HomeSportBrendan Player of Final as Norths reign in Division 1

Brendan Player of Final as Norths reign in Division 1

Brendan Handley
Norths’ Brendan Handley plays a shot in his Player of the Grand Final 85 runs in the Rum City Foods Division 1 Premiership Grand Final against Waves at Salter Oval on Saturday.

High-class opener Brendan Handley took out the Bundaberg Rum City Foods Division 1 Premiership Player of the Grand Final Award after compiling a superb 85 to set Norths on track to a hard-fought 26-run victory over Waves in a classic finale at Salter Oval on Saturday night in the first ever day-night season decider.

Waves had been minor premiers and were contesting the decider for the ninth year in a row, while the hot and cold Norths had finished third on the ladder, but just like they did in the semi-final a week earlier when they both scored centuries, their South Queensland Country stars Brendan and Nathan Van Eekeren stood tall, with Nathan, who came in at 2-40, chalking up 55, with the pair dominating in a total of 6-235 from their 45 overs.

The powerful Waves batting line-up staged a good run chase, led by opener Luke Owen with 47, with first eight batsmen all reaching double-figures, but no-one was able to go on with the job, and after they had reached 1-94, wickets continued to fall.

Sixty-one-year-old Queensland Veterans representative spinner Bruce Worthington made the initial breakthrough before finishing with 3-57, while in a magnificent team performance, Chris Napper claimed the big scalp of Ryan Norton.

Nathan Van Eekeren spearheaded the attack but finished with just one wicket, Shannon Smith continued his outstanding all-round form with 2-33, and 21-year-old Tinana resident paceman Laird McKay delivered the last rites in his 2-30, but a superb throw by workhorse opener Damian “Coaltrain” Turner to wicket-keeper Brendan to run out Jayden Larsen with the match still in the balance at 7-207 was the game-breaker.

Ultimately Waves were bowled out for 209 in 43.2 overs, with Norths gaining sweet revenge after being soundly beaten by their rivals in last year’s grand final.

Waves got out of jail to defeat Brothers by 42 runs in Division 2, with Vince Differ scoring a game-high 48, but club stalwart Damien Black the Player of the Final with 4-20 to be the destroyer as the Brethren suffered an implosion of 8-36 after being well placed.

Norths also took out the Division 3 title after only gaining a spot in the decider when Waves were disqualified after beating them in the semi-finals.

YMCA chalked up a competitive 5-181 from their 35 overs, with 44-year-old Brett Woodward continuing his sublime form with his maiden century, an unbeaten 105, to take out the Player of the Final despite Norths staging a controlled run chase to win by seven wickets with 3.1 overs to spare, led by captain Shaun Pinney with a signature unconquered 58.

AFL:

Kelly Blair kicked three goals as Across The Waves Eagles continued to soar in the AFL Wide Bay Takalvans Senior Women’s Premiership with an 18.22 (130) to 1.0 (6) massacre of their hosts Maryborough Bears in their fifth round clash on Saturday.

But after their historic win over minnows Maryborough a week earlier, Brothers Bulldogs tried hard at home against four-times defending champions Hervey Bay, but the Bombers were in a different league, winning 3.12 (30) to 0.4 (4) despite their low conversion rate.

Jade Bust
Jude Bust kicks the ball for Brothers Bulldogs in their AFL Wide Bay Takalvans Senior Women’s Premiership duel with Hervey Bay Bombers on Saturday.

FOOTBALL:

2021 Golden Boot winner with 50 goals, Nykodah Smith, the also prolific scoring Bryce Hibberd, and team debutant Zacharie Nicholas each bagged hat-tricks as hosts Across The Waves put SC Corinthians to the sword 14-1 in their first match of the new Football Queensland Premier League Wide Bay Men’s competition on Saturday.

At Martens Oval, Bingera started their Centenary Season in style with a 5-0 shut-out of Kawungan Sandy Straits Jets.

NETBALL:

Waves Gold started their campaign for a hat-trick of Bundaberg Warren Family Homes Division 1 Premiership titles in the best possible way with a 42-38 victory over 2021 beaten grand finalists Brothers Hurricanes in their Grading Round 2 showdown at the Superpark on Saturday.

But their Blue side went down fighting to Alloway Blue 37-33 after a titanic tussle.

HOCKEY:

Queensland representative star Riley Stevens hammed in four goals in his first match for reigning champions Waves Cities since the 2020 grand final, featuring in an 11-1 blitz of Arrows/Athletics in their Division 1 Men’s duel at Hinkler Park on Saturday in the second of the two trial games rounds.

Meanwhile, Queensland under-18 representative Isaac Wales struck five times as All Blacks white-washed Raiders/Rovers 10-0.

Waves Cities’ Division 1 Women will however launch their quest for a hat-trick of Division 1 premierships without a trial win after suffering their second straight loss, this time to 3-0 to Arrows/Athletics, for whom Malanie Stehbens grabbed a double.

Here are all the scores:

AFL WIDE BAY

TAKALVANS SENIOR WOMEN’S PREMIERSHIP

Round 5:

ATW EAGLES 2.13, 8.16, 14.20, 18.22 (130) d MARYBOROUGH BEARS 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0 (6).

Goals – Eagles: Kelly Blair 3, Jasmine Fagg 2, Kayla Osborn 2, Hayley Gash 2, Rachael Jose 2, Kirstyn Abbott 2, Ruby Rowlands, Taylor Jardine, Bethany Gapes, Jenny Horton, Scout Strong; Bears: Jazmyn Stothard.

Best – Bears: Montoya Sheehan, Dakota Marsh, Lakiah Sheenhan, Sinead Sheehan, Abbigail Bidois, Summar Huth.

HERVEY BAY BOMBERS 1.2, 3.7, 3.10, 3.12 (30) d BROTHERS BULLDOGS 0.1, 0.1, 0.4, 0.4 (4).

Best – Bulldogs: Michala Collins, Bo Tankey, Rebecca Pugh, Courtney Barbera, Louise Schultz, Julia Greenhalf; Bombers:  Gracie Eadie, Brittany Lea-Hewson, Indiana Williams, Brianna Duffy, Kayla Baldwin.

BAY POWER 2.2, 4.2, 6.2, 7.3 (45) d GYMPIE CATS 1.0, 1.1, 1.1, 2.1 (13).

CRICKET BUNDABERG

Grand final results:

RUM CITY FOODS DIVISION 1 PREMIERSHIP: NORTHS 6-235 (Brendan Handley 85, Nathan Van Eekeren 55, Chris Napper 23no, Alex Turner 22no, Lachlan Modrow 7-0-48-2) d WAVES 209 (Luke Owen 47, Ryan Norton 33, Michael Loader 25, Bruce Worthington 9-0-57-3, Laird McKay 8.2-0-30-2, Shannon Smith 6-0-33-2). Player of Final: Brendan Handley.

RUM CITY FOODS DIVISION 2 PREMIERSHIP: WAVES 133 (Vince Differ 48, Sean Stuchbery 25, Sam Pearson 8-1-22-3, John Howard 8-2-19-2, Jack Rea 7-1-30-2) d BROTHERS 91 (Mitch Parsons 22, Sam Pearson 20, Damien Black 8-0-20-4, Sean Stuchbery 1.5-0-3-2, Sam Stuchbery 8-1-19-2). Player of Final: Damien Black.

RUM CITY FOODS DIVISION 3 PREMIERSHIP: NORTHS 3-182 (Shaun Pinney 58no, John Van Lierop 47, Paul Jenner 37) d YMCA 5-181 (Brett Woodward 105no, Lex Webster 34). Player of Final: Brett Woodward.

FOOTBALL WIDE BAY

FQPL WIDE BAY MEN

ATW 14 (Zacharie Nicholas 3, Bryce Hibberd 3, Nykodah Smith 3, Brendan Davis 2, Cory Leggett 2, Hayden Lobegeier) d SC CORINTHIANS 1 (Jarman Grigg); BINGERA 5 d KSS JETS 0.

FQPL WIDE BAY WOMEN

FRASER FLAMES 10 d UNITED WARRIORS 1.

FQPL WIDE BAY U23 MEN

ATW 1 (Mitchell Aslett) d SC CORINTHIANS 0; UPE 1 (Joel Porch) d SUNBURY BLUES 0; BINGERA 2 drew KSS JETS 2.

NORTH DIVISION 1 WOMEN

ATW 1 (Leone Aslett) drew DIGGERS 1.

NORTH DIVISION 2 MEN

BINGERA CUTTERS 10 d GIN GIN 0; ATW 2 (Mitchell Capuzzo 2) drew UPE GREEN 2; BINGERA FIRE 2 d UPE RED 1 (Joshua Clarke).

NORTH U15 DIVISION 1

BARGARA WHITE 3 d BAV 0; BINGERA 1 (Ethan McKeown) d UPE 0.

NORTH U13 DIVISION 1

BARGARA 9 (Xavier Holzberger 3, Max Shuttleworth 3, Zephaniah Spencer, Ethan Lambert, Archer Morgan) d DIGGERS 0.

HOCKEY BUNDABERG

Trial games Round 2:

U11s

Raiders Rovers 6 (Levi Kendall 6) defeated All Blacks 1 (Lachlan McLaren 1); Arrows Athletics 5 (Jessica Stehbens 2, Hamish Cook 3) defeated Waves Cities (Sophie Aitkenhead 3)

U13s

Raiders Rovers 16 (Amelia Law 1, Beau Kendall 1, Dominic Wallace 1, Molly Crow 1, Levi Kendall 5, Silvana Powell 7) defeated All Blacks 0; Arrows Athletics 3 (Hamish Cook 1, Bridie Stehbens 2) drew with Waves Cities 3 (Thomas Rach 1, Lilly Pashley 2)

U16s

All Blacks 3 (Tim Wales 1, Kalen Wilke 1, Indah Lawrence 1) drew with Raiders Rovers 3 (Hailey Kendall 1, Courtney Kendall 1, Silvana Powell 1); Waves Cities 1 (Connor Castelli 1) defeated Arrows Athletics 0

Div 2 Women

Raiders Rovers 3 (Alana McManus 1, Emma Kendall 1, Hailey Kendall 1) defeated All Blacks 0; Arrows Athletics 2 (Michelle Wilson 1, Julie Munro 1) drew with Waves Cities 2 (Anna Smith)

Div 2 Men

Arrows Athletics 2 (Jake McCaig 1, Liam Taske 1) defeated Waves Cities 1 (Lachlan McLennan)

Div 1 Women

All Blacks 0 drew Raiders Rovers 0; Arrows Athletics 3 (Ruby Smith 1, Malanie Stehbens 2) defeated Waves Cities 0

Div 1 Men

All Blacks 10 (Trent Peardon 1, Martyn Edmunds 2, Dale Veivers 2, Isaac Wales 5) defeated Raiders Rovers 0; Waves Cities 11 (Adam Harradine 1, Cooper Bengston 2, Sam Aitkenhead 2, Lachlan McLennan 2, Riley Stevens 4) defeated Arrows Athletics 1 (Jake McCaig 1)

NETBALL BUNDABERG

WARREN FAMILY HOMES PREMIERSHIPS

Grading games round 2:

DIVISION 1: ALLOWAY BLUE 37 d WAVES BLUE 33; WAVES GOLD 42 d BROTHERS HURRICANES 38.

DIVISION 2: NATIVES KOOKABURRAS 51 d WAVES RED 15; WAVES SILVER 50 d ALLOWAY RED 33; NATIVES EAGLES 56 d WAVES ROYALS 31; BROTHERS CYCLONES 61 d FUSION SOLOMONS 22.

MASTERS: ALLOWAY GREEN 54 d NATIVES SWANS 45; NATIVES MACAWS 47 d BROTHERS TSUNAMI 24

DIVISION 3: NATIVES ROSELLAS 34 d WAVES AQUA 29; BROTHERS MONSOONS 37 d ALLOWAY YELLOW 16.

DIVISION 4 & 5: FUSION MAGIC SULTANS 30 d NATIVES PARROTS 27; NATIVES LORIKEETS 20 d WAVES PINK 15; BROTHERS TORNADOES 26 d NATIVES FIREBIRDS 25; ALLOWAY MAROON 33 d ALLOWAY AQUA 30.

DIVISION 6: WAVES SAPPHIRES d BROTHERS STORM ON FORFEIT; FUSION BRENDON O’DONNELL 39 d NATIVES PEACOCKS 15.

DIVISION 7: BROTHERS WILDFIRES 45 d ALLOWAY EMERALDS 6; FUSION WESSEL PETROLEUM 43 d WAVES MAROON 7; NATIVES KINGFISHERS 27 d BROTHERS TYPHOONS 14.

DIVISION 8: FUSION SANDHILLS 35 d BROTHERS VOLCANOES 12; BROTHERS WHIRLWINDS 18 d WAVES TEAL 15.

DIVISION 9 & 10: FUSION SHIFT AUTO 30 d WAVES JADE 3; ALLOWAY GOLD 14 d BROTHERS AVALANCHES 11; ALLOWAY LAVENDER 52 d NATIVES HAWKS 8.

DIVISION 11: ALLOWAY ORANGE 7 drew BROTHERS HEAT 7; NATIVES TOUCANS 15 d FUSION PRECISION 9; WAVES FUCHSIA 18 d BROTHERS BLIZZARDS 4.

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