Elliott Heads life saver Kobi Holden claimed a place in the Queensland Junior Cyclones representative team after a series of dazzling performances for Queensland Country last weekend.
Following in his father Craig’s footsteps, Kobi snared six wins, four second placings and the third placings in the pool and surf over three days at the Surf Life Saving Queensland Interbranch Championships at the Gold Coast.
Kobi beat all comers in the under-14 male 50m manikin carry, 100m manikin tow with fins, line throw, 4x50m medley relay, surf race and cameron relay, was runner-up in the 4 x 50m obstacle relay and surf, board and ironman teams events, and was third in the board race and all aged board relay.
Kobi also finished fourth in the board rescue and fifth in the ironman in which he led late in the event before an error caused him to nose-dive his board and swim to the beach, being overtaken by four competitors in the process.
Jack Conway (Agnes Water SLSC) was also rewarded with selection in the Cyclones after snaring a hat-trick of wins in the U14 male beach sprint and cameron relay, and the U14 mixed beach relay, and also running fifth in the U14 male beach flags.
His clubmate Marc Lumbaghas-Smith also racked up victories in the U14 male beach flags and Cameron relay, and U14 mixed beach relay, and took sixth place in the U14 male beach sprint.
Casey Giles and Max O’Brien also represented Elliott Heads with distinction at the titles, while Bundaberg club foursome Kasey Krueger, Xavier Ulbl, Ariana Ulbl and Lana Grant also mixed it with the best.
Casey picked up third spot in the U13 mixed beach relay and the U13 female category, fourth in the patient tow with fins (with Kasey) and cameron relay, fifth in beach flags, and seventh in the beach sprint.
Max came to the fore in the U13 male division, finishing third in the 4x50m obstacle relay; fourth in the 4x50m medley relay and surf, board and ironman team events, and sixth in 50m brick carry, board rescue, and 100m patient tow with fins.
Kasey featured in U13 female events with second placings in the 4x50m medley and 4x50m obstacle relays, third in surf teams and fourth in 50m brick carry, patient tow with fins (with Casey), the surf race, and cameron relay.
Xavier and Ariana made their mark on the beach in U13 male and U15 female categories respectively, with Xavier notching three third placings in the beach flags, sprint and relay and fourth in the cameron relay.
His elder sister took out third spot as a member of the mixed beach relay outfit, finished fourth in the female cameron relay, fifth in female beach flags and eighth in the sprint.
Lana was also part of the U13 mixed beach relay bronze medal combination and added fourth placings in the female beach sprint and cameron relay, and eighth in the U13 female flags.
Queensland Country (QC) finished fourth overall, with South Coast Branch (Northern Gold Coast) winning the event for the first time in almost 15 years, but in the handicapped pointscore, QC wound up a notable second, only one point behind Sunshine Coast.
Competition will also be fierce but friendly in the Wide Bay Capricorn Branch Junior Carnival at Elliott Heads this Sunday.
Powerboats
Action will be fast and furious at the 2020 Bundaberg Powerboats Autobarn Christmas Classic at Sandy Hook tomorrow.
Boats will also race for the final points of the Class Championship and, with eight classes competing, there will be lots of great racing to watch.
Entry is free for spectators, and food and drinks will be on sale during the day. The first event is set down for 10am with the program to finish about 3pm.
Cricket
Arden Lankowski, who has been instrumental in East Bundy Magpies’ emergence as a real force in Bundaberg cricket, has been selected in the Queensland Country Open team.
Arden was selected after being a stand-out for South Queensland in the annual shoot-out against North Queensland in Cairns last weekend.
South lost each of their three matches, but the powerhouse fast bowling all-rounder was a shining light, including taking 5-36 from 10 overs in a 50-over game on Saturday.
Three other Bundaberg stars represented South at the tournament, spinner Chris Duff, who grabbed two wickets in their 40-over clash on Sunday, batsman Brendan Handley, and opening bowler Nathan Van Eekeren.
Queensland Country will play New South Wales and ACT Country teams in four T20 and two one-dayers from January 9-14.
Good luck to the Wide Bay team contesting the South Queensland under-18 championships at Beaudesert this weekend.
There are six Bundaberg representatives in the side – Edward Ryan (captain), Kynan Hard, Jack Munro, Matthew Jackson, Caleb Szegfu and Dylan Heycox.
They are joined by Fletcher Brown, Matthew Springate, Ryan Wilcox, Lewis Williams, Jaden Heness and Jeremy Hobbs under new ‘super coach’ Simon Gills, also of Bundaberg.
Meanwhile, the Cordalba State School connection of teacher/coach Brett McLellan and players Ella Reece, Baylie Hutton and Atalia Knight, who were members of the Wide Bay team which competed at the Queensland School Sport 10-12 years Girls Championships in Bundaberg last week, continue to play together in the all-girls Isis team in the Bundaberg Junior Cricket 1 division.
In the Aussie Bundy Big Bash, 2019-20 champions Takalvans Taipans cannot make the grand final but they will play for pride when they meet Betta Heat in the last match of the competition before the Christmas break at Salter Oval at 6.30pm tonight.
In the Rum City Food Intra Cup, Waves and Brothers will both be without three Wide Bay U18 representatives when they meet at Salter Oval tomorrow in a dress rehearsal for their Tallon/Giles Cup duel in a fortnight’s time.
Norths will travel to play Hervey Bay, desperate for a win to get their campaign on track.
Congratulations to Joel Faint, who scored an unbeaten 101 to guide YMCA to a big win over Isis/Easts in their U16 clash last Saturday.
It took Joel to the top of the U16 run scorers for the season so far, with 301 runs at an average of 50.17 while Brothers’ Toby Lamond leads the way in U14s, scoring an unconquered 62 on Saturday to take his tally to 274 at an average of 137.
In Junior Cricket 2, Alex Stuchbery, whose father Sean was the 2018-19 BCA Tallon Medalist and has been one of the city’s best throughout a long and distinguished career, heads the statistics with 264 runs at 132 apiece.
Netball
With Piper Nowland again ‘shooting the lights out’, Brothers Hurricanes continued on their winning ways in the Bundaberg Spring Cup last Saturday, defeating a brave Alloway Purple 46-30 to retain a nine-point lead at the top of the Pool A table.
Waves Crushers shored up second place with a 38-15 victory over Natives Swans.
Another Brothers team, Twisters, is a clear leader in Pool C heading into tomorrow’s penultimate round at the Super Park, while the other leaders are Natives Rosellas, Alloway Green and Fusion Dans Auto Elite, in Pools B, D and F respectively, and Natives Falcons and Waves Sunfish, who share pole position in Pool E.
Results Round 8
Pool A: Waves Crushers 38 d Natives Swans 15, Natives Magpies 39 d Brothers Thunder 10, Brothers Hurricanes 46 d Alloway Purple 30, Waves Rollers 38 d Fusion Solomons 13, Alloway Blue 30 d Waves Breakers 23, Alloway Red 32 d Natives Eagles 11.
Pool B: Waves Sunrays 22 d Alloway Yellow 12, Natives Rosellas 28 d Natives Parrots 17.
Pool C: Natives Kookaburras 21 d Waves Angelfish 15, Brothers Twisters 42 d Alloway Orange 6, Alloway Maroon 27 d Alloway Aqua 11.
Pool D: Waves Coasters 36 d Waves Riptides 9, Brothers Storm 32 d Natives Peacocks 2.
Pool E: Natives Falcons 10 d Natives Firebirds 3, Waves Sunfish 23 d Natives Galahs 21.
Rugby union
The struggling Turtles Brothers will rely on RB Renegades upsetting Fraser Coast Mariners and then turn the tables on West Barbarians in the last round of the Bundaberg Elders Insurance Spring Cup at the Waves Sports Complex tomorrow if they are to dislodge Renegades from third place and a semi-final berth.
Renegades and Mariners will take centre-stage at 5.30pm, before the Turtles-Barbarians shoot-out at 7pm.
Softball
Joint-leaders Waves Tsunamis will claim outright No. 1 spot on the Hervey Bay A Grade Ladies ladder if they score an expected win over last placed Bargara Bullets at Brothers Sports Club tomorrow and co-leaders United Firesticks are beaten by third seeds Terrors, who will have the home-town advantage in Hervey Bay.
In Men’s A grade, the outright lead will be on the line in the showdown between co-pilots Misfits and United Heat in Hervey Bay, while joint-third placed Terrors and Waves Schooners will do battle with Maryborough at the Bay, and Bargara Bombers at Brothers, respectively.
Greyhounds
Dalma trainer Ken Boody claimed a double at this week’s Bundaberg meeting, taking out the fourth grade race with Farmor Watch It, and the best 8 with Oriental Ollie.
The heats of the Bundaberg Young Guns, one of the feature events on the local calendar, were won by Savoir for Yandaran owner/trainer Phillip Carter, and Calls Me Gibbs, which made it two wins from as many starts at the Park for Bundaberg Cup winning Yamanto trainer Peter O’Reilly.
Bundaberg Greyhound Racing Club president Ricky Hassall took out the maiden with debutant Hooked on Xena, which bolted in by 10.75 lengths.
Three other locals also shared in the winners’ purse – Ron Brook with Banjo’s Flame in the novice non-penalty, Stephen Bland with Louisiana Flyer, which snapped a 28-race losing streak in the fifth grade, and Greg Kennedy with Deep Emotion which prevailed in a driving finish to the masters fifth grade.
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