Bundaberg man Nick Larter will take centre stage at Attila Boxing Academy’s Night of First Class Boxing at the Bundaberg Civic Centre tomorrow night.
The late starter in the sport made a stunning winning debut by a technical knock-out in a Masters Bout in Caloundra in February and has been dubbed “Superman” by his internationally acclaimed trainer Attila Kovacs.
Nick said for tomorrow night's event he had been matched against Rick Tomlinson of the Matrix Club on the Gold Coast, and would probably enter the ring after the interval on the bumper program of about 20 bouts, and that he is “a little apprehensive” about his prospects.
“He is a bit more experienced than me and it will be interesting, but hopefully I will be all right – a big local crowd behind me will help,” Nick said.
Club-mate and 21-year-old “Golden Boy” Shannan Davey, who has recently been selected from the BAL for the 2021 Boxing Queensland Future Squad, will be another of the draw-cards after he put up an excellent fight against a challenger from New South Wales at the recent Novice Titles in Brisbane, outboxing him and winning every round.
Competitors from throughout Queensland, plus a contingent from New South Wales, will trade leather, while Attila’s other fighters who will feature on the program include Max and Zac Blanch, Kurt Robinson, Tony Phan, Bailey Rach, Tom Capewell, Wyatt Newton, Dawson English, and Rosa-Lee Hickey.
Boxing starts at 5pm.
Tournament tickets are $20 with $15 for pensioners and students and $50 for a family pass for two adults and two children.
Surf Life Saving
Good luck to the 20 Regional competitors who will battle it out at the 2021 Surf Life Saving Australian Championships at Maroochydore over the next week.
The Youth Championships will run today and tomorrow, with three under-14 talents to mix it with the nation’s best, Annie Harris, of the Bundaberg club, and Elliott Heads dynamic duo Kobi Holden and Isaac Barrett.
Aussies Master titles will follow on Sunday and Monday, with Elliott Heads to have the biggest local contingent with six, Kobi’s father Craig, Stuart Hogben and Scott Collins, in the 45-49 years male age group, Kylie Giles (40-44 years female), Brian Carroll (50-54 years male), and Ryan Bennett (30-34 years male).
Annie’s father Michael (55-59 years male), Robin Kerby (45-49 years male), Kathryn McKenzie (30-34 years female), and Masters Boat crew of Brendan Woods (sweep), Kurt Wessel, Ryan McGregor, Matt Fasso and Mick Parsons, will fly the Bundaberg, while Moore Park will be represented by husband and wife John and Julie Davis in the 65-69 and 55-59 years divisions, respectively.
Bundaberg club beach superstar Ky Woods Aussies is our region’s only entrant in the Open Championships, which start on Tuesday and finish next Saturday.
Rugby league
After being a joint-winner of Bundaberg Cricket’s 2020-21 Tallon Medal for Division 1 Best and Fairest and taking out their Representative Player of the Year, former Waves Tigers premiership winning wrecking ball winger Arden Lankowski will bolster an already imposing Easts Magpies back-line in their Bundaberg Broadcasters A Grade Premiership blockbuster against the also unbeaten Hervey Bay Seagulls at 3pm tomorrow at Salter Oval.
Easts will also welcome back another speed machine and multiple premierships winning centre Tien Nguyen, who was unavailable in their win over Waves Tigers last week.
At 1pm, Past Brothers will attempt to get their title defence on track when they take on the also win-less Wallaroos, and they will have an injection in firepower in the form of former Isis barnstorming second rower Jake Thompson.
At 5pm, in the Battle of the Big Cats, the red-hot Wests Panthers will aim up against Waves Tigers, who will also be desperate to open their account.
The Bundaberg Junior Rugby League season will also kick off at Salter Oval this Sunday, with a full program of matches from under-7 through to under-16.
In the Northern Districts, all roads lead to Gary Larson Oval Miriam Vale tomorrow.
Gin Gin Hawks, who snatched a 28-26 victory from the jaws of defeat against Avondale Tigers in the first round on Sunday with two tries in the last three minutes and a conversion after the siren, will meet the hosts at 4.15pm, with the Magpies set to have a full quota of players after they fielded just 15 men against South Kolan Sharks and fatigue was a big factor as they faded to go down 52-10.
Earlier at 2.30pm, the Sharks will meet Tigers, who will be still smarting from last week’s loss and will be hungry to kick-start their quest for a hat-trick of titles.
The program will kick off at 1.15pm with a Women’s League Tag tussle between the Hawks and Avondale Hornets, who had the first-round bye.
Football
Across The Waves coach John Brillante believes they can topple Rockhampton glamour club Frenchville in the fifth round of the Nation-wide FFA Cup at 6pm tomorrow at Martens Oval despite suffering their first loss of the season last Saturday and being without three of their stars for the match.
Waves conceded an 89th minute goal to go down to Brothers-Aston Villa 2-1, but John said they “could have been 3-0 up at half-time”.
“We gifted them two goals – one was an own goal and the other was a very uncharacteristic mistake from our keeper, but we’ll use the loss as a motivator towards this weekend,” John said.
“We will not be at full strength, with 3 regular starters out due to injuries and personal reasons, Dylan Leggett, Dylan Shackley and Bryce Hibberd, but Simon Quik and Jack Brillante return to the starting line-up, so we have good depth.
“I am still going in quietly confident, but we are definitely going in as the underdogs.”
In the Wide Bay Premier League Men’s Division, there are two games at Martens Oval tomorrow at 6pm, with the unbeaten second placed Doon Villa and 2020 grand final champions United Park Eagles (UPE) to suit up against two of the three teams which are yet to open their accounts, SC Corinthians, and Diggers, respectively.
Last year’s League champions Bingera travel to Hervey Bay for a meeting with the improved KSS Jets.
In the WB Premier League Women’s competition, there are two games tonight at 8pm, with ATW up against the Jets at Waves Sports Complex, and Bingera taking on Sunbury Blues at Martens Oval, while tomorrow at Martens Oval at 2pm, UPE will match up against Granville.
Postponed Bundaberg Men’s and Ladies Cup first-round games were played midweek.
Here are the results:
1st Division Men’s Cup: Bingera 6 (Joel Haack 2, Cameron Brauer, Josh Watson, Shane Youngberry, Gary O’Donnell) d BAV 1 (Johnson Tekbiyik).
2nd Division Men’s Cup: UPE 3 (Cody Pym 2, Finlay Bath) d Bingera 2.
3rd Division Men’s Cup: UPE Red 5 (Daniel Banks 3, Akil Ulahannnan, Ethan Maas) d Diggers 1 (Joe Sorbello).
1st Division Ladies Cup: ATW 2 (Lily Thatcher, Tayla Zielke) d UPE 1 (Lucy Hamilton).
AFL: Jimmy Power, who has stepped up from the Across The Waves Eagles assistant coach last year to the top job in 2021, is confident despite losing “about eight players from (their) grand final side, as they start their AFL Seniors title defence against fellow heavyweights Hervey Bay Bombers at home at Frank Coulthard Oval at 2.30pm tomorrow.
“A few good ones over the past few years have left us, including Patty Power, who has gone to Tasmania, Jesse Lawrence from Gympie, and the Wright brothers (Mitch, Ben and Max),” Jimmy said.
“But we’ve still got the core of the team, captain Jason Bethune, ‘Big Diesel’ Damien McRae, (who won both the Staunton-Taylor Medal for Best on Ground in the grand final and the Marquis Macadamias Medal for the League’s Best and Fairest for 2020), and the runner-up in Best and Fairest Dean Nelson.
“But we have a few who have come up through 16’s to play, and it will be really good to get a few more to step up to those roles this year, and the lads are looking all right.”
The Bombers will have the edge in match fitness after shooting down Brothers Bulldogs in the opening round last week.
“But we played a trial against Glenmore Bulls from Rocky and were done by a couple of goals, but they are a fairly strong side, and it was month or so ago and we have built up from there – the Bombers had a good hit-out last week and we definitely won’t be taking them lightly – we never have – but it’s a pretty good opportunity to see where we are at,” Jimmy said.
Meanwhile, the task for the Bulldogs, who did not kick a goal in an 83-point away loss to the Bombers in the only match of the first round, does not get any easier as they will again hit the road to suit up against 2019 premiers Bay Power, who suffered a heart-breaking grand final loss last season.
In the Takalvan’s Women’s Premiership, the unbeaten and already confirmed minor premiers Eagles have the penultimate round bye, while the brave but winless Bulldogs face another monumental task when they travel to take on Gympie Cats.
At national level, all of Queensland will be behind Bundaberg’s Emma Zielke when she captains Brisbane Lions in the AFL Women’s grand final against Adelaide Crows at Adelaide Oval tomorrow.
NETBALL: After the cancellation of Bundaberg Netball Association 2020 regular season due to Covid-19, players and officials are excited for the start of the new season at the Super Park tomorrow.
There are a bumper 73 teams across 13 Divisions, with the first round of matches at 1pm, running through to the last round at 6.30pm.
Across The Waves Gold defeated their club-mates Blue side 46-35 in the 2019 Warren Family Homes Division 1 grand final, and they will start their title defence at 6.30pm against Natives Magpies.
Earlier, there are 2 Division 1 matches at 5pm, with Fusion Solomons up against Alloway Blue, and Brothers Hurricanes taking on Waves Blue.
TENNIS: The Get Active Holiday Clinic for Kids conducted by the Bundaberg and District Junior Tennis Association at Rotary Park from Tuesday-Thursday this week was a smash hit.
Professional coaches Kevin Banner and Murray Whitbread Tennis put the children through their paces with morning sessions for Beginner/Intermediate (4-12 years) and afternoon activities for Advanced (12-17 years).
It was a chance for current players to hone their skills, and for newcomers to learn the game in a fun environment.
At a competitive level, excitement is building for the return of the Bundaberg and District Tennis Association Open Gold AMT and Claycourt event over the Labour Day weekend from May 1-3.
HOCKEY: It will be another no holds barred Bundaberg Division 1 men’s showdown when four-times defending premiers All Blacks meet fierce arch-rivals Waves Cities at 7.10pm tomorrow at Hinkler Park.
It will be their first fixtures duel since the grand final in September last year when Cities went in unbeaten and hot favourites, but were ambushed once again.
The women’s encounter between the two clubs will precede the men’s shoot-out, at 5.50pm.
In the other Division 1 match-ups, Raiders/Rovers take on Arrows/Athletics, with the women at 3.10pm and men at 4.30pm.
RADIO CONTROLLED CARS: Action will be fast and furious at the Black Knight RC Wingless Stampede hosted by the Coral Coast Radio Control Car Club at their University Drive complex this weekend.
Gates open at 7am on both days with racing to start at 9am, and the club is hoping to complete all four rounds tomorrow, leaving just the Mains to run on Sunday.
The canteen will be operating all weekend.
GREYHOUNDS: Yengarie owner/trainer Peter Hare brought three of his team with him to this week’s Bundaberg meeting, and he finished the day “with a bang”, winning the last three events on the program.
He took out the Mixed 3rd/4th Grade with favourite and veteran Inquisitive Me, which made it back-to-back wins on the track and recorded his 20th victory in 93 starts, Mixed 4th/5th Grade with another popular elect Blackpool Armour, and Masters 5th Grade with Tevita Shadow.
Just three local trainers were successful on the day, John White with Bro’s Girl (Maiden), Lorraine Isles with Unencumbered, which returned to the winners’ list in the Novice Non Penalty, and Bundaberg Greyhound Racing Club president Ricky Hassall with Jackie’s Star, which had back-to-back wins in an Ipswich Maiden and Novice Non Penalty in January, in a 5th Grade Heat.
Other sport stories: Past and present Origin players to take to Bundy streets
