Minor premiers and reigning champions Waves Cities will clash sticks with arch-rivals All Blacks in the Bundaberg Hockey Division 1 Men’s Grand Final for the sixth year in a row when they take to the field at 5.30 pm at Hinkler Park tomorrow.
After being bridesmaids for four straight years, Cities triumphed 6-0 12 months ago, and they have again been the dominant team this season.
They finished 10 points clear of Raiders/Rovers at the top of the table, before outmuscling them 4-1 in the Major Semi-final, then Raiders were sent packing by All Blacks 2-1 in the preliminary final.
Raiders/Rovers will be hot favourites against Arrows/Athletics in the Division 1 Women’s decider at 4pm after losing just one game all season.
They were crowned minor premiers with 59 points, 24 more than second placed Arrows, although they only beat them 3-2 in the Major Semi-final a fortnight ago.
Arrows were beaten by Cities 2-0 in last year’s grand finale.
Division 2 grand finals will get the ball rolling tonight, with in the Women’s, Raiders/Rovers to let loose against Cities at 6.20pm, and in the Men’s at 7.50pm, Arrows will aim up against All Blacks II.
Raiders/Rovers will also vie for honours in the three junior divisions tomorrow, against Arrows in Under-11 at 10am and Under-16 at 2pm, and Cities in Under-13 at 12 noon.
Athletics
The Bundaberg Regional Athletics Facility in Enid Ethel Drive will be a hive of activity when Bargara Little Athletics Centre hosts the Little Athletics Queensland Nordic Australia Central North Regional Championships this weekend.
Bargara and Gin Gin Centres will carry the Bundaberg Region’s hopes, with five other Centres also competing, Agnes Water, Biloela, Gracemere, Moura, and North Rockhampton.
Action gets under way at 8.30am tomorrow, running through to the last round of events at 5pm, firing up again on Sunday at 8.30am and continuing non-stop to the last event at 12.05pm.
There are 247 events all up and spectators are welcome.
Football
Bingera will chasing grand final berths in their Centenary Season when they contest three Football Queensland Premier League Wide Bay Preliminary Finals this weekend.
This will begin tonight when they take on United Park Eagles (UPE) in the Women’s division at Martens Oval at 8pm.
Tomorrow they will contest the Under-23 men’s and men’s preliminaries at Hervey Bay Sports Complex against UPE at 4pm, and Kawungan Sandy Straits Jets at 6pm, respectively.
The Superstripes’ Men’s and Women's teams both placed fourth on their ladders and are each up against the second placed teams after KSS Jets went down to Across The Waves 3-0 in Semi-final 1, and the UPE Women were forced to forfeit their Semi-final 1 after being ravaged by illness.
In Wide Bay Division 1 Men’s, League Champions Brothers-Aston Villa will suit up against Waves at Martens Oval at 4pm tomorrow, after going down to United Warriors in their semi-final 1.
Cricket
The Bundaberg Cricket Association season does not start until next Saturday, but the BCA will host the T20 Component of the Wide Bay Senior Schaeffer Shield at Salter Oval tomorrow.
Bundaberg will take on Fraser Coast at 8am, before Fraser backs up against Gympie at 11am, and Bundaberg does battle with the Gold City at 2pm.
The new look Bundaberg team is: Josh Winen, Adam Pozzebon, Brendan Handley, Mitch Parsons, Chris Napper, Jesse Richardson, Nathan Van Eekeren, Hayden Pope, Sam Pearson, Ben Davey, Mitch Waters, Jeremy Haaksma.
Rugby League
The second annual Northern District Rugby League All Stars v Indigenous All Stars event was played in conjunction with Evolution Mining, Gidarjil Corporation and Queensland Rugby League in front of a massive crowd at Gin Gin on Saturday night.
The Program embraced the true Spirit of Reconciliation and Community Connection and after winning a thriller last year 34-30, NDRL All Stars outgunned the Indigenous Team 34-18 with a hat-trick of tries to Miriam Vale’s Player of last month’s Grand Final, halfback Ricky Noy, and a double to another Magpie, centre Charles Hopf.
A further Magpie, ultra-promising young lock Jesse Wyngaards, received the NRL Bulldogs Award Pack for the NDRLAS’ Player of the Match, while excitement machine five-eighth Stanley Bligh, of Central Burnett, who also snared a double, took home the NRL
Dolphins Award Pack for the Indigenous All Stars’ Player of the Match.
Jessica Galea also notched another hat-trick as Gin Gin Hawkettes white-washed Agnes Water Marlins/Avondale Tigerettes 32-0 in the Women’s League Tag Exhibition Match.
Jessica also took out the WLT NRL Dolphins Award Pack for Player of the Match.
Festivities also included a Welcome to Country, and performance by the Warriors Descendants’ Cultural Dancers.
NDRL ALL STARS 34 (Ricky Noy 3, Charles Hopf 2, Rowan Sutton, Jake Causton tries; Rowan Sutton 2, Ricky Noy goals) d INDIGENOUS ALL STARS 18 (Stanley Bligh 2, Matthew Lawton tries; Jackson Brown 3 goals).
WLT Exhibition Match: GIN GIN HAWKETTES 32 (Jessica Galea 3, Shannon Lavender-Horlyck, Jude Bust, Tanika Mason tries; Emma Collinson 4 goals) d AGNES WATER MARLINS/AVONDALE TIGERETTES 0.
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