Surfers Paradise Golf Club duo Billy Dowling and Haruhi Nakatani confirmed their status as future superstars with their superb performances in claiming the 2021 Order of Merit Queensland Junior Amateur Boys and Girls’ titles at Bargara last week.
Billy, 16, totally dominated in winning by nine shots with his rounds of 67, 66, 69 and 70, reaching 20 under par and making a stunning 23 birdies over the four rounds.
The teenager came to prominence earlier this year when he qualified for the Isuzu Queensland Open at the age of 15, and coming close to making the cut, ultimately missing out by a single shot.
His nearest challenger was multiple title-holder Kai Komulainen, from Emerald Lakes at 11 under, ahead of Dujuan Snyman, of Links Hope Island, at six under.
Kai shot a final-round 67 in wet conditions but like all the others, he started too far back.
Meanwhile Haruhi carded 10 under with her scores of 72, 69, 73 and 68, to win by a shot from Justine Bosio.
Haruhi, a recent winner of the NT Classic, birdied the 72nd hole while Justine took bogey to give the Surfers Paradise player the victory at just 14 years of age.
Jack Wooldridge, of Bundaberg Golf Club, did brilliantly to qualify for the Order of Merit with rounds of 81 and 68, but wound up a still very creditable in a 3-way tie for 29th with rounds of 73 and 79.
Meanwhile, the host club’s Amara Burns and Joshua Taylor, of Coral Cove Golf Club, earned places among some of the highest ranked juniors from all states contesting the four-day event, and they mixed it with the best.
After 36 holes, the fields of 50+ girls and 100+ boys were cut to the best 36 players each.
To make the cut, girls needed to shoot 21 over par or better, while it was 7 over or better for boys, and while Amara and Joshua were both eliminated, they joined the cut players in the 36-hole J & R McCracken Plate Stableford.
Amara Burns, of Bargara, finished third in the J & R McCracken Plate Girls’ event 
Joshua Taylor, of Coral Cove Golf Club, claimed third in the Boys’ section of the J & R McCracken Plate
The duo both finished with PBs, both claiming third in the Girls and Boys Plates respectively, with Amara finishing with 71 points and gross scores for the tournament of 82, 90, 88 and 81.
Joshua hit 75 points with gross scores of 82, 85, 82 and 79.
The J & R. McCracken Plate winners were Mia Love (Coolangatta and Tweed Heads) with 82 points, and Kai Schloss (Wynnum) on 79.
Top class senior golf will be on show at the 2021 Bargara Pro-Am next Tuesday and Wednesday.
RUGBY LEAGUE: Time is running out for last placed Wallaroos, needing to end a five-match losing streak in the Bundaberg Broadcasters A Grade Premiership when they host reigning champions Past Brothers in Round 13 action at Eskdale Park tomorrow.
Currently two points behind fifth placed Waves Tigers and with a much inferior points differential to them of -120 to -41 and with their confidence at rock bottom, tomorrow’s result, and the outcome of the Tigers-Wests Panthers’ battle of the Big Cats at Salter Oval at 5pm, could decide whether they go into next Saturday’s penultimate round duel with Waves with their finals hopes still alive.
In the 3pm match at Salter Oval, leaders Easts Magpies will be chasing their eighth victory in a row in the clash of the Birds when they suit up against Hervey Bay Seagulls, who will also be desperate after dropping out of the top three into fourth position when they forfeited to Brothers last week.
In the Northern Districts League, Gin Gin will host the last round of the competition this Sunday, with hometown heroes Hawks to meet two-times defending premiers Avondale Tigers at 2.45pm, after unbeaten minor premiers South Kolan Sharks do battle with the winless Miriam Vale Magpies at 12 noon.
In the Women’s League Tag, minor premiers Gin Gin Hawks will suit up against the winless Avondale Hornets at 1.40pm.
FOOTBALL: There are just four matches in the Wide Bay Premier League Men’s division tomorrow with Diggers to meet Doon Villa in a split round 13 match at Villa Park, and the Doon Villa-KSS Jets round 14 game will be played next Tuesday
The match of the day will undoubtedly be the blockbuster between the two joint-leaders Across The Waves and Fraser Flames at Waves Sports Complex.
Both teams have 11-1 win-loss records, but Waves have a vastly better goal difference of 57 to 24, and they also doused the Flames 6-1 when they last crossed swords on 27th March.
In other matches, Brothers-Aston Villa will be hoping to rebound from a last-start 3-0 shut out by United Park Eagles (UPE) when they venture to Maryborough for their date with lightweights Sunbury Blues, and battlers SC Corinthians go head-to-head with Granville at Martens Oval
Bingera blitzed Diggers 6-0 in the first game of the round 14 on Wednesday night with the lethal Gary O’Donnell leading the charge with a four-goal haul.
In the Women’s Premier League, Bingera will get the chance to move into third place at the expense of KSS Jets when they face off at Martens Oval at 8pm tonight.
At 2pm tomorrow, second placed UPE will be opposed to cellar dwellers Tinana at Martens Oval, and fourth seeds and hosts Waves should be too good for Granville.
AFL: Both Wide Bay Marquis Macadamias Seniors Premiership matches of the round tomorrow will be played in Hervey Bay with Power to host reigning champions Across The Waves Eagles in another return clash of last season’s grand finalists, and the high-flying unbeaten Bombers to unleash against winless whipping boys Brothers Bulldogs.
Power flicked the switch to ride the Waves 7.12 (54) to 2.5 (17) in their first combat of 2021 back on 30th April, but they will be hell-bent on restoring the balance after succumbing to the Eagles at their two subsequent stoushes 12.5 (77) to 4.12 (36) on 22nd May, and 7.8 (50) to 4.6 (30) in the previous round two weeks ago.
The second placed Eagles are currently 4 points in front of the Power, who must win to reclaim No. 2 spot from them, and to stay in major contention for a top-two finish.
TOUCH: Bundaberg has made a mixed start to the 2021 Queensland Touch Football Junior State Cup in Hervey Bay, which started yesterday and runs through to tomorrow, contesting 9 of the 10 age divisions, Under-18, 16, 14 and 12 Boys and Girls, and Under-10 Boys.
The Under-18 Girls have been Bundaberg’s most successful team at the time of writing, starting with wins over Ipswich Falcons 6-2 and Toowoomba Twisters 4-3 yesterday, before losing their first two games today, at the hands of Redlands 4-2 and Townsville Blue 11-3, but bouncing back with a Kharla Hills touchdown clinching a 1-0 triumph over Arana.
Their last Pool game will be against BMTA Mustangs tomorrow morning.
Bundaberg’s Under-16 Girls have also done well, with 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss from their first 4 outings.
Childers is also represented at the tournament.
HOCKEY: Bundaberg Hockey will be back to a full house this weekend with the junior divisions returning after having the past two Saturdays off.
Waves Cities will meet arch-rivals All Blacks in all grades, with in Division 1, their women to take centre-stage at 4.30pm, before their men follow at 5.50pm.
Arrows/Athletics will aim up against Rovers/Raiders, with their Division 1 women to run out at 3.10pm and men the last game on the program at 7.10pm.
GREYHOUNDS: Dalma trainer Ken Boody claimed a double at this week’s Bundaberg meeting, taking out a Novice Non-Penalty with Deadly Choice on track debut, and the Masters 5th Grade with Farmor Crownies at his 86th race start.
The annual Valda Halter Memorial Best 8 was won by Fogelberg, which made it back-to-back wins on the track for Takura trainer David Plummer.
Four District trainers were also among the winners, David Raines with Farmor See Vegas in the Maiden, Louise Cameron with Midnight Cambla which backed up her Maiden win a week earlier in another Novice Non-Penalty, Bundaberg Greyhound Racing Club president Ricky Hassall with Hooked on Xena, which returned to the winners’ list in the Free For All, and Lorraine Isles with Unencumbered in the 4th Grade.
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