Bundaberg will have seven representatives in the Wide Bay Flames team which will contest the annual Bulls Masters Country Cricket Open T20 Challenge in Cairns this weekend under coach Simon Gills, also of Bundaberg.
They are captain Nathan Van Eekeren, Brendan Handley, Arden Lankowski, Sam Pearson, Hayden Pope, Callum Stitt, and Mitchell Waters.
The Wide Bay Flames’ first match will be against Central Queensland Seamers at 2pm tomorrow, before they back up against Far North Fusion at 6.30pm.
Their last pool game will be against Darling Downs Suns at 9am Sunday, with the top two sides in each Pool advancing to the Qualifying Finals on Sunday afternoon.
The Wide Bay Flames lost all three of their games at the Challenge last year in Bundaberg after having won just one match in 2020.
Bundaberg’s Ben Howard is also playing in the Carnival as a member of the Country Colts Thunder team.
Wide Bay Flames: Andy Batten, Oliver Bembrick, Brendan Handley, Arden Lankowski, Sam Pearson, Saif Malek, Hayden Pope, Trent Riddell (vc), Harry Sippel, Callum Stitt, Nathan van Eekeren ©, Mitch Waters
Brothers are the only unbeaten team after the second round of the Bundaberg Cricket Rum City Foods Division 1 Premiership at Salter Oval on Saturday after scrapping out a 15-run victory over arch-rivals Waves.
Both teams were missing a number of their stars, but Brothers elected to bat and chalked up 8-234 from their 45 overs before restricting Waves to 8-219 despite a game-high 64 by Waves veteran former Tallon Medal winner Sean Stuchbery and a signature 51 by Luke Owen to complete a good double after grabbing 2-41.
Meanwhile, East Bundy Magpies bounced back from their first-up drubbing by Brothers to sentence reigning premiers Norths to their second loss with veteran spinner Lachlan Donovan playing a leading hand with 4-25.
Brothers also claimed a 10-wicket victory over Waves in Division 2, with Giles Cunningham, in his return season to the club and Bundaberg after 30 years, leading the charge with an unbeaten 54, and 16-year-old Nick Clarke recording a good double of 2-7 and an unconquered 31.
There are no Bundaberg fixtures this weekend, but they will resume next Saturday, when juniors will also fire up.
Wide Bay Under-17’s have unfortunately lost their first two games in the Queensland Premier Cricket Lord Taverner’s Competition, going down to Sunshine Coast, and Western Suburbs, before forfeiting their three T20 games this week.
But Bundaberg’s Lachlan Heycox was outstanding against Sunshine Coast, opening the bowling and claiming 4-43 from his nine overs.
Lachlan also picked up 1-41 against Western Suburbs, but fellow Bundaberg representatives Sam Stuchbery (2-28) and Toby Lamond (2-9) were among their two-wicket takers, while Lachlan also second-top scored with 24.
Wide Bay will travel to St Lucia to take on University of Queensland this Sunday.
Football
Across The Waves served it up to Cairns heavyweights Edge Hill United Tigers in the semi-finals of the inaugural Football Queensland Premier League Champions League in Brisbane on Saturday, but they ultimately went down 4-2 after scoring the first two goals of the match but scores had been locked at 2-apiece at the break.
Waves have again qualified for the Champions League next year.
Rugby
Electrifying centre Aisake Masiwala bagged a double as reigning champions Wests Barbarians held off a valiant Turtles Brothers 29-21 in their Rugby Bundaberg Bundy Hot Gas Spring Cup second round clash at Jubilee Park on Saturday.
Turtles threw down the gauntlet and led 10-5 after a booming 48m penalty goal by Layton Chambers late in the first half.
But in the end, Barbarians simply had too many guns, scoring five tries to two, after having got the points in the first round by virtue of a Fraser Coast Mariners forfeit.
Meanwhile, last year’s wooden spooners East Bundaberg Pythons were again impressive, making it two wins from as many matches with a 24-7 dispatch of Waves Falcons, who also tried in their first hit-out of the season but did not have as many attacking options as their opponents.
There are no matches tomorrow, with competition to resume with games at Hervey Bay and Waves Sports Complex next Saturday.
Here are all the scores from the weekend:
Cricket Bundaberg
RUM CITY FOODS DIVISION 1 PREMIERSHIP
BROTHERS 8/234(cc) (Luke Solano 45, Dustin Collin 41, Sam Pearson 36, David Boge 27, Callum Neubecker 3/42, Luke Owen 2/41) d WAVES 8/219(cc) (Sean Stuchbery 64, Luke Owen 51, Mitchell Waters 28, Jeremy Haaksma 2/31, Jackson Rehbein 2/34, Lachlan Heycox 2/43).
EAST BUNDY MAGPIES 9/161(cc) (Priyantha Mudalige 39, Damian O'Neall 3/28, Bruce Worthington 2/19, Paul Jenner 2/19, Shannon Smith 2/37) d NORTHS 10/148 (Jaden Bond 57, Paul Jenner 29, Lachlan Donovan 4/25, Roy Heath 2/28).
RUM CITY FOODS DIVISION 2 PREMIERSHIP
BROTHERS 0/110 (Giles Cunningham 54, Nick Clarke 31) d WAVES 109 (Daniel Unwin 45*, Andrew Weeks 3/20, Tyson Cox 3/27, Nick Clarke 2/7).
EAST BUNDY MAGPIES 4/157 (Paulson Antony 64, Troy Cross 46, John Howard 2/18) d NORTHS 8/154 (Liam Denning 38, Craig Fritz 30, Shaun Pinney 27, Julian Bond 27, Paulson Antony 3/37, Will Barritt 2/15).
RUM CITY FOODS DIVISION 3 PREMIERSHIP
YMCA 6/170(cc) (Brett Woodward 74, Richmond Felstead 30, Andrew Hill 2/30, Tyler De Martin 2/37, Reuben Challacombe 2/45) d ISIS 76 (Brett Woodward 5/8, Bayley Fagg 3/19). WAVES 3/163 (Jason DePapi 83, Nick Laffey 28, Sukh Sidhu 2/32) d EAST BUNDY MAGPIES 160 (Charnjeet Singh 38, Storm Martin 3/36, Chris Medwin 2/13, Julie Munro 2/25).
Rugby Bundaberg
BUNDY HOT GAS SPRING CUP
Round 2:
WEST BARBARIANS 29 (Aisake Masiwala 2, Mathew Collier, Litani Pakalani, Name witheld tries; Litani Pakalani 2 conversions) d TURTLES BROTHERS 21 (Ponipate Tuiwailevu, Name witheld tries; Layton Chambers conversion & 3 penalties).
EAST BUNDABERG PYTHONS 24 (Josateki Masibalavu, Peni Vakaduadua, Semiti Cabemailau, Viliame Navuto Tries; Sakiusa Dreunimolea 2 conversions) d WAVES FALCONS 7 (John Akers try & conversion).
Other stories: Lakes and rivers proving to be top fishing spots
