Wrecking ball Brody Atwell had a whale of a game as Turtles Brothers fittingly capped off Milbi Festival week in style, inflicting two-times defending champions Fraser Coast Mariners’ first loss of the Rugby Bundaberg Elders Insurance Spring Cup season, toughing out a 29-20 victory in their round seven showdown at Jubilee Park on Saturday.
Turtles Brothers’ only defeat this campaign had been a 33-3 drubbing by the Mariners in Hervey Bay on 25th September, but they have gone from strength to strength since, and they threw down the gauntlet early on Saturday, scoring the first try.
Mariners’ reply was swift and sure, and from there, the two sides engaged in an epic duel to the end, with both sides finishing with four tries, including a penalty try awarded to the Turtles, but the Mariners failed to kick a goal, while Layton Chambers landed two conversions and a penalty to clinch the result.
With three rounds to go, Fraser Coast remain on top of the table due to having racked up 4 bonus points to the Turtles’ 3, with Fraser Coast on 24 points, Turtles 23, West Barbarians on 15 after defeating Waves Falcons 29-15 in the Match of the Night on their Sponsors and Old Boys’ Day, with Falcons on 5, and the win-less East Bundaberg Pythons on 1.
Tough as teak veteran Turtles player/coach and No. 8 Brendon McKeown said, “what won it for (them) was the way we played for each other”.
“Our three youngest players were our best Zac Egan, (Schoolboy right winger) Brayden Sander and Brody Atwell,” Brendon said.
Brendon dares to dream of a return to their glory days after Turtles snuck into last year’s semi-finals with a stunning 40-5 last-round drubbing of West Barbarians, then again beat them 24-7, but were blown away by Mariners in the grand final 58-17, but he admits they still “have plenty to work on”.
“I’m feeling good about our chances of making it all the way, but I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself,” he said.
Meanwhile, Falcons were again very competitive, but Barbarians simply had too many guns for them, getting home 29-15 with flashy right winger Maka Taliauli a match winner with two tries and two conversions.
But Falcons captain/coach and No. 8 Tommy Akers also continued his purple patch of form, grabbing another five-pointer to take his try tally to six from their past three games.
CRICKET
Left-arm Opener Mitch Waters cut loose with 6-22, while captain and spinner Chris Duff completed the route with 4-2 as the powerful Norths imploded for a paltry 31 runs in 23.5 overs at the hands of Waves as the first two-day round in the Rum City Foods Division 1 Premiership got under way at Salter Oval on Saturday.
Opener Brendan Handley was the only batsman to reach double figures, reaching 15 before Mitch struck, then he continued to cut a swathe of destruction through their innings.
Norths did fight back, bowling Waves out for 125, with openers Damian Turner and Nathan Van Eekeren the main destroyers with 4-32 and 3-18 respectively, and they reduced their deficit to one run, reaching 1-93 with Brendan Handley leading the charge with an unbeaten 63 in their second innings.
But they will be without Brendan, Nathan, and their other two Wide Bay Schaeffer Shield representatives Josh Winen and Chris Napper for day two this Saturday, although Waves will also be missing their two stars in the team, Chris Duff and Michael Loader.
Meanwhile, the win-less Brothers picked themselves up out of the doldrums, showing great resolve to bat out their 85 overs and post a healthy 9-290 with teenage No. 3 Jack Gray producing a Division 1 personal best of 75 and captain and No. 5 Luke Solano also striking form with an unconquered 76.
The Magpies faced five overs before stumps, finishing at 0-13.
In the Aussie Bundy Big Bash, Searle’s RV Centre Vikings got their title defence back on track with a seven-wicket drubbing of Betta Heat.
Heat could manage only 9-120, before 2020-21 Grand final hero Lennon Childs, fresh from a Man of the Match performance for East Bundy Magpies in the Tallon-Giles Division 1 T20 Trophy decider, continued his superb form with an unbeaten 59 as they cruised home with an over to spare.
SOFTBALL
Two-times defending premiers Brothers United Firesticks reversed a 6-5 loss to arch-rivals Waves Tsunamis a week earlier to score an emphatic 14-0 victory over them in their Coral Coast/Hervey Bay Associations A Grade Ladies fifth round duel at Brothers Sports Club on Saturday.
By their win, United claimed the outright lead on the ladder, moving to 12 points, while Tsunamis slipped to third position, overtaken by the emerging Bargara Bullets, who defeated Terrors for the second week in a row, this time 14-5 on Terrors’ territory in Hervey Bay after breaking through with a similar 14-7 triumph at Brothers seven days earlier.
Meanwhile, Waves Schooners maintained their perfect record from five games in the A Grade Men’s division, moving into No. 1 position by winning both of their double-header games, 7-4 against Maryborough West, who dropped from first to second, and 10-3 against the win-less Brothers United, whose poor start to the season continued.
In the one A Grade Men’s match played in Hervey Bay, Terrors posted their first victory of the new season, downing Misfits 9-5.
Here are all the scores:
CRICKET BUNDABERG
AUSSIE BUNDY BIG BASH
Searle’s RV Centre Vikings 3/123 (Lennon Childs 59no, Josh Winen 31) d Betta Heat 9/120 (CC) (Scott Irwin 38, Trent Seeds 2/20).
RUM CITY FOODS DIVISION 1 PREMIERSHIP
Norths 31 (Mitch Waters 6/22, C Duff 4/2) and 1/93 (Brendan Handley 63no, Josh Winen 26no) v Waves 10/125 (Adam Pozzebon 26, Damian Turner 4/32, Nathan Van Eekeren 3/18, Shannon Smith 2/14).
East Bundy Magpies 0/13 v Brothers 9/290(cc) (Luke Solano 76no, Jack Gray 75, Nithin Shetty 43, Dylan Heycox 34, Trent Seeds 3/54, Arden Lankowski 3/63).
RUM CITY FOODS DIVISION 2 PREMIERSHIP
The Waves 5/169 (Mat Fleming 39no, Wayne Niekeric 35no, Kyle Stallan 27, Matthew Parker 2/35, Logan Woodward 2/52) d Norths 168 (Craig Fritz 47, Liam Heads 4/23, Sean Stuchbery 3/26, Mat Fleming 2/31).
Brothers 9/245(cc) (David Boge 131, Lachlan Donovan 4/36, Matthew Burgess 2/32, Roderick Jensen 2/65) d East Bundy Magpies 161 (Karan Singh 5/28, Dustin Collin 3/15).
RUM CITY FOODS DIVISION 3 PREMIERSHIP
The Waves 10/197 (Brendan Prossliner 94no, Michael Eade 3/38, Shaun Pinney 3/49, Garion Gibson 2/12, Paul Jenner 2/29) d Norths 10/163 (Michael Eade 53, Paul Jenner 36, Jack Kleidon 4/26, Brody Coates 2/31, Josh Wormington 2/42).
YMCA 6/116 (Logan Woodward 47, Ashley Helmore 2/13, Andrew Weeks 2/19, Leon Pearson 2/34) d Brothers 113 (Shannan Heycox 40, Lance Baker 2/6, Logan Woodward 2/14, Lex Webster 2/18, Russell Baker 2/18).
East Bundy Magpies 2/54(cc) d Isis 51 (Will Barritt 5/13, Arthur Richardson 2/4, Graham Werner 2/16).
RUM CITY FOODS JUNIOR CRICKET 3-16S
Brothers Pumas 7/158(cc) (Beau Marshman 69, Patrick Marshman 26, L Nitschinsk 3/22, G Collins 2/43) d Maryborough Newtown Oval 2 Maryborough 8/101 (Nick Clarke 2/15, Toby Lamond 2/21).
The Waves 8/177(cc) (Sam Stuchbery 79, Finlay Hallett 33no, Lachlan Heycox 2/18, River Felstead 2/39) d YMCA/Norths Marauders 10/158 (River Felstead 41, Ned Jenner 30, Kori Pope 3/29, Tyler Ash 2/20, Sam Stuchbery 2/34).
Hervey Bay Colts 6/130(cc) (B Loveridge 61, BJ McGrath 32, Cooper Rehbein 3/7) d Isis 128 (Aeddan White 39, J Lassey 2/7, T Geldard 2/11, B Scanlan 2/25).
RUM CITY FOODS JUNIOR CRICKET 3-14S
The Waves 4/189(cc) (Levi Faint 70no, April Mathiesen 35no) d Hervey Bay Colts 9/113(cc) (Tahj Coates 2/9, Alex Stuchbery 2/15).
Maryborough 5/190(cc) (T Brewer 44, H Murree 34no, Jaxon Hill 2/18) d Norths Choppers 77 (L Lourigan 2/4).
North Bundy Power 6/200(cc) (Jack Tyers 59no, Braden Jenner 49no, Oliver Wendt 37) d Isis Brothers Mustangs 8/161(cc) (Jett Sim 27, Hugo Baker 25no, Oliver Wendt 2/13, Jimmy Irwin 2/16).
RUM CITY FOODS JUNIOR CRICKET 2
Brothers 3/203(cc) (Cale Anderson 35no, Ashton Lamond 31no, Zach Honor 22no, James Cronin 20no) d The Waves 86.
Norths SEI Strikers 6/245(cc) (Corin Driver 100no, Zayde Kitching 54no, Atlas Felstead 3/23) d YMCA 5/157 (Archie Webster 47no, Lawson Baker 46no, Trey Andrews 2/7).
Norths Avengers 7/179(cc) (Samson Juster 65no, Harry Elphinstone 27, Jake Ferrara 25no, Charles Higgins 3/27) d Isis 5/112 (cc).
RUGBY BUNDABERG ELDERS INSURANCE SPRING CUP
Round 7:
TURTLES BROTHERS 29 (Brody Atwell, Layton Chambers, Brayden Sander tries; Penalty try; Layton Chambers 2 conversions & penalty) d FRASER COAST MARINERS 20 (Jasper Brigdin, Phillip Grant, Jeremiah Pati, David Ball tries).
WEST BARBARIANS 29 (Maka Taliauli 2, Folau Kovi Ki Tasiemnia Latu, Aloisia Sebualala, Joshua Batten tries; Maka Taliauli 2 conversion) d WAVES FALCONS 15 (Tom Akers, Isaiah Bullard tries; Zac Laybutt conversion; Isaiah Bullard penalty).
SOFTBALL CORAL COAST/HERVEY BAY
A GRADE LADIES
BROTHERS UNITED FIRESTICKS 14 d WAVES TSUNAMIS 0; BARGARA BULLETS 14 d TERRORS 5.
A GRADE MEN
WAVES SCHOONERS 7 d MARYBOROUGH WEST 4; WAVES SCHOONERS 10 d BROTHERS UNITED HEAT 3; TERRORS 9 d MISFITS 5.
B GRADE LADIES
BARGARA BANDITS 18 d TERRORS YELLOW 3; WESTERN SUBURBS PANTHERS 16 d WAVES SEASHELLS 6; WAVES TIDAL WAVES 16 d BROTHERS UNITED CROSSFIRE 5; TERRORS BLUE 20 d BARGARA LEOPARDS 2.
B GRADE MEN
BROTHERS UNITED FLAME 7 d WAVES CUTTERS 5; WESTERN SUBURBS LYNX d BROTHERS UNITED IGNITE ON FORFEIT; TERRORS 9 d BARGARA BULLS 6.
UNDER-16
BROTHERS UNITED TNT 16 d WAVES WAVERIDERS 12; WAVES DRIFTERS 14 d WESTERN SUBURBS LIONS 5; TERRORS 14 d BARGARA BRONCS 1.
UNDER-14
WAVES TORPEDOES 17 d WAVES RIPTIDES 4; BROTHERS UNITED BLAZE 16 d WESTERN SUBURBS TIGERS 1; TERRORS 6 d BARGARA BANDICOOTS 2.
UNDER-12
BROTHERS UNITED SPARKS 24 d WESTERN SUBURBS JAGUARS 1; TERRORS 7 d BARGARA BEARS 5.
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