In this weekend's sports preview, columnist Vince Habermann looks at primary schools rugby league, hockey, racing, AFL, football and more.
St Patrick’s Catholic School will meet Woongarra State School in the Bundaberg Primary Schools Rugby League grand final at Kepnock State School on Monday week September 14 after their semi-final victories this week.
St Patrick’s outgunned Avoca State School 24-4 with two tries to towering forward Tom Elphinstone, one each to Toby Buckland and Lachlan Rae, whose father Chris is a former tennis ace, and goals to Lachlan and Toby Kelly.
Woongarra upset Norville State School 16-4 with a double to livewire five-eighth Jarred McClymont, one to centre Jorja Ohlbrecht, whose mother Mandy is a former top all-rounder who remains heavily involved in several sports as a player, coach and administrator, and goals to Hudson Strickfuss and Lucas Powell.
Woongarra coach Mr Jason Shears, a long-serving champion coach and official in a range of sports up to national level, named prop forwards Wyatt Newton and Jacob Baker and Jarred as their best in a strong all-round team performance.
The other three semi-final coaches, Mr Matt Plumb (St Patrick’s), Mr Jeff Morley (Avoca) and Mr Greg Kruger (Norville), and many other coaches within the competition have also given truly outstanding service to their schools, as well as Bundaberg, Wide Bay and beyond, for many years.
Unfortunately, there will again be no parents or other spectators allowed in the grounds on grand final day.
Most of the players in the two local sides in the Bundaberg Junior Rugby League under-18 division, Wests Panthers and Waves Tigers, started in the primary schools’ system.
The bottom of the table Tigers face a monumental task when they travel to Maryborough to take on second placed Wallaroos tomorrow but there is unfortunately no u18 game this Sunday as Hervey Bay Seagulls have forfeited to West Panthers.
HOCKEY
The Barritt family has been a major part of All Blacks Hockey Club since it was formed through the joining of Ajax women’s and Combines men’s clubs in 1971, and they will be out in force once again in the semi-finals at Hinkler Park tomorrow.
Bundaberg Hockey Association (BHA) president Des Barritt, 56, started playing as a nine-year-old and has played continuously for the club apart from an eight-year work stint in North Queensland, and he will line up in goal in the men’s semi-final against Raiders/Rovers.
Des said his two eldest brothers, Bobby and Kevin, attended the first meeting to form the club and that he and his six brothers at one stage had all played together in senior men’s, and that his six sisters had also proudly worn the all black uniform.
“It was a standing joke in the club to call it the All Barritt’s,” Des said.
The current men’s side includes up to six Barritt’s, Des, three of his nephews Will Barritt, Craig Barritt and Brandon Christensen, and two of his grandsons Isaac and Tim Wales, with Tim helping out regularly despite only just having turned 13.
Des’ daughter Renae Wales is goal keeper for the All Blacks’ women’s side which unfortunately narrowly missed the semi-final, while four of Will’s young children all play, Chardonny, Kobi, Willow and Nevaeh , and to complete the current roll call, Des has two great-nieces who also compete, Matilda and Ellouise Rasmussen.
Des was also the All Blacks club president for eight years up to 2019, and when he stepped down from that position to take the BHA reins, his wife Nicole stepped up from the club secretary role to take on the added responsibility of All Blacks president/secretary, while Des has also been a long-time club sponsor through his business Barritt’s Butchery.
Des said now that he has played together with Isaac and Tim, he will be happy to retire as a player after this season, but he will soldier on if their numbers are short, although they have unfinished business to do first before even contemplating his future.
All Blacks are the three-times defending premiers and Des is confident they can stay on track for a four-peat after thumping Raiders/Rovers 5-0 when they last met three weeks ago.
“In the last month we have started to hit a bit of form – with a more regular team on the field, we have been combing better,” Des said.
That match is set down for 4.45pm.
Congratulations to Waves Cities on finishing first in the men’s, women’s, under-16’s and under-13’s, and Arrows/Athletics who achieved the perfect record in under-11, with all gaining direct passage to next Saturday’s grand finals.
The draw for tomorrow’s other semi-finals is: 9.30am: U-11 Waves Cities v Raiders/Rovers; 11.15am: U13 All Blacks v Arrows/Athletics; 1pm: U16 Arrows/Athletics v All Blacks; 3pm: Women Raiders/Rovers v Arrows/ Athletics.
HORSE RACING
Tomorrow’s 2020 Bundaberg Cup at Thabeban Park could be a grey affair with two horses of that colour standing out as the main chances in the premier event on the local calendar, Ten Taubada’s and Scrabble.
Ten Taubada’s, which is trained by perennial Bundaberg premiership winner Darryl Gardiner, is part-owned by Bundaberg Race Club president Dale Rethamel and has an impressive record of five wins, and one each second, third and fourth from his past eight starts on the track, will carry the local hopes and is favoured, even though Dale fears that he may need a spell after a long campaign.
Scrabble, which is trained in Toowoomba, is a winner of 11 races and finished third at Roma two starts back, is making his track debut and is burdened with 63.5kg over the tough 1380m course, with Ten Taubada’s to carry 5.5kg less than him.
There are no locals in the other feature event, the Lightning, where the lightly raced Best Guess, which is now trained in Bouldercombe by Bevan Johnson, is a winner of three races in Sydney, will benefit from a 3kg allowance for apprentice Rebecca Wilson, and looks set to take a power of beating, as long as he can handle the track at his Bundaberg debut and is fit enough at his first outing since June 3.
Darryl Gardiner could also claim the quinella in the Class B with Shenzi and Dolci, and also get the money with the sensationally bred former Victorian Queensland debutant Wrecking Ball, whose great-grand-dam Denise’s Joy, which was runner-up in a Golden Slipper and won 13 races including a Victorian Oaks in a wonderful career, in the Benchmark 55 Handicap.
Another local, Tony Hess, could return to the winners’ list in the Maiden with Majiang.
Unfortunately again, due to Covid-19 restrictions, numbers at the track are strictly limited to 300, including officials, owners, trainers and jockeys, and all tickets available to the public have been sold, so there will be no tickets available at the gate.
AFL
Three of the four teams in the Wide Bay Seniors division could be on equal points heading into next Saturday’s last round depending on results of the two games in Bundaberg tomorrow.
Across The Waves Eagles must defeat Bay Power at Frank Coulthard Complex tomorrow to stay in the race for the minor premiership as a Power surge would all but clinch them top spot.
If the Eagles are victorious and Hervey Bay Bombers scored an expected big win over whipping boys Brothers Bulldogs at “The Kennel”, Power, Eagles and Bombers would all be level on 24 points, so the Eagles v Power showdown will be high-voltage virtual finals football, starting at 2pm.
FOOTBALL
There have been lots of big goal hauls in Football Bundaberg this season, and the latest to join the list is Tyler Ash, whose father Paul was formerly one of Bundaberg’s best players who still does great things as a coach.
Tyler hammered in seven goals for United Park Eagles in a 20-0 whitewash of Diggers in under-14 last Saturday.
In round 12 of the Wide Bay Premier League tomorrow, there are three matches at 6pm at different locations in Bundaberg, with unbeaten leaders Bingera hosting Across The Waves (ATW) which is certain to be another epic duel, Brothers-Aston Villa hosting Sunbury, and Bargara to do battle with UPE at Martens Oval, while Diggers travel to Maryborough to meet Granville.
In the Ladies League tonight, at 6pm, it is SC Corinthians Lionesses v Diggers, ATW Saints v UPE Black, and Bargara v Bingera Cutters, while at 7.45pm, ATW clash with UPE, and Bingera suit up against ATW United.
Tuesday results – Wide Bay League 2: UPE 8 (Chris McKenzie 3, Jayden Pym 2, Tom Terlier, Jake Davis, Jacob Fripp) d BARGARA 0. SC CORINTHIANS 1 (Hayden Slater) d ATW 0.
Under-16: SC CORINTHIANS GLADIATORS 12 (Jarman Grigg 3, Jacob Smits 2, Matthew Kinsella 2, Scott Black, Oluwatomisin Biya, Caiden Brown, Oliver Mathiesen, Harley Bugeja) d UPE PURPLE 0. ATW RANGERS 6 (Preston Cox 3, Nick Mason, Jordan Roebuck, Reuben Coleman) d UPE WHITE 1 (D Banks). UPE BLACK 5 (Ethan Maas 2, Harrison Nasso, Will Bath, Ryder Markey) d ATW UNITED 1 (Sonny Forrest).
Under-13: BAV 2 (Jaxon Drinnen, Zedd Peters) d DIGGERS 0.
GREYHOUNDS
Moorooka trainer Robert Jacobsen claimed the quinella in the rich $7,500 Bundaberg Sprint Final at this week’s meeting at Thabeban Park with outsiders Go Emmy Go ($15) and Preston Lee ($11).
Yandaran owner/trainer Phillip Carter also won handsomely with Surbiton, which had been runner-up at his first three starts, prevailing in an exciting three-way finish to the $3,500 Bundaberg Maiden Final.
Three other district trainers were also successful on the program, Ron Brook (Gin Gin), Allen Kelly (Howard) and Paul Burgess (Bundaberg), with Not Scared (Novice), Savuro (Mixed 1st/2nd Grade) and Naughty Streak (5th Grade) respectively.
