HomeSportBrothers Ben and Chris Rudd create history

Brothers Ben and Chris Rudd create history

Ben and Chris
Ben Rudd raises his arms in triumph as he wins the Senior Male division of the Queensland Schools State Triathlon Championships at Hervey Bay.

St Luke's Anglican School captain Ben Rudd and his younger brother Chris claimed an historic double, each powering home to take out the Senior and Intermediate Male divisions respectively at the recent Queensland Schools State Triathlon Championships in Hervey Bay.

They became the first siblings to win both divisions in the same year in the history of the competition and their proud mother Leanne said the boys had both worked very hard to achieve their goals.

The dynamic duo backed up for Wide Bay in the Teams events the next day, and Ben’s Senior team placed sixth, with Chris’ side just missing a medal, coming in fourth.

After their maiden state titles, Ben and Chris are both now preparing for the Australian Championships in Devonport on 15th and 16th March, where they will each be aiming for their first national medals.

They are both members of former Queensland Junior star Rebecca Jenner’s Team and the Bargara Triathlon Club.

Rebecca was also delighted for her proteges, the sky looks the limit for them and if they continue in the sport, they could easily follow in the footsteps of Hervey Bay’s Matthew Hauser, who won the 2017 Junior World Title before going on to represent Australia at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and claim Bronze at last year’s Commonwealth Games after placing fourth in 2018.

“Ben and Chris both have huge potential to medal at nationals and if they continue in the sport, they could potentially be racing on the world scene at the Under-23 elite world champs. The boys are both young and have some choices to make in years to come,” Rebecca said.

Bena nd Chris
Chris Rudd shows his emotions as he crosses the line to take out the Intermediate Male category at the State Triathlon titles.

A week earlier before the state championships, at the Bargara Triathlon Club Australia Day Aquathlon at Norville Park, Ben had been the Sprint event winner in 2021 and 2022, with Chris runner-up to him last year, but they competed in different combinations in the Sprint Team event this time.

And it was Chris who upstaged his big brother, joining forces with Levi Marsman in Team Next Jenner-ation to win in 41min10sec for the 3km run, 400m swim, 3km run, 400m swim and 2km run, with Ben and his younger Team The Smugglers partner Lachlan Wyllie second, 3min16sec behind.

The Rudd duo’s absence from the Sprint event opened the door for 48-year-old 2020 victor Ben Artup, who had finished third behind Ben the previous two years, to return to the winners’ list, clocking 46:58 to defeat Tait Ovens by 2min1sec, with Ben McHugh a further 3:30 behind in third place, and Katerina Balis the Female champion in 55:06 in seventh place overall.

Bargara Triathlon Club
Ben Artup crosses the finish line to win the Sprint event at Bargara Triathlon Club’s Australia Day Aquathlon.

Liam Vaughan took out the Give it a Try, while Charlotte Watson won the Hatchlings event for 3-6 years, Matilda Kemp was victorious in the Milbi division for 7-9 years, and in the Turtles 10-12 years category, Elise Vaughan was the Female and Overall winner, and Nicholas Campbell was second Overall and the first Male.

Cricket

It will be a big weekend in Bundaberg cricket, starting with the Aussi Bundy Big Bash Final at Salter Oval at 6.30pm tonight, with unbeaten minor premiers Betta Heat to take on defending champions Headlands Pies.

Heat will contest their first final in the four-year history of the competition, with a team that includes former Tallon Medallists for Bundaberg Division 1’s Best and Fairests, Sam Pearson and Arden Lankowski, big hitting openers Ben Davey and Adam Pozzebon, and young gun Kori Pope, and they beat the Pies by eight wickets in their only clash so far this season on 28th October.

Headlands will also be licking their wounds after they were soundly beaten by 30 runs last week by Takalvans Taipans, who finished their season on a high note with Michael Loader leading the charge with 60.

Tomorrow, third place and inside running to a semi-final berth will be up for grabs in the penultimate round Rum City Foods Division 1 Premiership showdown between reigning champions Norths and East Bundy Magpies, starting at 11am.

East are third on 80.27, just 0.53 points in from of the Northerners, and their only three wins to date this season have been against them, but Norths, who have also beaten Brothers twice, plucked the Magpies when they last met on 28th January, and they have been building, with competitive losses to Brothers and Waves respectively at their past two starts.

Meanwhile, confirmed minor premiers Waves, who have already booked their place in the grand final, take on second placed Brothers, who they have lost to twice but beat them comprehensively at their last encounter.

On Sunday, Bundaberg will travel to Murgon for the Wide Bay Open Goodchild Shield final against South Burnett, hoping to reverser their disappointing last-round loss to them three weeks ago when they were embarrassed at home, being bowled out for 102, chasing a paltry total of 103.

The Bundaberg team is: Ben Davey, Jeremy Haaksma, Jayden Larsen, Chris Napper, Ryan Norton, Luke Owen, Mitch Parsons (C), Sam Pearson, Hayden Pope, Luke Solano, Trent Seeds, Mitch Waters.

The Bundaberg Invitational side to play against the Bulls Masters at Salter Oval on Saturday 25th February has also been named, with just one change to that side, with Arden Lankowski in in place of Trent Seeds.

Last week in the Division 1 Premiership, Queensland Veterans representative spinner Bruce Worthington played his 200th game for Norths but he was unable to add to his 275 wickets in his 12th season for the club, and while the premiers were not able to topple Waves, they again threw down the gauntlet to them, amassing 9-181, then claiming six wickets before Waves got home with 4.2 overs to spare, with Hayden Pope leading the way with an unbeaten 49.

Brothers defeated the Magpies by seven wickets with under-16 all-rounder Lachlan Heycox bagging 4-15, before openers Arden Lankowski and Luke Solano featured in the run chase with 59 from just 38 balls and an unconquered 65 respectively.

Teams have also been named for the Bundaberg Youth Invitational v Bundaberg Masters Invitational sides that will play the curtain-raiser to the Bulls Masters, starting at 1pm.

Masters Invitational: Damien Black, David Boge, Nick Catasti, Giles Cunningham, Richmond Felstead, Shannan Heycox, Scott Lamond, Eric Petersen, Scott Rehbein, Marty Ryan, Dale Steele, Sean Stuchbery, Lex Webster.

Youth Invitational: Bayley Fagg, River Felstead, Ethan Hamel, Lachlan Heycox, Josh Kelly, Toby Lamond, Sean Millett, Simon Millett, Julie Munro, Cooper Rehbein, Sam Stuchbery, Aeddan White.

Bundaberg Under-16, 14 and 12 sides will also play South Burnett in the last round of the Wide Bay Junior Championships at Salter Oval this Sunday.

Rugby League

Reigning Bundaberg A Grade premiers Hervey Bay Seagulls will also be chasing a hat-trick of annual North Coast Foods West Panthers Nines Carnival titles at Jubilee Park, Avoca Street tomorrow.

But the Panthers will have two sides, Red and Black, as they attempt to go one better after being bridesmaids for the past two years, while Easts Magpies will also have two teams, Black and White.

Waves Tigers, Bundaberg Brothers and Emu Park complete the draw.

Pool round-robin games will start at 10am, with the last at 3.30pm, before the Plate and Trophy finals fire up at 4.30pm, culminating in the showpiece Trophy Grand Final at 7pm.

Canteen and Bar facilities will be available all day.

Softball

Terrors clinched the Coral Coast Softball A Grade Men’s Minor Premiership, edging out Brothers United Heat 10-9 in their penultimate round shoot-out in Hervey Bay on Saturday, while second placed Waves Schooners accounted for Bargara Bombers 8-5 at Brothers Sports Complex.

Schooners will slug it out with Terrors at Brothers at 2.50pm tomorrow in the only A Grade Men’s game of the round in what will also be a dress rehearsal for their major semi-final rematch.

In A Grade Ladies, minor premiers Waves Tsunamis overpowered Western Suburbs Panthers 16-1 at Brothers on Saturday, while second seeds and three times defending champions Brothers United Firesticks had to settle for a 4-all with last placed Terrors at the Bay.

Terrors have the double-header at Brothers tomorrow to complete the rounds, squaring off against Firesticks at 11.40am, before backing up against Tsunamis at 1.15pm.

Here are all the scores from the weekend:

CRICKET BUNDABERG

AUSSIE BUNDY BIG BASH

Takalvans Taipans 4/172(cc) (M Loader 60, M Waters 42, J Rehbein 2/15) def Headlands Pies 7/142 (B Handley 46, J Larsen 32*,  D Krebs 2/18, C Duff 2/26).   

RUM CITY FOODS DIVISION 1 PREMIERSHIP

Waves 6/182 (L Owen 49, H Pope 49*, M Loader 40,  M Parker 2/16, D Turner 2/38) def Norths 9/181(cc) (S Smith 37, J Bond 30 , M Pozzebon 3/29, C Duff 2/24, C Neubecker 2/32).

Brothers 3/163 (L Solano 65*, A Lankowski 59,  L Donovan 2/7) def East Bundy Magpies 162 (T Seeds 39,  L Heycox 4/15, J Santacaterina 2/37, J Haaksma 2/38).         

RUM CITY FOODS DIVISION 2 PREMIERSHIP

Waves 3/80 (K Stallan 38,  D Hunt 2/36) def Norths 77 (S Stuchbery 4/10, J Munro 3/16, B Coates 2/15).

East Bundy Magpies 5/171 (G Bartlett 61, L Woodward 56*,  T Cox 2/18) def Brothers 7/170(cc) (G Cunningham 40, A Weeks 39, A Johnson 30,  L Woodward 3/29).

RUM CITY FOODS DIVISION 3 PREMIERSHIP

Waves 6/194 (N Delacy 57, N Laffey 42, B Prossliner 36, S White 2/26, A Porter 2/45) def Brothers 4/192(cc) (J McInnes 52, N Trebbin 35, A Porter 31, S Heycox 29, S White 28*).

YMCA 4/170 (L Webster 55, D Gugulothu 40, R Baker 29, S Sidhu 3/19) def East Bundy Magpies 168 (R Singh 42, A Singh 42*, J Grigg 3/18, L Baker 2/15, C Steele 2/38).

RUM CITY FOODS JUNIOR CRICKET 3-16S

Norths 7/196(cc) (L Faint 72, J Mather 30, E Hamel 27,  K Herrmann 3/30, I Rich 2/15) def Hervey Bay Colts 8/66(cc) (L Faint 3/10, H Single 2/9).     

YMCA/Isis 144 (R Felstead 74, C Rehbein 28,  B Grey 4/18, W Fletcher 2/10) def Waves 4/125(cc) (T Coates 49, S Stuchbery 38,  R Santacaterina 2/13).   

Brothers Mustangs 8/135(cc) (J Hill 38, R Gibbs 28, T Lamond 26,  L Nitschinsk 4/19) def Maryborough 9/106(cc) (L Nitschinsk 28, L Harms 27,  Sean Millett 3/12, J Hill 2/14, Simon Millett 2/16).     

RUM CITY FOODS JUNIOR CRICKET 3-14S

Hervey Bay Colts 9/141(cc) (C Barr 65*, B Donnison 4/18, T Kapernick 2/18) def Norths Bundy Power 110 (C Driver 27, C Barr 4/8, L Fitzpatrick 2/22).

Norths Bundy Bears 8/184(cc) (T Elphinstone 71*, H Elphinstone 34,  H Hosking 2/28) def YMCA/Isis 5/99(cc) (Z Onoprienko 28*,  M Crawford 2/14).          

RUM CITY FOODS JUNIOR CRICKET 2

YMCA/Easts 2/135(cc) def Brothers Pumas 8/113 (A Wynn 35*, X Holzberger 28,  S Steele 2/14).

Norths SEI Strikers 6/149(cc) (T Nieuwoudt 26, L McDonald 25*)                def Brothers Broncos 86 (C Kelly 25,  J Atkinson 3/6, D Walker 3/13).

Norths Avengers 2/257(cc) (R Balaam 58*, J Juster 48*, L Rogers 35*, O Abell 31*, T Dwyer 25*, A Eaton 25*, L Wingfield  2/23) def Isis 7/129(cc) (C Higgins 39*,  L Rogers 3/11).

SOFTBALL CORAL COAST

A GRADE LADIES

WAVES TSUNAMIS 16 d WESTERN SUBURBS PANTHERS 1; TERRORS 4 drew BROTHERS UNITED FIRESTICKS 4.

B GRADE LADIES

BARGARA BANDITS 5 d WAVES TIDAL WAVES 3; TERRORS BLUE 19 d BROTHERS UNITED CROSSFIRE 4; BARGARA LEOPARDS 10 d WAVES BREAKERS 9; WESTERN SUBURBS PUMAS 19 d WAVES SEASHELLS 2; BROTHERS UNITED INFERNO 18 d TERRORS YELLOW 3; WAVES BREAKERS 17 d WESTERN SUBURBS PUMAS 4; BARGARA BANDITS 19 d WESTERN SUBURBS COUGARS 6; MISFITS 8 d BROTHERS UNITED CROSSFIRE 2.

A GRADE MEN

TERRORS 10 d BROTHERS UNITED HEAT 9; WAVES SCHOONERS 8 d BARGARA BOMBERS 5.

B GRADE MEN

TERRORS 6 d BROTHERS UNITED FLAME 4; WAVES CRUISERS 10 d WESTERN SUBURBS LYNX 1; BARGARA BULLS 13 d WAVES CUTTERS 4.

UNDER-16

WAVES WAVERIDERS 17 d BARGARA BRONCS 3; TERRORS 9 d BROTHERS UNITED TNT 1; WAVES LIONS 4 d WAVES DRIFTERS 3.

UNDER-14

WAVES TORPEDOES 6 d BARGARA BANDICOOTS 5; WAVES RIPTIDES 14 d WESTERN SUBURBS TIGERS 0.

UNDER-12

WAVES MARINERS 13 d WESTERN SUBURBS JAGUARS 2; BROTHERS UNITED SPARKS 11 d TERRORS 5.

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