Across The Waves completed dominant seasons in the Football Wide Bay Premier and Reserves Men’s Leagues with grand final victories over United Park Eagles (UPE) 3-0 and Bingera 3-0 respectively at Martens Oval on Saturday night.
UPE however made it back-to-back Women’s Premier League Grand Final titles, defeating Kawungun Sandy Straits (KSS) Jets 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out after scores were deadlocked at 2-2 at full-time and neither side was able to land the winner in extra-time.
Waves had lost the previous two Premier Men’s grand finals, to Bingera 2-1 in extra-time and UPE 4-3 respectively.
But there was no denying them this time despite UPE competing strongly with them throughout, with Golden Boot winner Nykodah Smith drawing first blood with his 50th goal of the season in the 40th minute, Corey Leggett extending their lead 13 minutes into the second stanza, and Luke Handley putting the icing on the cake in the 87th minute.
In a galaxy of stars, quiet achieving captain Hayden Lobegeier took out the Player of the Final award.
Waves also completed the Reserves League Champions-Grand Final double.
In the Women’s Premier League, KSS Jets, who had beaten League Champions Sunbury Blues in the Preliminary Finals, looked set for victory until 15-year-old rising multi-talent superstar Lucy Hamilton stepped up to the Plate with a 90th minute equaliser.
With no score added in extra-time, the game then went to penalty kicks, and Lucy again calmly slotted her shot to level the ledger at 4-4 after the allotted five shots each.
Then in sudden dearth shots, the UPE teenage keeper Ruby Rowlands saved the Jets’ first kick, but the referee ruled that she had moved early, and Mikaela Scholz was allowed to take it again, but she pushed her kick wide.
Meg Freeman then coolly stepped forward and fired the ball past Jets custodian Christy Bryan to clinch victory.
Jets’ Elaine Riebe received some consolation when she received the Player of the Final award.
CRICKET
Norths and East Bundaberg Magpies staked their early claims for grand final berths in the Bundaberg Cricket Tallon-Giles Division 1 T20 Cup by each winning both of their matches to start the season at Kendall’s Flat on Saturday.
It is early days yet, with four rounds to go, but Norths looked good in a 13-run victory over Waves with Josh Winen leading the charge with 58 runs, and South Queensland representative star Nathan Van Eekeren producing a dynamic double of 2-14 and 39 runs.
The pair also featured in a five-wicket dispatch of Brothers with 45 and an unbeaten 26 respectively.
The Magpies plucked Brothers by 23 runs with a robust team performance, before chasing down Waves’ formidable 8-152, with their Queensland Country ace Arden Lankowski claiming 2-36 before blasting 89 from just 48 balls as they romped home with more than two overs to spare.
RUGBY
Left winger Osea Tulele notched a double as two-times defending champions Fraser Coast Mariners showed that they will again be the team to beat with a 36-7 demolition of the reborn East Bundaberg Pythons in the first round of the Rugby Bundaberg Elders Insurance Spring Cup at Brothers Sports Club on Saturday afternoon.
Waves Falcons also made a welcome return to the competition after a season in limbo, and they were very competitive throughout in a 15-8 loss to last season’s beaten grand finalists Turtles Brothers.
Turtles scored two tries to one, with one each to No. 8 Alexander McClymont and veteran player/coach Brendon McKeown, who started on the Reserves bench.
But Brendon said Scrum Half Murray Evans, Prop Josh Saua and Fly-half Tom Watson were their best, and that flashy 17-year-old right winger Brayden Sander, a Wide Bay Schoolboys representative, was also good at his Senior Rugby debut, and that he will get better and better with more experience.
“I was pretty happy with our first game performance, but it showed that we have to work on a couple of things, but they should be resolved through training,” Brendon said.
“With the upcoming season, I’m positive, especially when we have a few lads to come back into the side, so everything is looking good.”
Here are all the scores:
CRICKET BUNDABERG
TALLON-GILES DIVISION 1 T20 CUP
Round 1:
Norths 5/155 (Josh Winen 58, Nathan Van Eekeren 39, Callum Neubecker 3/27) d The Waves 7/142 (Sean Stuchbery 75, Jayden Larsen 25, Damian Turner 3/24, Nathan Van Eekeren 2/14).
East Bundy Magpies 8/148(cc) (Arden Lankowski 35, Lennon Childs 35, Cameron Miller 2/19, Harry Kuorikoski 2/23, Lachlan Heycox 2/25) d Brothers 8/125 (Cameron Miller 41, Dale Steele 2/22).
Round 2:
Norths 5/126 (Josh Winen 45, Nathan Van Eekeren 26 not out, Jeremy Haaksma 2/18, Harry Kuorikoski 2/23) d Brothers 6/123(cc) (Nithin Shetty 64, Alex Turner 2/11, Damian O’Neall 2/25, Bruce Worthington 2/34).
East Bundy Magpies 3/153 (Arden Lankowski 89, Lennon Childs 38 not out) d The Waves 8/152(cc) (Kori Pope 57, Ben Davey 2/24, Arden Lankowski 2/36).
TALLON-GILES DIVISION 2 T30 CUP
The Waves 7/157(cc) (Vince Differ 38, Kyle Stallan 27, Harry Johnson 3/31) d Brothers 5/141.
East Bundy Magpies 4/55 (Dean Kronk 2/14, Logan Woodward 2/21) d Norths 54 (Hayden Pope 5/13, Troy Cross 2/5).
TALLON-GILES DIVISION 3 T30 CUP
Norths 5/142 (John Van Lierop 70, River Felstead 2/23) d YMCA 8/141(cc) (Darren Holznagel 29, Ken Milliken 3/25, Michael Eade 2/34).
The Waves 1/70 (Mitch Wormington 53no) d Isis 64 (Jack Kleidon 4/9, Jack Munro 3/27).
East Bundy Magpies 6/145 (Eric Petersen 41no, Scott Lamond 4/32) d Brothers 6/144(cc) (Oliver Boge 43, Neil Trebbin 33, Eric Petersen 2/25, Evan McLean 2/34).
FOOTBALL WIDE BAY
Grand final results:
PREMIER LEAGUE MEN
ATW 3 (Nykodah Smith, Corey Leggett, Luke Handley) d UPE 0.
RESERVES MEN
ATW 3 d BINGERA 0.
PREMIER LEAGUE WOMEN
UPE 2 (Emily Ryan, Lucy Hamilton) d KSS JETS 2 (Katelyn Penrose, Elaina Riebe) 5-4 in penalty shoot-out.
CHAMPIONS CUP
UNDER-16
ATW UNITED 3 d BAYSIDE STRIKERS 0.
UNDER-14
SUNBURY 3 d SUNBURY BLUES 0.
UNDER-13
ATW HAMMERS 1 d BAYSIDE STRIKERS TORNADOES 0.
UNDER-12
BINGERA 2 d FRAZER BLAZE 0.
RUGBY BUNDABERG
ELDERS INSURANCE SPRING CUP
Round 1:
FRASER COAST MARINERS 36 (Osea Tulele 2, Isoa Tuinasaqalau tries; Filipe Koroibola 2, Isoa Tuinasaqalau conversions) d EAST BUNDABERG PYTHONS 7 (Sam Robinson try, Tyrell Howard Conversion).
TURTLES BROTHERS 15 (Alexander McClymont, Brendon McKeown tries; Dylan Harradine-Hall conversion & penalty) d WAVES FALCONS 8 (Luke Scully try, John Akers penalty).
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