Wide Bay won three of their four games at the recent rain affected Queensland Junior Cricket Under-12 Southern Championships in Brisbane to wind up a very creditable second on the ladder.
Bundaberg’s five representatives in the team – Marcus Crawford, Nicholas Delacy, Tom Elphinstone, Lenny Henry and Charlie Steele – all acquitted themselves well.
However, the Queensland 15 years Female State Championships were unfortunately washed out completely, while only two rounds were able to be played at the Under-14 Male Championships, with the Coastal Burners (combined Wide Bay-Sunshine Coast) team which included Bundaberg young guns Lachlan Heycox and Sam Stuchbery, winning both of their games.
The under-14 male Coastal Burners defeated Southern Blaze by 10 runs with Lachlan Heycox chipping in with 1-11 from his three overs, and were victorious by six wickets against Northern Flames with Sam Stuchbery the destroyer with 4-14 from four overs, and Lachlan at his frugal best with 1-2 from four overs.
At the Under-12 tournament, Wide Bay’s first-round match against Gold Coast was abandoned due to rain, but they then accounted for South East Queensland (SEQ) by 17 runs and thrashed BEARS (Bayside East and Redlands) by 83 runs, with captain Lenny leading from the front with scores of 44 and an unbeaten 45 respectively, and wicket hauls of 2-21 and 1-7.
Charlie and Tom featured with the ball against SEQ with 2-13 and 2-18 respectively, while Charlie and Nicholas were each among the wickets against BEARS with 1-4 and 1-16 respectively.
Wide Bay suffered their only loss of the week, going down to Gold Coast by 75 runs in the cross-Pool games on the Thursday, but they bounced back to sign off with a 20-run victory over Darling Downs South West Queensland (DDSWQ).
The Bay claimed only three wickets against Gold Coast, all taken by Bundaberg bowlers, Tom, Charlie and Lenny.
Tom and Lenny also shared in the spoils against DDSWQ, picking up 2-15 and 1-13 respectively.
Marcus did a fine job as wicketkeeper, including taking a catch off Tom’s bowling against SEQ, and did well with the bat, including second-top-scoring against Gold Coast with 19 after coming in with his side in trouble at 3-11, and retiring after facing 27 balls after also coming in with his side in trouble against DDSWQ.
Wide Bay finished with 24.37 points, behind only Metropolitan South West 31.91, but ahead of Brisbane North 24.15, Gold Coast 23.79, Sunshine Coast 22.95, SEQ 17.85, BEARS 12.16, and DDSWQ 11.79.
Team manager Don Proctor said he was “thrilled” for them to win three out of four.
Gympie Cooper Keogh, of Gympie, took out Wide Bay’s Player of the Carnival with his highlights including 3-19 against BEARS and a dynamic double of 62 and 3-18 against DDSWQ.
“But Lenny led the team well and is also a great kid, and he really laid the platform for us in our first two games,” Mr Proctor said.
“Tom also has a lot of potential with his size and the way he bowls, Charlie is quiet but is a real professional and will benefit by that week, and Nicholas batted down the order but has very good batting technique.”
Bundaberg will also be well represented in the Wide Bay team at the Under-12 Ian Healy Cup Development Carnival in Brisbane from this Monday through to Friday.
The team is: Will Sanders, Byron Kratzmann, Liam Fitzpatrick, Jamie Searle, Beau Donnison, Travis Kapernick, Lachlan Lewis, Samson Juster, Darcy Millard, Ferdy Jenner, Flynn Ashton, Douglas Hoare, Darcy Harmsworth. Coach: Nic Roberts
Results – Under-14:
Round 3: Coastal Burners 2-111 (Cruz Baker 58, Damon Bass 31) d Southern Blaze 101 (Brayden Lethborg 4-0-10-3, Lachlan Heycox 3-0-11-1).
Round 4: Coastal Burners 4-68 (Damon Bass 34no) d Northern Flames 8-66 (Sam Stuchbery 4-0-14-4, Ashton Schultz 2-0-6-2, Lachlan Heycox 4-2-2-1).
Under-12 – Round 1: Drew Gold Coast
Round 2: Wide Bay 7-189 (Lenny Henry 44, Rory Falker 37) d South East Queensland 172 (Caelan Barr 8-1-35-3, Charlie Steele 4-0-13-2, Tom Elphinstone 3.3-0-18-2, Lenny Henry 4-0-21-2).
Round 3: Wide Bay 10-181 (Lenny Henry 45no, Rory Falker 28) d BEARS 11-98 (Cooper Keogh 7-0-19-3, Caelan Barr 8-1-10-2, Charlie Steele 4-3-4-1, Lenny Henry 4-1-7-1, Nicholas Delacy 2-0-16-1).
Pool A2 v Pool B1: Gold Coast 3-180 (Tom Elphinstone 3-0-9-1, Charlie Steele 6-1-21-1, Lenny Henry 7-0-26-1) d Wide Bay 105 (Cooper Keogh 25, Marcus Crawford 19, Charlie Steele 13no).
Day 5: Wide Bay 5-151 (Cooper Keogh 62) d DDSWQ 11-131 (Cooper Keogh 6-0-18-3, Joshua Williams 4-1-8-2, Caelan Barr 6-2-13-2, Tom Elphinstone 6-1-15-2, Lenny Henry 6-0-13-1).
Horse racing
Rising Bundaberg champion King Klaus made a successful return from a three-and-a-half-month spell by winning a Benchmark 68 Handicap at Caloundra last Sunday.
Starting the favourite, the five-year-old humped topweight of 59.5kg and led all the way over the 1000m course, taking his record to five wins, two seconds and one third from eight starts.
Trained by Gary Clem, he just keeps getting better and better all the time, and his potential is unlimited.
“He’s back to his best already – he led them a merry dance again, and everything I’ve asked him to do, he’s done,” Gary said.
Gary has not mapped out a program for him yet.
“We will just take it week by week but will probably head down that way again – after 8 starts, he’s already open company and up there with the big boys, and that’s amazing, but he deserves to be up there,” he said.
Greyhounds
Gracemere trainer Dallas Beckett dominated this week’s Bundaberg meeting, taking out a treble on the 10-race program.
Dallas was successful with former Victorian Latifah which started favourite and used the red box to full advantage in the Terry Signs 5th Grade, and he claimed the quinella in the Bargara Bakery 5th Grade with hot favourite Craig’s Regret, which took his impressive record to 18 wins, 9 seconds and 7 thirds from 41 starts, and Remember Col, and also got the money in the Great Northern 5th Grade with another popular elect, ultra-talented youngster Qualified.
Five District trainers also visited the winners’ circle on the day, Wayne Watts with second starter Mum’s The One in the Maiden, Jodie Sarnadsky with recent Albion Park Maiden winner Farmor Summers on track debut in the Novice Non-Penalty, John Kuhn with another ex-Victorian Talking
Numbers in the Restricted Win, David Raines with Extra Coins in the Mixed 3rd/4th Grade, and Allen Kelly with Savuro, which made it back-to-back victories in the Best 8.
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