Bundaberg Wildcats turned it on to take out the Under-8 division of the recent 2022 Futsal Johnny Warren Champions of Champions Tournament at Coomera Sports Park, claiming an historic title with a 5-3 Final victory over powerhouses and home-town hopes Gold Coast Crusaders.
The boys played their first game against a really tough Brisbane Feenix A team and came up short, losing 4-2, but they scored a big win in their next game against another Brisbane side Tiger Sharks, then came up against another superb team in Brisbane Feenix B, again going down 9-5, before bouncing back with a win against an also slick Bulimba Bolts 7-5 to complete day one.
Come day two, and the Wildcats started with a cracking game against Gold Coast Crusaders, scoring a stunning 9-3 victory and setting up a rematch against the previously unbeaten Feenix B in the semi-finals, and they turned the tables on them, romping home 7-3 to power into the decider.
In the final, the boys played their hearts out and won a dramatic game against Crusaders to become the first Bundaberg team to win the prestigious tournament.
Next week, the team, comprising Rocco Marcon, Jacob Searle, Dan Cook, Hudson Differ, Jett Irvine, Mylo Cameron and Luka Mandic, under Coaches Chris Cook and Victor Mandic, will chase even higher honours at Australia’s biggest Futsul tournament, the Gold Coast International Tournament from 18th-22nd January.
Four other Bundaberg Wildcats teams also mixed it with the best at the Johnny Warren Champions of Champions Carnival, and all made amazing progress and showed great determination, with two others reaching the semi-finals.
Cricket
Captain Mitchell Parsons truly led from the front, battling fatigue and dehydration to notch an unbeaten century and carry Brothers from being on the ropes to a remarkable victory over arch-rivals Waves and claim the Tallon-Giles Trophy in their Rum City Foods Division 1 Premiership showdown at Salter Oval on Saturday night.
After electing to bowl, the Brethren did well to restrict the powerful Waves line-up to 9-183 from their 45 overs, with former 34-year-old Gold Coast player Chris Carroll, in his first season in Bundaberg, the unlikely destroyer with 4-35 – including the big scalps of opener Luke Owen (50) and Ryan Norton – from his nine overs after claiming a total of just three wickets from his first 10 games in top grade.
Opener Jeremy Haaksma had made early in-roads, grabbing the first two wickets, removing new Waves master-blaster Adam Pozzebon, who had successive knocks of 100 and 168 in November, for a second-ball duck, and young gun Kori Pope, before 16-year-old paceman Jayden Santacaterina fired out veteran Sean Stuchbery also without scoring.
Luke, who is in career-best form, led the fightback, but after Ryan was bowled for 19, Brothers kept chipping away, and when Luke was caught by Jayden after reaching his half-century, Waves were in trouble at 7-134, but they finished with a competitive total with all lower order batsmen making handy contributions, including No. 10 Matthew Pozzebon, who smashed an unbeaten 18 from 11 balls.
But Brothers were soon in trouble, slumping to 5-64, with reigning Tallon Medalist left-arm paceman Mitchell Waters making three early break-throughs.
But Mitchell Parsons, who came in at 1-12, took control, toughing it out in an 89-run partnership with best mate Sam Pearson, who contributed a crucial 24.
Chris Carroll came in and also weathered the storm with an unbeaten eight in an unbroken partnership of 32 with his young 22-year-old skipper, who ultimately hit the winning runs with 3.5 overs to spare, finishing unconquered on 105 from 109 balls with 17 fours and one six – his second century of the season.
Mitchell Parsons had earlier also claimed the key wicket of another danger man Mitchell Waters in his 1-8 from two overs.
As soon as Mitchell Parsons had cooled down, he started cramping badly, and he was taken to hospital in severe pain, and he spent until Sunday afternoon on a saline drip.
Waves however maintained the lead on the premiership table, moving to 116.70 points but Brothers got to within 10.25 points of them with seven rounds remaining, while East Bundy Magpies climbed into third position on 64.21, ahead of reigning premiers Norths (57.30) with a 45-run victory over them in the other match on Saturday.
The Magpies racked up 5-238, before dismissing Norths for 193, with veteran Lachlan Donovan and Trent Seeds both completing dynamic doubles, with the former top scoring with 70 and snaring 4-44 with his spin, and the latter blasting 57 and firing out the first four wickets in his 4-35, and captain Dale Steele putting the icing on the batting cake, cutting loose with four sixes and six fours in a signature unbeaten 62 from 39 balls.
Tomorrow, at Salter Oval in matches starting at 11 am, Brothers will be out to turn the tables on Norths, whose only two wins this season have been at their expense, including when they last crossed swords on 10 December, while Waves will be hungry to continue their dominance against East.
In the minor grades on Saturday, long-time Waves’ Division 1 ace Michael Loader, playing in just his second match of the season, staked his claims for a top grade recall, toying with the Brothers attack, amassing an unbeaten 108 from 79 balls to set up a big win in Division 2.
Meanwhile, the Aussie Bundy Big Bash resumes at Salter Oval tonight with a top-of-the-table showdown between unbeaten leaders Betta Heat and reigning champions Headlands Pies, whose only defeat so far was to the heat in their one meeting to date on 28th October.
Here are all the scores from weekend from the weekend:
CRICKET BUNDABERG
RUM CITY FOODS DIVISION 1 PREMIERSHIP
East Bundy Magpies 5/238(cc) (L Donovan 70, D Steele 62*, T Seeds 57, J Mather 2/19) def Norths 193 (S Rose 43, C Napper 38, P Jenner 31, T Seeds 4/35, L Donovan 4/44, B Davey 2/52).
Brothers 6/185 (M Parsons 105*, M Waters 3/26) def Waves 9/183(cc) (L Owen 50, J Larsen 28, C Carroll 4/35, J Haaksma 2/19).
RUM CITY FOODS DIVISION 2 PREMIERSHIP
Waves 5/214(cc) (M Loader 108*, K Stallan 27, R Maclean 27) def Brothers 105 (G Cunningham 32, Sam Stuchbery 3/24, J Beveridge 3/24, K Hard 2/22).
East Bundy Magpies 4/96 (R Jensen 47*) def Norths 92 (J Balaam 33, L Woodward 4/27, R Jensen 3/20, A Richardson 2/11).
RUM CITY FOODS DIVISION 3 PREMIERSHIP
Waves 3/127 (R Bailey-Rasmussen 54, J McInnes 2/16) def Brothers 126 (S White 41*, C Medwin 3/26, L McLellan 2/17).
YMCA 5/204(cc) (S Gogireddy 62*, J Grigg 32*, H Anjum 2/21) def East Bundy Magpies 9/160(cc) (S Sidhu 47, T Chadwick 4/45, J Grigg 3/36).
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