132 (Brock Parks 39, Alex Stuchbery 7-1-19-5) d WAVES 7-130 (Wayne Niekerk 55).
NORTHS 2-128 (Brad Baxter 65no) d BROTHERS 10-121 (Clint Mathiesen 34, John Balaam 7-0-49-3, Steve Tucker 5-2-10-2, Ethan Hamel 7-2-23-2).
UNDER-16 (JUNIOR 3)
MARYBOROUGH 5-205 (Harrison Murree 77, Deegan Black 5-0-35-2, William Fletcher 5-0-45-2) d WAVES 8-79 (Tom DeLacy 31, Harrison Murree 6-2-5-3, Isaac Cameron 4.2-1-11-3).
NORTHS KNIGHTS 5-213 (Jordan Mather 75, Oliver Wendt 59no, Zach Hamel 1-0-9-2) d NORTHS TALLONS 7-179 (Ferdy Jenner 53no, Travis Kapernick 44, Levi Faint 6-1-40-2).
HERVEY BAY COLTS 4-249 (Caelab Barr 152no, Brooke Kington 42, Jaxon Hill 4-0-31-3) d BROTHERS BIG MEATS 9-211 (Charlie Steele 48, Riley Collin 37).
UNDER-14 (JUNIOR 3)
NORTHS BEARS 6-227 (Corin Driver 55ret, Beau Donnison 46, Tielman Nieuwoudt 36, Ayden Ricciardi 3-0-9-2, Damon Broughton 3-0-19-2) d BROTHERS INLINE CABINETS 6-137 (Cale Anderson 49, Tielman Nieuwoudt 5-0-20-2).
BROTHERS PETE WILD’S CONCRETING 9-224 (Lucas Cunningham 47, Curtis Green 28, Oscar Inman 6-0-31-3, Taylah Missingham 2-0-12-2, Khoda Sippel-Casey 6-0-49-2) d WAVES 9-49 (James Parton 3-2-2-3, Cooper Kelly 3-0-7-2, Xavier Holzberger 2-0-11-2).
EASTS 7-195 (Archie Webster 47ret, Tanner Melein 31) d HERVEY BAY COLTS 7-133 (Archie Webster 1-1-0-2, Tyson Melein 4-0-14-2, Noah Biju Aledx 5-0-14-2).
UNDER-12A (JUNIOR 2)
NORTHS AVENGERS 6-236 (Jack Juster 52ret, Rhyan Balaam 36, Oliver Begeda 33no, Hayden Banks 31ret) d BROTHERS DENTAL EXCELLENCE 6-49 (Rhyan Balaam 2.5-1-1-2, Cameron Sorbello 3-1-5-2).
EASTS 6-184 (Felix Joseph 33no, Sam Custers 4-1-19-2) d BROTHERS MIXED BEACH 360 7-55 (Sophie Steele 3-0-6-3).
BROTHERS HOOPERS PAINTING CONTRACTORS 6-170 (Hamish Blair 50no) d WAVES 8-77 (Cooper Dowling 3-0-9-2).
Rugby Bundaberg Spring Cup
WAVES FALCONS 104 (Tom Akers 3, Jack Battleday 3, Reece Volz 2, Dean Honeysett 2, Cornelis Van Der Merwe, Brian Wheeler, Riley Spencer, Lachlan Thompson, Sam Puusaari tries; Tom Akers 12 conversions) d TURTLES BROTHERS 7 (Adam Brown try; Dylan Harradine-Hall conversion).
EAST BUNDABERG PYTHONS 21 (Suliasi Cakautabu 2, Vakaduadua tries; Tyson Douglas 3 conversions) d WESTS BARBARIANS 20 (Loketi Finau, Jona Tovolea tries; Conversion & Penalty Goal).
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